Tylor Megill’s unlucky 4th inning leads to 7-2 loss, ends Mets’ 5-game winning streak

CHICAGO— It felt like the Mets could do no wrong for five games. Then suddenly, it all went wrong in Chicago and the Mets’ winning streak came to an end. Both of the runs allowed by Megill in the fourth were unearned, but after a bobbled ball in left field by Tommy Pham, an overturned call on second base and a couple of two-out singles, the Mets were down 6-1 and Megill was...

CHICAGO — It felt like the Mets could do no wrong for five games.

Then suddenly, it all went wrong in Chicago and the Mets’ winning streak came to an end. The comeback kids from last week couldn’t overcome an early 4-1 hole and lost 7-2 in the first game of a three-game series on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

Tylor Megill had two easy innings and 1 and 2/3 rough ones in the loss (5-3). He allowed four runs in the second but it was a flukey fourth that may have cost the Mets (25-24) and Megill the most.

Megill allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits, walked two and struck out five over 3 and 2/3 innings.

“He probably deserved a little better fate,” said manager Buck Showalter. “The mistakes he made didn’t stay in the park, but I thought his stuff was pretty good. We didn’t do a whole lot offensively and didn’t play particularly well behind him either.”

Both of the runs allowed by Megill in the fourth were unearned, but after a bobbled ball in left field by Tommy Pham, an overturned call on second base and a couple of two-out singles, the Mets were down 6-1 and Megill was pulled for Dominic Leone after 78 pitches.

Down 4-1 coming into the inning, Mike Tauchman lined one to Pham in left field, but the ball fell out of Pham’s glove and he failed to make a circus-like play to get the runner out. Tauchman slid safely into second. Megill was nearly out of the inning after striking out Patrick Wisdom and Yan Gomes, but it unraveled from there.

Matt Mervis singled to right field and Tauchman scored. He was called out at second with Starling Marte making a clutch play to Francisco Lindor, but the Cubs challenged the call, and it was overturned. Nico Hoerner then hit one right to the edge of the dirt between second and third base and Lindor made a fantastic stop, but his throw to first pulled Pete Alonso off the bag to put runners on the corners.

“Things like that happen and they happen fast,” Megill said. “I just need to be able to cut that down and be able to get out of it.”

Dansby Swanson’s opposite-field single to right scored Mervis, put the Cubs (21-26) up 6-1, and ended Megill’s day. The pitch clock no longer allows pitchers to take breaks and reset and without one, Megill began to labor.

“That’s the biggest thing I need to work on, is that when things go sideways, I need to limit the damage and move on and be able to extend myself and keep it there,” Megill said.

Megill gave up four earned in the second inning, including a leadoff home run to Seiya Suzuki.

“When I do have bad outings, they tend to be blowup outings,” Megill said. “I might have, tonight, thrown six innings, continued after that four runs and stopped the damage. But that doesn’t happen. It kind of just blows up in my face and it doesn’t stop.”

Rookie slugger Christopher Morel became the first Cubs hitter since Sammy Sosa to homer in five straight when he took Stephen Nogosek deep on the second pitch he saw in the seventh. It was his ninth home run since being called up from Triple-A Iowa on May 9 and it gave Chicago a 7-2 lead.

Alonso hit his 18th home run of the season off Drew Smyly (5-1) in the top of the fourth inning. The top of the Mets’ order loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth to bring up Alonso again.

There would be no theatrics this time.

Smyly was replaced by right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, who got Alonso to chop one to third base. Brandon Nimmo scored on the force out and the Mets then pinch-hit Daniel Vogelbach against the right-handed Estrada. But the slugger came up empty, and so did Marte, who stranded two to end the inning.

Jeff McNeil stranded two more in the top of the seventh. The Mets went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners.

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