The New York Mets (27-32) wasted an outstanding start by Zack Wheeler and lost 1-0 to the Baltimore Orioles (19-41) in the second game of a two-game series at Citi Field.

Pitching

Zack Wheeler threw seven pristine innings today.

In the first inning, he worked around an Adam Jones single in the first, erasing him by inducing a groundball double-play out of O’s slugger Manny Machado.

After allowing a one-out single to Mark Trumbo in the second, Wheeler struck out Chris Davis and retired Danny Valencia to strand Trumbo on first.

Wheeler struck out Chance Sisco and Dylan Bundy to begin the third, hit Trey Mancini with a pitch, then got Jones to fly out to end the inning.  He then worked around a leadoff walk to Machado and a Davis single in the fourth to keep his goose-egg intact.

Wheeler hit Sisco with a pitch to lead off the frame, but then set down Bundy, Mancini, and Jones to finish the fifth cleanly; and at only 68 pitches. The power-righty retired Baltimore in order in the sixth and did so again in the seventh.

He finished his day with seven innings pitched, allowing three hits, no walks, and striking out five. This outing lowered his season ERA to 4.57.

Jeurys Familia came on to pitch the eighth and allowed the game’s only run. Pedro Alvarez led off with a single, Jones singled with one out moving pinch-runner Craig Gentry over to third.

That brought up Manny Machado, who put the Orioles ahead with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Gentry.

Offense

The New York Mets’ futility at the plate continued today.

Asdrubal Cabrera logged the team’s first base hit of the game, a hard-hit double to right field to lead off the fourth inning. He was left stranded on second after Bundy retired Michael Conforto, Todd Frazier, and Jay Bruce in order.

Zack Wheeler got his sixth hit of the season in the fifth. He too was left on base when Amed Rosario flew out to end the inning.

The Mets went down in order in the sixth and had two gone in the seventh when Kevin Plawecki laced a double to left. Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked, then Callaway decided to pull Wheeler after just 93 pitches in favor of Jose Bautista.

Bautista walked, bringing up Amed Rosario with the bases loaded. He struck out on three straight pitches and heard a decent collection of boos afterward.

Brandon Nimmo got the Mets started in the bottom of the eighth with a single to center but was erased in the following at-bat when Cabrera bunted a ball right back to the pitcher, Richard Bleier, on a fly, then threw to Davis to double-off Nimmo. Another opportunity wasted.

Frazier lined a single into the left-center field gap to lead off the ninth, but Jay Bruce, Plawecki, and Gonzalez went down in succession to end the game and send the Mets to their sixth straight defeat.

On Deck

The Mets are off tomorrow, but will welcome the New York Yankees into town on Friday for the first game of the Subway Series at Citi Field. Jacob deGrom (4-0, 1.49 ERA) will start for the Mets, but it is TBD for the Yankees as of now. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. and will air on SNY.