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, during which he 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.
Mendoza said it was determined before the game that Holmes, coming off a taxing start in the Colorado altitude last weekend, would be capped at 85 pitches.
It fueled the decision to remove him after the fifth.
“We just wanted to play it safe,” Holmes said. “My stuff definitely wasn’t at its best, but I was able to compete and as a competitor you always want to be out there, but you just trust they are making the right decisions.”
Mendoza said team officials will continue to monitor Holmes in his transition this season to a starter after spending most of his career in the bullpen.
“We’re playing the long game here,” Mendoza said. “Before the game [the 85 pitches] is what we knew we had from him today.”
Blackburn, who will enter the rotation Wednesday in Atlanta to replace the injured Kodai Senga, was utilized in the sixth to receive work.
He had last pitched 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.
“I would say I left some pitches up, some pitches over the middle and they didn’t miss them,” Blackburn said.
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.
Jonathan Aranda homered leading off the fourth for the game’s first run. It was the third straight start in which 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. Tyrone 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.
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.
