Mets hit new low as they blow 9th inning lead against Cubs, lose 11th straight game
CHICAGO — In an effort to try something different to snap a 10-game losing streak, the New York Mets put a right-handed opener in front of left-hander David Peterson on Sunday in the series finale against the Chicago Cubs. It almost worked. Everything was working for the Mets until the bottom of the ninth, when Michael Conforto pinch-hit an RBI double off closer Devin Williams to tie the game at 1-1.
Another former first-round pick of the Mets scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th, helping the Cubs walk off with a 2-1 win. The Mets lost their 11th straight game, tying their longest losing streak since 2004. A former first-round draft pick by the Mets, Conforto was a popular fixture in Queens until the team let him go as a free agent after the 2021 season.
Injuries wrecked Conforto’s career, but the 33-year-old veteran showed that he isn’t done yet when he drove a Williams fastball into the right-field corner. In the 10th, Pete Crow-Armstrong was the automatic runner. A wild pitch by Craig Kimbrel put him on third, where he was able to score on a fly ball by Nico Hoerner.
MJ Melendez, an outfielder who didn’t make the team out of camp, but was called up earlier this week to replace the injured Jared Young, provided the run for the Mets with a solo shot in the fifth off of right-hander Javier Assad. It was fitting, considering Melendez has been just about the only guy in the lineup who has been hitting this week. A 27-year-old former second-round pick of the Kansas City Royals, Melendez came into the game hitting .
400 since being called up from Triple-A Syracuse (4 for 10) with two doubles and an RBI. It was the Mets’ first lead in 67 innings. For a moment, it looked as though the experiment wouldn’t work.