Game Chat: Mets vs Cubs, 2:20 PM

Saturday, April 18, 2026 • 2:20 PM
Wrigley Field • Chicago, IL
RHP Freddy Peralta (1-1, 3.86) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (0-1, 4.86)
SNY

The Mets are currently on their longest losing streak since 2004. They still have to lose two more games to tie that streak, three more to break it.

Or the Mets could end all of that talk with a win this afternoon in Chicago. Yesterday, the Mets were able to rack up hits (14) but only converted that into four runs, while the Mets’ pitching imploded in a 12-4 loss. Things are starting to look bleak. Freddy Peralta has a tall order today to save the Mets and get them back in the win column.

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – LF
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
5. MJ Melendez – DH
6. Francisco Alvarez – C
7. Mark Vientos – 1B
8. Brett Baty – RF
9. Marcus Semien – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta

Over four starts and 21 innings, Peralta has a 3.86 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.143 WHIP, and a 103 ERA+. Peralta is coming off a solid start against the Athletics, where he allowed one run on a solo home run over six innings while striking out six (a game that the Mets eventually lost 1-0). So far this season, Peralta has alternated between weak starts and strong starts, so he’ll be looking for two consecutive strong starts for the first time in 2026 today.

Peralta faced the Cubs four times in 2025, and two of the starts were great, and two of the starts were terrible. In the two great starts, he held the Cubs scoreless over 12 innings. In the other two starts, he allowed eight runs over nine innings. He had one good start and one bad start in Chicago, so it’s not a road thing either. The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:

• Miguel Amaya 1-7, 2 K
• Moises Ballesteros 1-2, 2B
• Alex Bregman 2-5, BB, K
• Michael Busch 3-20, 3 HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Michael Conforto 3-10, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong 6-15, 2B, HR, BB, K
• Ian Happ 4-37, 3 HR, 6 BB, 15 K
• Nico Hoerner 6-33, 3 2B, HR, 2 BB, 7 K
• Carson Kelly 2-15, BB, 7 K
• Scott Kingery 1-1
• Matt Shaw 1-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Seiya Suzuki 3-28, HR, 4 BB, 15 K
• Dansby Swanson 2-25, HH,  2 BB, 12 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Nico Hoerner – 2B
2. Michael Busch – 1B
3. Alex Bregman – 3B
4. Ian Happ – LF
5. Seiya Suzuki – RF
6. Moises Ballesteros – DH
7. Miguel Amaya – C
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
9. Dansby Swanson – SS

Jameson Taillon has a 4.86 ERA, 6.28 FIP, 1.260 WHIP, and a 77 ERA+ over three starts and 16 2/3 innings this season. Last year, he pitched 129 2/3 innings over 23 starts with a 3.68 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.057 WHIP, and a 104 ERA+. The Mets hit him hard last May, scoring six runs, five earned over four innings from nine hits, including four home runs. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Brett Baty 2-2, HR
• Bo Bichette 9-24, 4 2B, 6 K
• Francisco Lindor 3-16, HR, 5 K
• MJ Melendez 3-5, 2 2B, BB, K
• Tommy Pham 9-29, 5 2B, 2 BB, 9 K
• Jorge Polanco 6-9, 2 2B, HR< K
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-11, HR, 5 K
• Marcus Semien 3-17, 2B, 2 HR
• Tyrone Taylor 2-12, 2B, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-5, K

Game Notes

• Today, Freddy Peralta is set to make his 18th (23rd) start against the Cubs. He is 9-3 with a 3.21 ERA (35 ER/98.0 IP), 51 walks, and 131 strikeouts. He is 5-2 with a 4.11 ERA (21 ER/46.0 IP), 30 walks, and 60 strikeouts in 11 games (nine starts) at Wrigley Field.
• The Mets are on a season-long nine-game losing streak. The Mets have posted a 6.43 ERA (55 ER/77.0 IP) in that span with 32 walks and 77 strikeouts. As a team, they are batting .202/.239/.284…They have been outscored 56-16 in the current streak. The last time the team lost nine or more games was an 11-game streak from August 28 to September 8, 2004.
• The Mets placed Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL with a right wrist contusion. They recalled Hayden Senger to replace Polanco on the 26-man roster.

Three Things To Watch For

1. On paper vs recent performance. Today is an ideal matchup on paper for the Mets. As a team, they are slashing .293/.308/.557 against Taillon with seven home runs. Taillon’s FIP is well above his already moderately high ERA. The Mets also crushed Taillon last season. But the Mets have been spiraling recently. Everything points toward a get-right game for the Mets today, but only if they can seize it.
2. Francisco Lindor. Lindor has six hits in his last five games, including a double and a home run. He’s also been getting his hits in bunches, coming in pairs (three games going 2-for-4 and two games going 0-for-4). He’s batting .300 with a .500 SLG over this stretch, raising his season line from .167/.296/.250 to .200/.297/.313.
3. Power outage. The Mets have hit 14 home runs this season, which ties them for 27 in the league. Last season, the Mets were fifth in the league, and the year before, they were sixth. They are without one of the major power hitters in Juan Soto and lost a lot of home runs with Pete Alonso leaving the team, but the Mets should not be this low compared to the rest of the league. An eventual return to the mean should see the Mets shoot up to at least mid-league (the Orioles and Brewers are tied with 18 homers for 16th in the league).

Let’s go Mets!

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