It was strange how normal it was becoming.
The Mets were leading and the seats of Citi Field were filled with smiles, even on a cold, rainy Saturday night. All of a sudden, Sandy Alderson’s ridiculed goal of 90 wins wasn’t so ridiculous.
Then, the reminder came that it was only April, the reminder that it’s still the Mets.
On their way to their fourth-straight win and sixth in seven games, the Mets melted down and blew a four-run lead to the last-place Marlins, falling 7-6 in 10 innings, after Jarrod Saltalamacchia opened the extra frame with an opposite-field home run off of Kyle Farnsworth.
After breaking Steve Cishek’s string of 33 straight saves the previous night, the Mets were unable to threaten Miami’s closer.
“It was supposed to be a fastball away and I came over the middle,” Farnsworth said. “If I’m going to get beat, I’m going to get beat with my best pitch. He put a good swing on it.”
During the Mets’ unexpected surge, the offense has been timely, but otherwise atrocious.
On Saturday, the Mets produced their highest output in 11 days, scoring more runs in three innings — five — than they scored in any game over the past week, including a two-run, first-inning home run from 40-year-old Bobby Abreu, his first since Sept. 28, 2012. But after five hits in three innings, the Mets only would record one more hit.
The team’s one constant finally failed, as Jenrry Mejia became the first starter in 12 games to allow more than three runs. Spotted a 5-1 lead, the 24-year-old was sensational through five innings, but could not escape the sixth inning, as his ability to pound the strike zone was used against him by a suddenly aggressive Marlins offense.
“Everything was going well, they were taking the first pitch, so I tried to throw the first pitch, like I was doing all game,” said Mejia, who struck out six and walked one, while seeing his career-best scoreless innings streak end at 14 ²/₃ innings. “They got me.”
They got their first four batters on base, with Marcell Ozuna opening with a double, followed by a first-pitch home run from Giancarlo Stanton. After recording two outs, Mejia left with a 5-4 lead, and two runners on base, but Terry Collins’ decision to use setup man Carlos Torres early backfired, as he allowed a two-run double to pinch-hitter Reed Johnson, giving the Marlins a 6-5 lead.
“There’s a lot of times when the game has to be won early and that was where we thought we had to get them out,” Collins said of his use of Torres. “He was I thought my best option at that particular time.”
Travis d’Arnaud, who showed tremendous hustle on a double and tag-up in the second inning, tied the game in the sixth inning after a two-out walk, reaching second on a passed ball, then scoring on an infield single and throwing error by shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
The Mets would have just two more runners reach base, neither reaching scoring position.
An MLB-best 10th comeback wouldn’t come.