Most of Carlos Mendoza’s pitching moves this season have been platinum, but Friday night the Mets manager got burned.
Clay Holmes, at 79 pitches, was removed after five innings in which he had allowed only five base runners and, before long, a four-run lead against the Rays was flushed, along with a winning streak.
Paul Blackburn and Max Kranick combined for an ugly sixth inning that yielded six runs in the Mets’ 7-5 loss at Citi Field that snapped their six-game winning streak.
The Mets had opportunities to overcome the rare pitching letdown but went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base on a night the Rays were an eyesore defensively, committing three errors.
All five of the Mets’ runs were unearned.
Blackburn, who will enter the rotation on Wednesday in Atlanta to replace the injured Kodai Senga, was utilized in the sixth to receive work.
He had last pitched on Sunday, recording a four-inning save in Colorado.
But on this night, he recorded only one out, with four hits allowed that became four runs to tie the game.
Kranick, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as Senga’s roster replacement, allowed a two-run homer to Danny Jansen in the inning that served as the Mets’ margin of defeat.
Holmes allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks over five innings.
The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.87, keeping him with Senga (1.47) and David Peterson (2.49) among Mets starting pitchers sub-3.00.
Tyrone Taylor’s latest defensive gem helped Holmes escape the third inning scoreless.
Yandy Diaz hit a shot to right-center that Taylor chased before reaching up for a leaping grab on the warning track and hitting the fence.
Jonathan Aranda homered leading off the fourth for the game’s first run.
It was the third straight start in Holmes has allowed a homer — he’s given up four over that stretch. Holmes followed this one by walking Junior Caminero, who got thrown out by Francisco Alvarez attempting to steal second.
Starling Marte’s single off pitcher Taj Bradley’s leg tied it 1-1 in the fourth.
Taylor put the Mets ahead with an RBI fielder’s choice in the ensuing at-bat. Juan Soto began the rally by reaching on an error by Bradley before Pete Alonso — a pitch after he had to duck a 96-mph fastball — doubled to left field.
Jeff McNeil walked to load the bases for Marte. Both runs in the inning were unearned because of Bradley’s error.
The Mets created space in the fifth, with Marte’s two-run single serving as the big hit.
Soto drew a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded before with two outs Marte delivered and widened the lead to 5-1.
The rally started with walks to Alvarez and Francisco Lindor before the first baseman Aranda booted a grounder for an error to load the bases.
All the runs in the inning were unearned as a result.
But Blackburn flushed that lead.
Former Mets prospect Jake Mangum stroked a two-run single against Blackburn that pulled the Rays within 5-3.
Kranick entered and allowed two inherited runners to score, on a Jose Caballero ground out and RBI single by Kameron Misner before Jansen launched a two-run homer that placed the Mets in a 7-5 hole.
The Mets got the tying runs into scoring position in the seventh, but Marte struck out and after pinch-hitter Brett Baty walked, Ronny Mauricio was retired by Edwin Uceta to leave the bases loaded.
Soto smoked a shot to right field in the eighth that appeared to have a chance to become a game-tying homer, but the 110.8 mph shot off the bat was just a long out.
The final dagger was Mauricio striking out on three pitches, leaving the bat on his shoulder, in the ninth to end the game with the tying runs on base.
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