Mets lose to Cubs after Luis Severino takes no-hitter into eighth inning

Potential history became misery for the Mets on Monday night.

They lost to the Cubs, 3-1, after Edwin Diaz gave up a tiebreaking two-out, two-run home run by Christopher Morel in the top of the ninth inning. Then they brought the would-be winning run to the plate in the bottom of the final frame, but DJ Stewart and Brett Baty struck out against Hector Neris.

A gut-wrenching series of events under any circumstance was even more so, considering what had unfolded in the hours before that.

Luis Severino took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, instilling a certain buzz in the ballpark, keeping the bullpen quiet physically and verbally, and inspiring those in the Mets’ dugout to daydream.

The beginning of the end was Dansby Swanson’s broken-bat single to centerfield, looped well over a leaping Francisco Lindor. There would be no no-no. The lead soon followed, then the game.

The Mets (14-14) have lost six of their past eight.

“It happens quick. That’s how baseball can go,” said Brandon Nimmo, whose first-inning home run accounted for the only scoring for most of the game. “It’s tough, but baseball never promises to be easy. It’s going to be frustrating most of the time.”

He called it “a whirlwind of emotions.”

Among the game-swaying twists was Joey Wendle’s defensive decision moments after the no-hitter drama dissipated. The Cubs had runners at the corners with one out when pinch hitter Nick Madrigal rolled a slow grounder to third base, where Wendle — freshly inserted as an infield upgrade over Mark Vientos — fielded it.

Michael Busch was less than halfway home when Wendle declined to go to the plate to cut off the tying run, instead deciding to throw to second in an attempt to turn an inning-ending double play. Madrigal easily beat Jeff McNeil’s relay and the score was tied.

“I thought we had an opportunity to turn a double play,” Wendle said. “I initially thought the ball was hit a little bit harder than it was. By that point, I had already set my feet and kind of committed to trying to turn the double play. If you hesitate there and try to do something else, then it doesn’t work.

“Obviously, looking at the replay, we had him at home. I had an opportunity to get him at home. But I also felt I had an opportunity to end the inning. That’s the decision I made. Unfortunately, the wrong one.”

Manager Carlos Mendoza thought Wendle would throw home. McNeil said he had to be ready for anything at second.

“If it’s hit hard to his left, he’s probably coming to me,” McNeil said. “Gotta know who’s running. It’s a tough guy to double up. Do better next time.”

Mendoza said: “He wishes he had that one back.”

For most of the night, Severino was the star, more than matching Cubs righthander Jameson Taillon (7 1⁄3 innings, one run).

By the time Nico Hoerner’s soft line drive landed safely in McNeil’s glove to end the top of the sixth, the buzz had built. Each strike in the seventh and the beginning of the eighth drew its own cheer.

“[Tomas] Nido and I were on the same page all night,” Severino said. “Not only my fastball. Everything was on point.”

Nimmo said: “It seemed like he had it right from the beginning . . . Everything was lining up right.”

And Diaz, regarding his fat fastball to Morel: “That sucks, because he threw a great game.”

Nimmo nearly homered again in the bottom of the eighth against Mark Leiter Jr., but his fly ball was caught on the warning track.

“I hit that really well,” he said. “I was pretty frustrated coming around first. I don’t take my helmet off often. But it’s just not good enough.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.