Carson Kelly's Pinch-Hit Bomb Pushes Mets Into Their Worst Stretch Since 2004

The New York Mets are in freefall. Carson Kelly's three-run pinch-hit homer in the sixth inning lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 4-2 victory on Saturday, handing the Mets their 10th straight loss. This is the longest skid for New York since they dropped 11 in a row back in August and September of 2004. Yeah, you read that right. Two decades of baseball have gone by, and the Mets are staring at their worst stretch in 22 years.

The Cubs Pile On, Mets Keep Falling

Here's how bad things have gotten in Queens: New York has been outscored 60-18 during this brutal run. That's not close. That's getting embarrassed night after night. The Cubs, meanwhile, are playing the other side of this coin. Chicago notched their fourth straight win with crisp baseball all around. Jameson Taillon set the tone on the mound, pitching six innings of solid work to pick up the win.

The game was tied 1-1 when it all unraveled in the sixth. Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta issued two consecutive walks with two outs, then got lifted for left-hander Brooks Raley. That's when the Cubs struck. Kelly stepped up as a pinch hitter for rookie Moises Ballesteros and destroyed Raley's first pitch into the left-center bleachers for his second homer of the season. The crowd of 36,189 felt that one. For Raley, it was brutal timing: that was the first homer he'd allowed since August 13, 2023, snapping a streak of 53 and two-thirds innings.

Mets Keep Swinging, Still Can't Stop the Bleeding

Ian Happ also went deep for Chicago, launching a 431-foot shot to center in the bottom half after Vientos' 434-foot bomb to left-center gave New York an early lead in the second. Happ had already homered in the Cubs' 12-4 victory in the series opener. Mark Vientos' two-run shot was a bright spot for the Mets, though it came in a losing effort. Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. each collected two hits, but that wasn't enough to keep the bleeding from continuing.

New York did score an unearned run on a Nico Hoerner throwing error in the eighth, but Ben Brown shut down the threat when Vientos grounded out. Caleb Thielbar closed out the ninth for his first save of the season after Daniel Palencia, Chicago's usual closer, landed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain.

The Mets need to find a way to stop this free fall, and fast. This 10-game losing streak is the kind of thing that defines a season for all the wrong reasons.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.