Mets undone by misses opportunities in loss to Cubs

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.One can point to the bottom of the third, when the Mets had two on and one out with the top of the lineup coming up before Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto came up empty.Or certainly the bottom of the seventh, when they had runners on first and second with one out again, only to have Soto and Pete Alonso fall short.In the ninth, Jeff McNeil just missed a pinch hit double to open the inning, but drew a walk before Lindor grounded into a double play.Soto then grounded out to end a 6-5 loss to the Cubs.On this night, the Mets got a pair of homers from Brett Baty, including one in the eighth that got them back to within a run after Max Kranick allowed two runs in the top of the inning.It was a tough night for several Mets, as Tylor Megill was knocked around again.The right-hander had a 1.09 ERA through his first four starts, but he has allowed eight runs in 9 ²/₃ innings over his past two outings — and didn’t make it out of the fifth on Saturday.Megill struggled from the start, as the first three batters he faced reached base.Former Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single, swiped second and moved to third on a Francisco Alvarez throwing error.

He scored on Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single up the middle for the game’s first run.A two-out walk to Justin Turner loaded the bases before Megill got Nico Horner to pop out, but Baty couldn’t handle Dansby Swanson’s hard liner to third, and the infield hit made it 2-0 in the 29-pitch inning.Megill entered the game having not allowed an earned run in his first three starts at home this year over 14 ²/₃ innings.After an easy second, Megill allowed a leadoff double in the third to Suzuki, who scored on Michael Busch’s single to put the Mets in a 3-0 hole.The Mets threatened for the first time against Horton in the bottom of the inning, as Alvarez was drilled by a pitch...