CHICAGO — Zack Wheeler can’t get to the major leagues fast enough, but even after he inevitably replaces Jeremy Hefner in this rotation, the Mets will have to occasionally score runs for it to make a difference this year.
Hefner was bombed in the fourth inning yesterday with no support from this brutal Mets lineup, and saw the team’s two-game winning streak disappear with an 8-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Scott Feldman (4-3, 2.19 ERA) frustrated the Mets by pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings in which he surrendered seven hits with one walk.
“It’s not always our fault,” manager Terry Collins said. “Feldman has got pretty good darn numbers. He is having a pretty good year. He pitched very well.”
Rick Ankiel accounted for the Mets’ scoring, with a two-run homer off Hector Rondon after the game was long decided in the ninth inning.
The loss left the Mets 0-9 this season following a Matt Harvey start. The Mets still have a chance at winning a series for the first time in nearly a month when Dillon Gee faces lefty Travis Wood today. The Mets (16-24) haven’t won a series since sweeping the Nationals three games at Citi Field from April 19-21.
Eventually, the Mets are planning a rotation that will include Harvey and Wheeler, and the latter might want to take a cue from the former by providing his own offense. On Friday, Harvey delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the Mets’ 3-2 victory. Wheeler is scheduled to pitch Wednesday at Triple-A Las Vegas after missing his last start because of a slight inflammation in his shoulder. Collins last week said he believes the stud right-hander is “close” to a promotion.
Hefner (0-5, 5.00 ERA) lasted just four innings and allowed four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. It marked the second time in three starts he allowed at least four earned runs without working beyond six innings.
“I want to win and the team to win,” said Hefner, who has watched the Mets go winless in his eight starts. “I’ve got to make some adjustments and be better next week.”
The Cubs did their damage against Hefner in the fourth, when they sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs. Feldman’s two-run double with two outs was the biggest hit in the inning.
“Anybody with a bat in their hand can be a hitter,” Hefner said, downplaying the significance of allowing a big hit to the opposing pitcher. “I need to make a better pitch there.”
Hefner loaded the bases with nobody out before Luis Valbuena delivered a sacrifice fly that gave the Cubs their first run. Wellington Castillo’s ensuing single made it 2-0 before Darwin Barney was retired and Feldman smashed a two-run double.
“[Hefner] has kept us in games, and if wins don’t come you’ve just got to keep pitching,” Collins said. “He knows that. He’ll be OK. We’ll get him some wins when we start swinging better.
“You can only control pitching. You can only control keeping us in games.”
Robert Carson’s misery continued by allowing a homer leading off the fifth to Anthony Rizzo that gave the Cubs a 5-0 lead. In 11 innings this season, Carson has allowed seven homers. He has allowed at least one earned run in four of his last five appearances.
Collin McHugh made his season debut and allowed a homer to Nate Schierholtz in the eighth. The Cubs added two more runs in the inning to turn the game into a runaway.