Help ! Mets Drop Not-So-Fab Four in a Row 10-3 to Cubs

Cubs 10, Mets 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets Record: 34-45

Mets Streak: L4

Mets Last 10: 3-7

WP: Javier Assad (6-1)

LP: Nolan McLean (4-5)

Seat On The Korner: Dansby Swanson

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

For the second straight game, Dansby Swanson earns a seat on the Korner, and this one had a little Ticket to Ride feel—for Cubs fans only. With a lively group of Norwegian FIFA soccer supporters enjoying a day at the park , as any Norwegian would, Swanson made sure the soundtrack stayed firmly in Chicago’s key, going 2-for-4 with seven RBIs.

He opened the damage with a three-run homer and later added a grand slam to turn a tight game into a rout, stacking swings the Mets simply couldn’t answer. After yesterday’s performance, this was less repetition and more domination—Swanson once again the headline act, and once again occupying the Seat on the Korner, He has 3 home runs and 11 RBI in less than 24 hours against the Mets.

Need To Know:

• Prior to today's double header RHP Jonathan Pintaro has been appointed

  as the 27th player.

• The Mets and Cubs last played a twin bill on July 16, 2022 at Wrigley Field.The last time the two played a doubleheader in New York was April 22, 2000.

• Since 2021, the Mets have played an MLB-high 37 doubleheaders, earning at least a split in 31 of them. They've swept 12 twinbills, split 19, and been swept just six times, including nine sweeps in their last 24 doubleheaders.

• The Mets have lost four straight games after winning two straight.

• New York is in a stretch of 10 straight games (0-2) and 20 games in 20 days (0-2) to finish on the first-half of the season.

• The Mets are now two games below .500 (18-20) at Citi Field this season.

• The Mets are 12-12 over their last 24 games and 24-24 over their last 48 games.

• The Mets are in the midst of a crucial seven-game homestand (0-2) against the Cubs (0-2) and Phillies (four games).

• The Mets have allowed six or more runs in this four game losing streak and it

  is the second time this season they have done so (also: 4 G, 5/17-20)

• The Mets have lost all 5 games they've played against the Cubs so far this season. They will try to change their luck in game two of the doubleheader tonight.

Turning Point:

The turning point came in a tense sixth inning that unraveled almost entirely with two outs. Ian Happ started it with a flyout, and it looked like Nolan McLean might escape cleanly when Nico Hoerner followed with a double to put a runner in scoring position. Still, McLean was one out away after Pedro Ramírez lined out to second for the second out of the inning. But the frame extended when Miguel Amaya beat out an infield single, a small play that loomed large as it kept the inning alive and pushed McLean past the 100-pitch mark. That decision quickly came back to haunt the Mets. On the very next pitch sequence, Dansby Swanson delivered the decisive blow, launching a two-out, three-run home run to center that flipped the game and broke it open, turning what should have been an escape into a costly collapse.

Three Keys:

A Hard Day’s Night

Nolan McLean started Game 1. Prior to today, he had been on a dominant run, allowing two or fewer runs in four straight starts, highlighted by a seven-inning, one-run, nine-strikeout performance to earn his fourth win on June 17 at Cincinnati. He also became just the second Mets pitcher in franchise history to allow two or fewer earned runs in 17 of his first 23 career starts, trailing only Matt Harvey's 18.

That streak came to an abrupt end today, however, as McLean endured one of the roughest outings of his season, allowing six earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings. He struck out nine, walked two, hit two batters, and surrendered two home runs.

Nowhere Man

Marcus Semien came into today still searching for consistency at the plate, with a .216 average (61-for-282), nine home runs and 29 RBIs on the season. He’s been slightly more productive against left-handers (.261) than right-handers (.202), but the overall profile has remained uneven, especially in key situations despite a strong .304 mark with runners in scoring position. Recent form has been just as difficult, after taking the collar today he is now 0-for-his last 15, including grounding into a pivotal double play in the bottom of the fourth to kill a potential rally—coming one pitch after he was given a reprieve when Michael Busch dropped a foul pop-up that extended the at-bat. On the current homestand he is 0-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts, continuing a stretch where the timing and impact simply haven’t matched his track record.

The Long and Winding Road: Tough afternoon for Jonathan Pintaro

RHP Jonathan Pintaro was called upon as the 27th man for the doubleheader and asked to provide length out of the bullpen with the Mets trailing 6-3 in the 7th inning. He gave the Mets a clean 7th, but was left in to pitch the 8th. And thats when his afternoon quickly unraveled. Pintaro allowed four runs (all earned) on two hits over his 2 innings of work, walking two and striking out three while also surrendering a grand slam that put the game out of reach. The outing pushed his ERA on the season to 5.11 over 12.1 innings of relief, and his career mark now stands at 6.23, a tough snapshot of a day where the extra arm in the bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding.