Bullpen Allows Three Homers as Mets Fall 7-5, Drop Fourth Straight

The Mets may not be buried yet, but if the Dodgers broke ground on their gravesite over the weekend, the Giants – shovels in hand – are about knee deep in the proverbial hole.

The Giants flexed the muscles that have made them the best team in the league to this point, defeating the Mets 7-5 Monday night in the Bay.

It was the Mets’ fourth straight loss, dropping them 3.5 games out of first place behind the streaking Braves. They’ve fallen to .500 for the first time since May 6.

Hits with runners in scoring position continues to be the team’s biggest issue, as the Mets went just 1-for-7 in those situations, stranding nine men in the loss.

Brandon Nimmo started the game by doing what he normally does, working a full count ahead of an eventual walk. Michael Conforto fouled off two mid-90s fastballs over the heart of the plate from Kevin Gausman before waving at a good splitter that dropped out of the zone for the first out of the game. Like his predecessor, Pete Alonso was only able to foul off a couple of Gausman misses in the zone before grounding into a fielder’s choice. Dominic Smith flew out to end the inning.

Rich Hill worked a flawless first, striking out Austin Slater to start his night before retiring Kris Bryant on a fly ball and Buster Posey on a chopper to second.

J.D. Davis recorded the first Met hit of the night with a one-out single to right in the second. That’s right where he would stay though, as Gausman retired both Jonathan Villar and James McCann swinging to end the inning.

Hill retired the first two he faced in the bottom half of the inning before Brandon Crawford snuck a grounder past the diving glove of Alonso for the Giants first hit. Old friend Wilmer Flores flew out to center to end the inning.

Nimmo’s grounder deflected off the glove of the normally sure-handed Crawford to give the Mets a one-out baserunner. Conforto’s fielder’s choice and Alonso’s hit by pitch put two on with two outs for Smith, but he grounded out to end the top half of the third.

Donovan Solano got into one to lead off the bottom of the third, but Nimmo ran it down in Triple’s Alley for the first out. Gausman grounded out softly to second and Slater flew out to end the first third of the game in a scoreless tie.

Davis recorded his, and the Mets, second hit of the game in the fourth – again on an opposite-field single with one out. After Villar struck out, McCann laced a single to center to give the Mets runners at first and second with two outs for the second consecutive inning. Unfortunately for the Mets, the designated hitter doesn’t exist in the National League, and Hill struck out on four pitches to end the threat.

After Bryant flew out to start the inning, Posey ripped a double to left center and was singled in by Darin Ruf for the first run of the game. Ruf though was retired at first for the second out of the inning. The ball was thrown behind him on his hit and replay eventually showed he stepped on Alonso’s foot, thereby not making contact with the bag as he was being tagged.

Evan Longoria and Crawford both singled following the replay-induced out and Flores recorded the fifth-straight Giant hit to score Longoria. That was it for Hill after just 68 pitches and 3.2 innings. A night that started out promising for the veteran came unraveled in a hurry against the hard-hitting Giants.

Miguel Castro entered with runners on the corners and two outs to face pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella. He smoked one to right, but directly at Conforto to end the inning with the Giants up 2-0.

Nimmo reached to lead off the inning on an infield single that La Stella almost made an incredible play on. Conforto worked a walk to put two runners on for the third straight inning, this time with no outs though.

Alonso made it hurt, driving one into the gap in right center – which lived up to the Triple’s Alley moniker in giving Alonso his first three-bagger of the year – scoring two to tie the game. That triple broke a streak of 68 games without one for the Mets, the longest such drought in major league history.

Smith was able to do his job, flying out deep enough to left to score Alonso and give the Mets the lead. McNeil and Davis both lined out hard to each corner of the infield, reaching the midway point of the tilt with the Mets up 3-2.

That lead lasted just three batters though, as Castro stayed in and gave up a one-out, pinch-hit double to Alex Dickerson and a bullet homer to Bryant over the shallow center field fence. Castro rebounded to strikeout the next two batters, keeping the score at 4-3 Giants after five.

Jay Jackson replaced Gausman in the sixth, and was immediately greeted by a Villar single. McCann followed up with a bunt single – no, that’s not a typo – ahead of pinch-hitter Travis Blankenhorn. He flew out to left for the first out of the inning and Giant manager opted to Jose Alvarez to face the top of the Met order with two on and one out.

It took just one pitch for Alvarez to retire Nimmo – on a pop out to third – for the second out of the inning. Villar stole third during Conforto’s at bat, but he struck out looking to end the Met threat.

Jeurys Familia entered for the sixth, looking to atone for the homer he gave up in extras on Friday to Will Smith. He struck out Longoria to start the inning, but Crawford singled on the first pitch he saw. In his first career at bat against his former teammate, Flores ripped a single up the middle to give the Giants two men out with one out (insert crying emoji).

After Familia struck out La Stella, Aaron Loup entered to face Mike Yastrzemski. He hit a grounder through Loup’s legs and into the waiting glove of Villar to end the inning.

Lefty Tony Watson came on to face Alonso to start the inning, striking him out on a pitch off the plate. Smith and McNeil both grounded out to the black hole that is Crawford’s mitt as the Mets went quietly in the seventh.

Trevor May got the call for the bottom of the frame in Monday’s battle of the bullpens and immediately surrendered Brandon Belt’s 16th home run of the year. His next pitch gave Bryant his second homer of the night – a blast to left to extend the Giant’s lead to 6-3.

May retired the next two batters before walking Longoria and allowing a bullet triple to Crawford on the first pitch he saw. An injury check for May and a Flores flyout ended the inning with the Giants up 7-3.

Davis led off the eighth against submariner Tyler Rogers with his third hit of the night and Villar deposited the first pitch he saw over the right field wall to trim the Met deficit to two.

Pinch-hitter extraordinaire Brandon Drury singled to bring the tying run to the plate with one out in the form of Nimmo. He struck out ahead of Conforto, who grounded out to end the top half of the frame.

Seth Lugo – with the aid of a sparkling catch by Nimmo – breezed through the bottom of the eighth to set the Mets up with the middle of their lineup due to face Giant closer Jake McGee.

The veteran southpaw got Alonso to fly out to right for the first out. Smith waved feebly at a fastball just off the outside corner for strike three and McNeil stretched his hitless streak to 0-for-14 with a game-ending groundout to third.

The Mets will look to even the series Tuesday night at 9:45 p.m. on SNY and WCBS Radio 880. Marcus Stroman (8-11, 2.79 ERA) looks to build off two strong starts against the Giants’ Logan Webb (6-3, 2.96).