Mets 10, Cubs 2: Puppies and kittens, butterflies and rainbows, and Victor Caratini pitching

You don’t really want a recap of the Cubs’ 10-2 loss to the Mets, do you?

Oh, all right. You’ll get one, or at least as much as I care to tell, but first, here’s a cute puppy:

Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for 1 Hotels

And here are some cute kittens:

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Now, how can you be upset after seeing those photos?

Seriously, this was one awful game. Jose Quintana was just bad. Nine hits, nine runs (eight earned) in 4⅓ innings. That’s his worst game as a Cub and in only one other game in his career (this one) did he allow as many runs.

Still. That does not rationalize booing him off the mound. I think booing one of your own players is justified only for perceived lack of effort. It’s not as if Q wasn’t trying. He just got hit, and hit hard, and it’s not like the two guys who homered off him (Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos) are bad hitters, they’re not. Alonso tied the Mets rookie record with his 26th homer (set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983)... and we’re not even halfway through this season.

Meanwhile, the Cubs had some scoring chances in the first two innings but failed, and after that Zack Wheeler retired 15 straight Cubs until Willson Contreras led off the seventh with a single. And again, Wheeler is a pretty good pitcher. The Cubs eventually loaded the bases in that inning and scored on a double play, big whoop.

Then we got entertained in the ninth when Victor Caratini, who had played the rest of the game at first base, took to the mound to pitch. Snapping off 67 mile per hour “fastballs,” he retired the first two hitters on a line drive to left and a grounder to Anthony Rizzo, and then he did this [VIDEO].

Seriously, that was worth the price of admission. Fun fact time!

Oh, and this was also entertaining [VIDEO].

The rest of the game? Not so much.

These things happen. What more can you say about a game like this? It only counts for one loss, and even if the Brewers win their game against the Reds (at this writing they lead in the middle innings), the Cubs are still in first place entering Sunday’s action.

Think about that. The Cubs have lost eight of their last 12 and over that span have gained at least half a game on the Brewers.

Because baseball.

Hope you enjoyed the puppy and kittens. Hey, the weather was nice at the ballpark. Finally. It’s only almost July.

Sunday, the Cubs will go for the series split against the Mets. Good pitching matchup: Cole Hamels vs. Jacob deGrom. Game time again is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via NBC Sports Chicago.