After an amazing 12-2 start to the season, everything is falling out of place for the New York Mets, who is now in fourth place in the NL East with a 27-30 record following a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday at Citi Field.
Veteran hurler Jon Lester pitched seven scoreless innings while the Cubs scored two runs in the seventh inning, including a stolen base at home by Javier Baez, en route to a four-game sweep of the Mets. Lester gave up two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts to improve his record to 6-2, while Brian Duensing pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season as the Cubs improved to 33-23, a season-high 10 games over .500.
Steven Matz (2-4) took the loss after giving up two runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts as the Mets suffered its fourth straight loss.
Cubs Broke Away In Seventh
The Cubs opened the seventh with a single by Baez, who then reached third following another single by Willson Contreras. Baez and Contreras caught Matz napping as they both took off, with Baez putting the Cubs on the board with a steal of home.
This was Baez's second steal of home in the regular season, first accomplishing it on Aug. 30, 2017, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs made it a two-run game behind Ben Zobrist's sacrifice fly that brought Contreras home.
"Javy never really ceases to amaze anybody," Lester says of Baez's daring move, adding that his teammate is fun to watch on the field because of his outstanding baseball instincts. Matz, for his part, admits that Baez's move caught him off guard, saying he'll be mindful of his throw next time.
Mets Skipper Unleashes On Team
The downward spiral has caused new Mets manager Mickey Callaway to unleash on his team, saying his players are putting a lot of pressure on themselves because New York is a tough place to play.
Also, Callaway said New York is not Cleveland, where he spent his previous job as a pitching coach for the Indians. Callaway has the right to be frustrated in his new job. The Mets opened the season with a 12-2 record and finished April with a 17-9 mark. However, the Mets had a 10-18 record in May and is currently winless in June.
The Mets' woes last week began when pitching Noah Syndergaard went on the disabled list with an injured index finger on Tuesday. On Friday, Jay Bruce left the game with back spasms and could be headed for the disabled list where Juan Lagares, Travis d'Arnaud, Anthony Swarzak, AJ Ramos, Todd Frazier, and Yoenis Cespedes are already there.
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