The goal was to keep Bobby Parnell in the bullpen if possible and let somebody else try to handle the Dodgers in the ninth inning of a tie game.
On both counts, that plan failed for Mets manager Terry Collins yesterday. Parnell eventually was needed, after Scott Rice put the Mets behind for what became a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field.
The first real hiccup of Rice’s major league career coupled with a terrible team offensive performance translated into the Mets losing a home series for the first time this season.
Rice, who spent 14 years in the minors before making his major league debut this season, surrendered a go-ahead RBI single to Andre Ethier in the ninth and was charged for two runs on two hits and a walk. Juan Uribe’s single against Parnell accounted for the Dodgers’ final tally.
“If I could help it, I wanted to keep from getting Bobby in this game,” Collins said. “You look up and when you’re pitching him when you are supposed to, in closing the game, he’s going to be worn out.”
Rice said it was “great” the manager used him in that spot — the lefty had earned the chance by posting a 0.87 ERA in his first 11 appearances — but ultimately he couldn’t finish the job.
“I feel more disappointment I let the team down,” Rice said.
After series victories against the Padres, Marlins and Nationals at home to start the season, the Mets (10-10) lost two of three games to the Dodgers. The Phillies come to Citi Field tonight to start a three-game series.
Ike Davis’ solo homer in the ninth against Brandon League made it close, but the Mets struggled against Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who allowed one run on three hits over seven innings.
In his best performance of the season, Jeremy Hefner lasted seven innings and allowed just one earned run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Considering the righty entered with a 7.07 ERA and had allowed six home runs over his previous eight innings, it seemed like a Cy Young caliber performance to the Mets.
Davis killed the Mets’ chances of taking the lead in the sixth, when he struck out with runners on second and third following Marlon Byrd’s double with two outs. In the ninth, Davis hit his fourth homer of the season.
“Every ninth inning off the closer we’ve gotten runs, so we’re not giving up, we’re battling,” Davis said. “We’ve actually done a good job of hitting the relievers this year. Hopefully we can start jumping out on the starters a little more.”
Davis, who is batting .174, admitted he has been part of the problem offensively.
“I feel that I have a lot of time to make up ground,” he said. “It’s frustrating. I don’t like letting the team down like I have. Eventually I’ll start hitting better.”
David Wright’s sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 1-1. Ruben Tejada’s leadoff walk and Daniel Murphy’s ensuing single started the rally before Tejada raced to third on a wild pitch.
Matt Kemp’s RBI single in the first gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Hefner drilled Carl Crawford leading off the game and Adrian Gonzalez’s ground out moved the runner to second before Kemp delivered. Kemp had the Dodgers’ biggest hit on Wednesday, a two-run homer against Matt Harvey in the sixth inning.
Hefner walked the leadoff hitter in the second and fifth innings, but each time got a double play to help him escape. Justin Sellers hit into an inning-ending double play in the second and Ramon Hernandez was the victim in the fifth.
“Obviously it’s well noted that I was struggling,” Hefner said. “To go out and give us seven innings when the bullpen needed it and give us a chance to win a series, those were all good things.”
mpuma@nypost.com