There was no black cat spotted Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, but the spirit of the famous Black Cat Game of 1969 hovered over the ballpark like a wayward drone.

The Chicago Cubs blew a five-run lead in a 9-7 loss to the New York Mets, dropping their season-high fifth straight game before a shellshocked crowd of 35,729.

To make matters worse, rookie Cade Horton came out after three innings and 29 pitches with back tightness in what figures to be his final regular-season start before the postseason. Cubs manager Craig Counsell termed it a “precautionary” move, but any kind of health issue, minor or not, is a concern at this time of the year.

Horton was sick all week and coughing a lot, but Counsell said his only symptoms going in were “on deep breaths.”

“That’s what we feel like it p

See Full Page