MILWAUKEE — Corey Hart ripped the heart right out of the Mets last night.
Ryota Igarashi dealt a fastball that looked gone from the instant it hit Hart’s bat. Bernie Brewer’s fanny splashing into a pool of water moments later made it official: The Mets’ winning and scoreless innings streaks were kaput.
Hart’s two-run homer for the Brewers with two outs in the ninth sent the Mets to a 2-0 loss at Miller Park, ending all the recent streaking.
“I guess it was our turn to get shut out for once,” said Jeff Francoeur, whose Mets snapped a five-game winning streak and allowed a run for the first time in 35 innings after three straight shutouts against the Phillies.
Johan Santana gave the Mets eight shutout innings, but took a no-decision on a night he was outgunned by Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo, who threw a complete-game shutout. The Mets fell to 6-15 on the road, leaving them further perplexed about their inability to win away from Citi Field.
It was the second time this month Santana pitched at least seven innings and did not allow an earned run but the Mets lost. Two weeks ago in Florida, he allowed an unearned run over seven innings in a 2-1 Mets’ loss.
“It’s not so much bad for Santana, as much as we don’t have the luxury of not winning games where he throws eight scoreless innings,” Jason Bay told The Post. “We don’t have five of him.”
Manager Jerry Manuel didn’t second-guess his decision to remove Santana after eight innings and 105 pitches. Pedro Feliciano got the first out in the ninth before Igarashi entered and allowed an infield single to Ryan Braun. Casey McGehee then popped out before Hart hammered a 1-1 pitch for the game winner. It ended a streak of 86 innings pitched by the Mets without allowing a home run.
“This was an important situation where obviously you can’t make mistakes,” Igarashi said. “And in this situation the batter was able to capitalize fully off my mistake.”
Santana’s final inning might as well have been his first: He retired the Brewers in order, ending his night by striking out Carlos Gomez — whom the Twins acquired in the deal that sent Santana to the Mets — on pitch No. 105.
“It was one of those days where you try to do everything you can and things don’t work out the way you want it,” Santana said.
The Mets had their chances to score and their inability to do so seemed to get to them.Angel Pagan lost his cool — but managed to avoid ejection — after getting punched out by plate umpire Jeff Nelson in the ninth, leaving runners stranded at first and second.
An inning earlier, Santana doubled with two outs, but go no further when Gallardo caught Jose Reyes looking at strike three. Reyes doubled for the Mets with one out in the sixth but was left stranded. In the eighth, Francoeur hit into a double play before Santana’s double.
The Mets blew their best opportunity in the third, when they loaded the bases with nobody out against Gallardo but got nothing. Reyes hit a bouncer that Prince Fielder grabbed and threw home for the force out before Alex Cora hit into a double play.
“It was a great game right from the beginning,” said Santana, who retired 16 of the last 17 he faced. “And it came down to one pitch at the end and we lost the game.”