No punch, no runs, no fight whatsoever. The Mets went down quietly Tuesday night, smothered 4-0 by Cincinnati, undermining Jonathan Niese’s strong start and underwhelming yet again.
The Mets have lost five straight and 10 of their last dozen at home, averaging just two runs in that span. Last night, Niese (3-5) was the tough-luck loser, pitching well enough to win for just about any other team. But these being the Mets, he was victimized by a lack of run support and a huge error.
David Wright’s key error led to three unearned runs in the first inning, the only runs Niese would allow on this frustrating night in front of 23,183 at Citi Field.
After issuing what appeared a harmless two-out walk to Joey Votto, Niese surrendered a Brandon Phillips single to center and then walked Jay Bruce to load the bases. Niese got ex-Rutgers standout Todd Frazier to hit a grounder to third, but Wright botched the play for his fourth error of the year.
Votto and Phillips scored, and after outfielder Donald Lutz beat out an infield single to re-load the bases, the errant Niese walked light-hitting, eighth-place hitter Devin Mesoraco to force in yet another run and dig the Mets into a 3-0 hole. For the punchless Mets offense, that was far too big a hole to overcome.
Reds starter Mike Leake (4-2) allowed just three hits in his seven shutout innings. He has given the Mets fits throughout his brief career — 4-1 with a 1.31 era — and last night they made him look like a Cy Young winner. The Mets mustered just three hits all night, humbled again at home.
The closest the Mets came to a real threat was in the fourth inning when catcher John Buck’s deep two-out double to right left runners on second and third. But Lucas Duda had held up at third, leaving badly-struggling Ike Davis to finish the job. Davis came up to a chorus of boos before he even got into the batter’s box, and grounded out to first to end the threat.
Davis is 0-for-24 with men in scoring position, and after going 1-for-36 with 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games, his average has shriveled to an unsightly .149.
Mesoraco hit a solo shot off reliever Collin McHugh in the eighth for the final margin.
brian.lewis@nypost.com