The Mets hit four home runs, but couldn't overcome errors and defensive misplays in their 10-5 loss to the Cubs in the second game of their doubleheader on Wednesday.

New York committed six errors, leading to five unearned runs.

The Mets (34-46) have lost five straight games and are 12 games under .500, a season-low mark for the season.

Here are the takeaways...

-After a lengthy first, the Cubs took advantage of Sean Manaea in the second inning with back-to-back doubles to push across the game's first run. Manaea would get out of it without allowing another run, but he labored through those first two innings. After a ho-hum third inning, the wheels would come off on the Mets in the fourth. After a leadoff double, Marcus Semien booted a grounder, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Chicago would capitalize with an RBI single and then Dansby Swanson followed up with an RBI single of his own.

Pete Crow-Armstrong then hit a bunt over the head of a charging Bo Bichette at third to put the Cubs ahead, 4-3. That bunt single spelled the end of Manaea as Huascar Brazoban was called upon to limit the damage and did just that, and closed the book on Manaea's line.

Manaea allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters across three-plus innings (86 pitches/57 strikes).

-Brazoban pitched a scoreless fifth before giving way to Brooks Raley in the sixth. After giving up a bloop double to Pedro Ramirez to lead off the inning, Swanson hit a triple to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Brett Baty, playing in right field, misplayed the ball, mistiming his jump as the ball careened off the wall, allowing Swanson to make it to third. Two batters later, Swanson was driven home after a fielder's choice hit at Semien, who could not come up with it cleanly and had to settle for the out at second.

-Luke Weaver walked the leadoff batter in the seventh before Semien dropped a pop-up in shallow right field (his second error of the game), allowing two runners on with one out. Weaver would get the inning-ending doubleplay to end the threat.

The last time Semien made two errors in a game was May 2022.

In the eighth, the Mets would commit two more errors. Bichette bobbled a hopper to him at third, and then after Mark Vientos made a fantastic diving stop at first, A.J. Minter could not come up with the toss covering the bag, allowing the Cubs to push across their seventh run of the game.

In the ninth, a Vientos error allowed for three unearned runs to be scored off of Devin Williams, with Swanson capping off the inning with a two-run single.

-Francisco Lindor's return got off to a rough start. The first ball hit to him in the first inning, the sure-handed shortstop botched a grounder, extending the opening frame for Manaea. The southpaw had to toss 30 pitches, but kept the Cubs off the board in the first after they put two runners on.

Lindor would go hitless (0-5), but his at-bat in the seventh loomed large. With runners on the corners and two out, Lindor hit a sharp grounder to third to end the inning.

-Francisco Alvarez got the Mets on the board in the second with a solo shot off of Shota Imanaga. Alvarez has hit a home run in all three games in this series. After an infield single by Eric Wagaman, A.J. Ewing followed with a two-run shot to put the Mets up 3-1. It's Ewing's first homer against a left-handed pitcher.

In the fourth, Vientos' solo shot got the Mets back even. Bichette smashed a solo shot in the sixth.

-Swanson, who had nine RBI across the first two games of this series -- including seven in the first game of the doubleheader -- had his way with the Mets pitching again, going 3-for-5 with four RBI.

Game MVP: Dansby Swanson

Swanson now has 15 RBI in three games, and there's still one more game in this series to go.

Here are the takeaways...

Game MVP: Dansby Swanson

Highlights

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