Normally, the Mets wait until later in the year to have the Braves derail their season.
But Atlanta continued to do a number on its free-falling rivals Tuesday, as the Mets blew a three-run lead and lost 7-4.
It was their 10th defeat in their past 11 games, this one in especially ugly fashion on a sweltering night at Citi Field.
When a team is playing as poorly as the Mets are these days, it tends to find new ways to disappoint, and this one was no different.
The Mets got five scoreless innings from Frankie Montas in his Amazin’s debut after missing the first three months of the season with a strained lat.
And a lineup that’s been slumping finally got a big two-out hit, as Brett Baty delivered a two-run single in the fourth that helped give the Mets a 3-0 lead.
That hit was their second of the night — and last until the ninth inning. The Mets have scored just 14 runs in their past eight losses.
A ninth-inning rally fell short, as Francisco Lindor grounded out to end it, stranding a pair of base runners.
The bullpen, which entered having allowed the second-most base runners in the majors this month — only the Twins have been worse, according to FanGraphs — was knocked around again.
It didn’t take long, either.
Montas exited after 80 pitches and was replaced by Huascar Brazobán, who walked the first three batters he faced and then allowed a sacrifice fly to Ozzie Albies to cut the Mets lead to 3-1 — and the Braves were just getting started.
José Castillo replaced Brazobán and didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced.
He allowed a run-scoring single to pinch hitter Eli White and a game-tying hit to Nick Allen before Reed Garrett came on and struck out Ronald Acuña Jr.
The normally reliable Garrett joined the club and gave up a base hit to Matt Olson to put the Braves up by a pair.
Atlanta added two more runs in the eighth to help put the game away, as the pen wasted Montas’ strong effort.
The right-hander was unimpressive in all six of his minor league rehab outings, but insisted he would be ready when the lights came on Tuesday — and he was.
Montas allowed three hits and three walks, putting the Mets in position to get a much-needed win against Spencer Strider, who’d allowed just one run over 12 innings in his previous two starts.
The game looked promising for the Mets early on.
They loaded the bases with one out in the fourth with a pair of walks and their first hit of the night — a single by Pete Alonso.
Jeff McNeil’s sacrifice fly gave them a 1-0 lead before Luis Torrens walked to fill the bases again for Baty.
Baty delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0, but the Mets didn’t score again until the ninth.
They got two runners on with one out in the ninth before Raisel Iglesias struck out Baty. Ronny Mauricio doubled in a run to make it 7-4, but Lindor couldn’t extend it.
At this point, the lone hopeful sign for the Mets is that they only have two more games against the Braves before they finally visit the woebegone Pirates in Pittsburgh on Friday.
