It was excusable when Jordan Zimmermann and Clayton Kershaw were frustrating the Mets earlier in the week, but then came Hyun-Jin Ryu and Friday night Kyle Kendrick. Who next to stifle the Mets, Steve Carlton and Dick Ruthven?
The lineup shuffle continued, with David Wright moving to the cleanup spot for the first time this season, but the Mets showed no punch in a 4-0 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field.
The Mets (10-11) lost for the third time in four games and fell below .500 for the first time in 2013. They have scored two runs or fewer in four of their last five games.
Kendrick (2-1) pitched a three-hit shutout, a day after the Mets managed only three hits over seven innings against the lefty Ryu.
Ruben Tejada reached second base after delivering a single in the first inning on Friday, but no other Mets player advanced into scoring position. Kendrick retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.
Ryan Howard’s three-run homer in the sixth put Dillon Gee in a 4-0 hole. The blast was Howard’s fourth in only 12 career at-bats against Gee. Michael Young’s RBI single moments earlier produced the game’s first run.
Gee (1-4) was sailing into the sixth, but Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley singled in succession to begin the inning before Young singled and Howard unloaded to center.
Gee’s final line included four earned runs allowed on seven hits and one walk over six innings with four strikeouts. It was an improvement over his last start against the Phillies, two weeks ago at Citizens Bank Park, when he lasted only three innings and surrendered seven earned runs on 10 hits.
Laynce Nix received a gift leadoff double in the third, when right fielder Mike Baxter lost the ball in the lights, but Gee retired the next three batters to keep the game scoreless.
After Daniel Murphy was retired for the second out in the first inning, the game was delayed 10 minutes as plate umpire Brian O’Nora departed with flu-like symptoms. The remainder of the game was played with three umpires.
mpuma@nypost.com