The Cubs and Mets aren’t that far apart. But the Mets have better relievers.
The Cubs and Mets played evenly for the first six and a half innings of this game, pretty much while the starters were still throwing.
Then the bullpens took over and you can see the difference between the two teams. Mets relievers shut down Cubs hitters. Cubs relievers allowed four runs, including two home runs, in two innings of work and that provided the margin in a 6-2 Cubs loss to the Mets.
This game went back and forth with good starting pitching from both sides. Matthew Boyd got himself in trouble by hitting Starling Marte with a pitch with two out in the second inning. Luis Torrens followed with a triple and the Mets led 1-0.
Yes, that Luis Torrens, who played in 13 games for the Cubs in 2023. He’s resurrected his career as a solid backup with the Mets. It was his fourth triple in over 1,000 career plate appearances.
The Cubs got the run back in the top of the sixth on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 10th home run of the season [VIDEO].
That matches PCA’s total from all of last year, when he had 372 at-bats. He’s hit 10 this year in 155 at-bats, and we are 41 games into the season, about a quarter of the way. Not suggesting that he could hit 40, but 30 doesn’t seem out of the question.
Mark Vientos smashed a homer off Boyd in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game.
Overall, Boyd threw pretty well: Six innings, two runs, no walks and eight strikeouts. Here are those eight K’s [VIDEO].
Here’s more on Boyd’s outing [VIDEO].
The Cubs tied the game up again in the seventh. Michael Busch walked leading off the inning and took second on an infield out.
Nico Hoerner doubled in Busch [VIDEO].
After Brad Keller, Saturday night’s opener, threw a scoreless seventh, the Cubs couldn’t score in the eighth, and Saturday’s closer, Porter Hodge, entered to throw the eighth.
Unfortunately, Hodge wasn’t on for this one. Francisco Lindor homered to give the Mets a 3-2 lead, and then a double by Pete Alonso was followed by an RBI single by Vientos and the Mets led by two. Gavin Hollowell relieved Hodge and immediately served up a two-run homer to Brandon Nimmo and that was pretty much that, as the Cubs went down meekly in the ninth on only 10 pitches. Mets relievers threw three innings and allowed one hit — the RBI double by Hoerner — and just two baserunners. The Cubs need shutdown late-inning guys like that and right now, they don’t appear to have those relievers.
The Cubs entered this game ranked 21st in reliever ERA at 4.57 and, well, that’s not going to be any better after this game. As was the case last year, the Cubs bullpen has begun to implode as we get into the meat of May and that’s going to have to change if this team is going to go anywhere this season. It’s something urgent for Jed Hoyer to address.
One note on Keller as the “starter” Saturday, then relieving Sunday, from BCB’s JohnW53:
The last Cub to start a game, then relieve in the next was Jose Cuas, on Sept. 1-2, 2023, at Cincinnati.
The first day, in Game 2 of a doubleheader, he gave up a leadoff single, got a strikeout and a fly out, then gave way to Drew Smyly.
The next day, he relieved Mark Leiter in the bottom of the ninth with one out, the score 2-2 and the bases loaded. He got Hunter Renfroe to ground to short. The Cubs made the forceout at second, but Renfroe beat the throw to first, as the winning run scored.
The Cubs return to Wrigley Field Monday to open a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Marlins. This also begins a 21-game stretch in which the Cubs will not play a team currently above .500 (at least entering Sunday’s game). It’s a three-week span in which the Cubs, if they really are as good as they appear to be at times this year, need to start putting together winning streaks.
Monday evening, Colin Rea will start for the Cubs and Cal Quantrill will go for Miami. Game time Monday is 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.