MLB

‘Unprepared’ Mets end homestand with defeat to Nationals

The Mets’ season hadn’t gotten off to the start they wanted, but with Johan Santana on the mound yesterday against a pitcher they released last year, they felt pretty confident their first homestand would end well.

That optimism didn’t last long.

Santana loaded the bases in the first and then Washington’s Josh Willingham jumped on a changeup and blasted it to left-center. After a short umpire review, it was ruled a grand slam and, just like that, it would be another long day at Citi Field, ending in a 5-2 Mets loss.

BOX SCORE

“It definitely takes the air out of your tires,” Jason Bay said of the early deficit. “You can’t believe that happens with your No. 1 guy going. You know there’s a lot of game left, but we never really got over it.”

To make matters worse, manager Jerry Manuel said his team “appeared unprepared” yesterday.

“I have to take full responsibility for that,” Manuel said. “We have to put a bigger emphasis on it.”

And fast — since the Mets, in greater need than most of a good start, head to Colorado for their first trip after going 2-4 at home, losing series to Florida and the lowly Nationals.

“It’s six games, but you never want to say that,” Jeff Francoeur said. “Before long, it’s just 20 games, the first month. We better get it going quick because we have some teams coming up that are really, really good.”

They’ll certainly have to be better than yesterday.

“I was trying to throw my fastball and I didn’t have it in the first inning,” said Santana, who allowed five runs in five innings. It was his shortest outing since getting shelled for nine runs in three innings against the Yankees last June 14. “It was all over the place for some reason. I wasn’t able to command it . . . and they jumped right ahead, scored some runs and that was the whole ballgame.”

Not exactly.

The Mets had trouble scoring runs again, this time off the ancient Livan Hernandez, who tossed seven shutout innings before being removed.

“He had everything working,” Rod Barajas said.

It wasn’t until Mike Jacobs’ homered in the eighth off former Yankees reliever Brian Bruney that the Mets finally showed some life — and then again in the ninth, when Francisco Rodriguez hit Willie Harris with a pitch in the forearm and the two players jawed at each other, leading both benches to empty.

“All I was trying to do was pitch inside, and he said a couple of things I didn’t like,” Rodriguez said. “I took it in a bad way, and reacted.”

Which was fine with his teammates.

“It’s good to see some fire out of him,” Jacobs said of Rodriguez. “He’s our closer.”

Barajas didn’t expect there to be any carryover to when the teams meet again at Citi Field on May 10.

“I don’t think so,” said the catcher, who reported no problems from the huge hit he took from Adam Dunn at the plate on Willingham’s blast before it was ruled a homer.

There wasn’t much positive to say about this game, or the rest of the homestand. The Mets went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the loss, something that has been an issue during the early part of the season.

“We’ve got to sack up and get the job done,” Jacobs said.

That goes for the trip, as well.

dan.martin@nypost.com