CHICAGO — Now the Mets aren’t doing anything right.
A losing streak that for much of the last week was defined by the team’s hitting woes has turned into overall stinky play. The Mets seemingly are getting worse.
On Friday, Kodai Senga imploded, the defense leaked and the lineup was inefficient in an embarrassing 12-4 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field that gave the Mets a nine-game losing streak. The skid is the club’s longest since 2004.
It was a second straight loss in which the Mets surrendered at least eight runs. The clunker followed president of baseball operations David Stearns’ pregame backing of manager Carlos Mendoza.
“I think Mendy is doing a really good job,” Stearns said before the first pitch. “He’s putting our players in a position to succeed. He’s enormously consistent.”
In a second straight ugly performance Senga allowed seven runs, six earned, on six hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander was buried by two homers allowed.
Brett Baty misplayed two grounders at first base — only one of which was ruled an error — to lead the defensive meltdown, giving the Cubs an unearned run in the fourth.
The Mets had 14 hits, but only three went for extra bases.
Moises Ballesteros’ opposite-field shot to left in the first inning inflicted much of the damage against Senga. The three-run homer gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead in an inning the Cubs sent seven batters to the plate.
Michael Busch walked and Alex Bregman singled before Seiya Suzuki’s single brought in the game’s first run. Ballesteros followed by jumping on Senga’s first-pitch cutter and clearing the ivy in left.
The Mets broke out for three runs – matching their total over the previous four games – in the second inning. Marcus Semien stroked an RBI double following consecutive singles by Francisco Alvarez and MJ Melendez. After Brett Baty struck out, Tyrone Taylor hit a shot off the left field wall for a two-run single, on which he was thrown out trying to reach second following a fast carom to left fielder Ian Happ.
Senga surrendered a two-run homer to Nico Hoerner in the bottom of the inning that increased the Mets’ deficit to 6-3. Senga walked Dansby Swanson before Hoerner blasted a 1-1 four-seamer over the left-field wall.
Baty’s rough inning at first base in the fourth allowed the Cubs to score an earned run and extend their lead to 7-3. First, Baty couldn’t handle Busch’s grounder that went for a single and loaded the bases. Happ’s more routine grounder to Baty that should have ended the inning was booted for an error, yielding the run. Senga surrendered an infield single to Swanson that started the rally and was replaced by Huascar Brazoban, who allowed an infield single to Hoerner before the grounders to Baty.
Senga has allowed 13 earned runs in his last two starts combined and was removed before the fifth inning in both.
Matt Shaw smashed an RBI double against Sean Manea in the seventh that extended the Cubs’ lead to 8-3. Suzuki’s double started the rally.
The Cubs scored twice against Manaea in the seventh. In the eighth, Happ blasted the Cubs’ third homer of the game, a two-run shot that widened the deficit to 12-4.
