Never in Johan Santana’s decade-long major-league career has he suffered through a game like last night’s.
No, check that, an inning like last night’s first. Six runs, all with two out, en route to a career-high 13 hits allowed. Everything he threw, the Cardinals smacked right back at him.
From Matt Holliday drilling a changeup for a two-run homer to the ignominy of allowing a two-run single to the opposing pitcher, last night’s first inning was a nightmare for Santana.
Though he awoke to find himself with a lucky no-decision, the Mets eventually lost 8-7 in the 13th inning and their ace saw his red-hot streak come to an abrupt end.
“It’s going to happen sometime,” said Santana, who had been 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his last five starts.
“I’ve never had an inning like that. There are going to be times when they score runs and put the ball in play and everything you throw they’re going to hit it.
“I think the changeup I threw to Holliday, that was the first one I threw and he put a good swing on it and hit it out.”
Santana has been feast-or-famine all year, and last night was clearly the latter. It was the eighth time he had given up four or more earned runs.
In every other start but one, he allowed a single earned run or less, bringing in to question his ability to pitch out of jams the way he once did.
That was clearly the case last night against the Cardinals, when he needed 38 pitches to escape the first. He gave up Holliday’s two-run homer to left, then allowed a Yadier Molina single and a Colby Rasmus double. He intentionally walked Brendan Ryan to get to pitcher Jaime Garcia, who made him pay with a two-run single.
Four straight singles followed to make it 6-0.
The last game Santana struggled in — allowing five runs in a 6-0 loss vs. Minnesota on June 26 — the Twins had been ultra-patient. The Cardinals took the opposite approach.
“They were aggressive right from the get-go. They were swinging right away,” said Santana, who never had allowed more than five runs at Citi Field. “I tried to establish my fastball, and didn’t get some calls we thought were good pitches.” They’re aggressive, they at brian.lewis@nypost.com