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 presently on their longest shedding streak since 2004. They nonetheless must lose two extra video games to tie that streak, three extra to interrupt it.

Or the Mets might finish all of that speak with a win this afternoon in Chicago. Yesterday, the Mets had been in a position to rack up hits (14) however solely transformed that into 4 runs, whereas the Mets’ pitching imploded in a 12-4 loss. Things are beginning to look bleak. Freddy Peralta has a tall order immediately to save lots of the Mets and get them again within the win column.

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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 4 begins and 21 innings, Peralta has a 3.86 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.143 WHIP, and a 103 ERA+. Peralta is coming off a strong begin towards the Athletics, the place he allowed one run on a solo residence run over six innings whereas putting out six (a sport that the Mets finally misplaced 1-0). So far this season, Peralta has alternated between weak begins and powerful begins, so he’ll be searching for two consecutive robust begins for the primary time in 2026 immediately.

Peralta confronted the Cubs 4 instances in 2025, and two of the begins had been nice, and two of the begins had been horrible. In the 2 nice begins, he held the Cubs scoreless over 12 innings. In the opposite two begins, he allowed eight runs over 9 innings. He had one good begin and one dangerous begin in Chicago, so it’s not a street factor both. The Cubs have the next profession numbers towards him:

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

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 begins and 16 2/3 innings this season. Last 12 months, he pitched 129 2/3 innings over 23 begins with a 3.68 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.057 WHIP, and a 104 ERA+. The Mets hit him exhausting final May, scoring six runs, 5 earned over 4 innings from 9 hits, together with 4 residence runs. The Mets have the next profession numbers towards him:

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

Game Notes

• Today, Freddy Peralta is about to make his 18th (twenty third) begin towards 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 video games (9 begins) at Wrigley Field.
• The Mets are on a season-long nine-game shedding 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 crew, they’re batting .202/.239/.284…They have been outscored 56-16 within the present streak. The final time the crew misplaced 9 or extra video games was an 11-game streak from August 28 to September 8, 2004.
• The Mets positioned Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL with a proper wrist contusion. They recalled Hayden Senger to exchange Polanco on the 26-man roster.

Three Things To Watch For

1. On paper vs latest efficiency. Today is a perfect matchup on paper for the Mets. As a crew, they’re slashing .293/.308/.557 towards Taillon with seven residence runs. Taillon’s FIP is properly above his already reasonably excessive ERA. The Mets additionally crushed Taillon final season. But the Mets have been spiraling just lately. Everything factors towards a get-right sport for the Mets immediately, however provided that they will seize it.
2. Francisco Lindor. Lindor has six hits in his final 5 video games, together with a double and a house run. He’s additionally been getting his hits in bunches, coming in pairs (three video games going 2-for-4 and two video games going 0-for-4). He’s batting .300 with a .500 SLG over this stretch, elevating his season line from .167/.296/.250 to .200/.297/.313.
3. Power outage. The Mets have hit 14 residence runs this season, which ties them for 27 within the league. Last season, the Mets had been fifth within the league, and the 12 months earlier than, they had been sixth. They are with out one of many main energy hitters in Juan Soto and misplaced a whole lot of residence runs with Pete Alonso leaving the crew, however the Mets shouldn’t be this low in comparison with the remainder of the league. An eventual return to the imply ought to see the Mets shoot as much as not less than mid-league (the Orioles and Brewers are tied with 18 homers for sixteenth within the league).

Let’s go Mets!