MILWAUKEE — Fernando Nieve went from bad to worse to bratwurst in a hurry last night, and Oliver Perez wasn’t much better.
Maybe the Mets were due such a stinker after seven straight terrific pitching performances. Nevertheless, that didn’t ease the sting of their 8-6 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park that guaranteed this won’t be the site of the Mets winning their first road series of the season.
Only adding to the night’s stench, Mets nemesis Roy Halladay fired a perfect game in Florida for Philadelphia — the perfect insult to injury for a Mets team that suddenly appears lethargic again after dominating the Yankees and Phillies last week.
Corey Hart tormented the Mets with a game-ending home run on Friday against Ryota Igarashi and was just as problematic last night, smashing a grand slam against Nieve and two-run homer off Perez to lead the Brewers’ attack.
Manager Jerry Manuel later admitted he had concerns about starting Nieve, who has made 27 relief appearances this season.
“It’s just been a struggle for him to consistently throw strikes,” Manuel said. “But I felt he definitely deserved an opportunity to start. I felt this would be a good matchup for him and us as a team.”
Nieve, taking the spot in the rotation created by John Maine’s trip to the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, had hoped to show the Mets he is starting material. But the right-hander lasted only two innings and surrendered five earned runs on three hits and three walks. He walked two batters in the first inning, helping set the table for Hart’s grand slam.
“I think I was thinking too much to do good because our starters have been good,” Nieve said. “I got a little upset about it. I hope to have a next chance and do well.”
The Mets (who fell to 25-25 overall and 6-16 on the road) need R.A. Dickey to get his knuckleball dancing today or they will be a swept team as they depart for three games at NL West-leading San Diego. Extrapolating just a little, Manuel could be on the hot seat again by the time the Mets arrive home, despite the recent 5-1 homestand that breathed new life into the season.
Perez replaced Nieve in the third and was spanked by Hart, who launched a two-run homer to extend the Brewers’ lead to 7-3. An inning later, Perez allowed a leadoff triple to Rickie Weeks, who scored on Ryan Braun’s double play.
The Mets used Ike Davis’ three-run homer in the fourth against Marco Estrada to pull within 7-6. But that was the end of the Mets’ charge, as Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva and John Axford retired 13 straight batters to end the game.
Jason Bay’s RBI double in the first got the Mets a fast run against Manny Parra. After the Hart grand slam, Reyes delivered an RBI single in the second to pull the Mets within 4-2. The Brewers responded with a solo homer from George Kottaras before the Mets loaded the bases against Parra in the third and got a run on Rod Barajas’ RBI ground out.
“I still see some fight in us,” Manuel said. “I see us coming back in games, scoring in different frames and having opportunities. I still see a lot of positive things happening on the road, but we can’t get over the hump.”