Freddy Peralta's two sixth-inning walks prove large in Mets' loss to Cubs: 'Ended up costing the game there'

With Freddy Peralta on the mound, the Mets felt pretty good that their long losing streak could come to an end on Saturday afternoon.

And it was looking good at first. Peralta was matching Cubs starter Jameson Taillon pitch for pitch and held Chicago to just one run over the first five innings. However, the game changed in the sixth.

Peralta got the first two batters out before Ian Happ came to the plate. The outfielder had taken Perala deep earlier in the game, so the right-hander was sure to be a bit more careful, but Happ walked on seven pitches. Seiya Suzuki was next, and Peralta got ahead in the count 2-2. However, Suzuki didn't bite on back-to-back sliders low and out of the zone and he walked.

That spelled the end of Peralta's start.

"I thought I was still competing there," Peralta said of the sixth inning. "Was a very good at-bat from both of them. But I think that I pitched good against Suzuki too. He took a very good at-bat."

Manager Carlos Mendoza brought in Brooks Raley and Cubs skipper Craig Counsell called Carson Kelly to pinch-hit in the spot. Kelly would ambush Raley's first-pitch cutter and deposit a three-run shot into the Wrigley Field crowd. That home run would prove to be the difference in the 4-2 win for the Cubs.

"Tried to move the ball around. Two-out walk to Happ. The Suzuki one, was the one that hurt him," Mendoza said of Peralta's outing. "Ended up costing the game there. He was pretty good, only two walks, and unfortunately, it was the two towards the end there. Overall, I thought he was pretty good, but, again, two outs, two walks ended up costing us."

"They had a big swing, made a good move putting Kelly in there," said. "I played with that guy, he can do that. And he did it to us today."