'It's not about rah-rah': Mets' inability to close games remains alarming in latest loss

NEW YORK — The Mets' quest for answers has spanned six series and four separate cities, but the hole has only gotten deeper.

On Saturday as the desperation piled on to end a four-game losing streak, the remedy slipped away.

Edwin Diaz failed to nail down the save for the fourth time in his last five attempts and the Giants offense exploded after a critical error in the 10th as the Mets dropped a 7-2 result in front of 32,971 fans at Citi Field.

"They're professionals," Carlos Mendoza said. "We have to find a way to get the job done. Right now, we're not finishing games and they're tough losses. At the end of the day, we've got to find a way. We've got to continue to work, continue to fight and find a way to get the job done."

The Mets had twice led behind solo home runs by Starling Marte and Brett Baty, but could not protect the edge.

The losses have snowballed. A little more than two weeks ago, the Mets returned home with a .500 record. After their third straight series loss was clinched on Saturday, they have now fallen to 21-30.

"It's not about team meetings. It's not about rah-rah. It's about getting it done," Francisco Lindor said.

Latest bullpen hiccup

In the top of the 10th inning with the automatic runner on, Sean Reid-Foley quickly allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Brett Wisely.

The Giants ended up tacking on four more runs.

After a bloop single and a wide throw by Pete Alonso on a potential double-play ball, Reid-Foley issued a bases-loaded walk to Patrick Bailey to make it 4-2. After two straight outs, Mike Yastrzemski dealt the knockout blow with a three-run triple off Josh Walker into the left-center field gap.

It was the Mets' third straight blow lead in the sixth inning or later. The bullpen struggles have come front and center during that time. Entering Saturday, the Mets' bullpen ERA sat at 4.58 in the month of May. They have now converted just four out of their last 10 save opportunities.

"That's what we got. We gotta continue to work with them," Mendoza said. "They got the job early in the year and right now that's not the case. We gotta continue to work with them and they'll get through, but right now it's a rough stretch."

The struggles have come up and down the bullpen during the latest stretch. Reed Garrett gave up five earned runs during Friday's loss and had given up the go-ahead run in the series finale against the Guardians on Wednesday.

Adam Ottavino, who tossed a scoreless inning on Saturday, was coming off a two-run inning that put the game out of reach on Wednesday. Jake Diekman served up a two-run home run to the Guardians' David Fry during Tuesday's 7-6 loss.

Edwin Diaz's struggles remain

The biggest concern continued to be Diaz.

Diaz's return to the ninth inning came with the same fanfare as it had before, but the poor result was also the same as the last three weeks.

With the Mets holding a 2-1 lead, Diaz gave up a leadoff single to Wilmer Flores before Ryan McKenna came on and stole second base. That set the stage for pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. to lace a game-tying RBI single into right field.

In between save opportunities, Diaz worked to boost his confidence during a bullpen session in Cleveland. But in his first chance since May 18, the Mets closer was sunk by two hits despite his manager's confidence in him to protect a one-run lead.

Diaz has now given up eight earned runs and blown three saves in his last five outings.

"My job is continue to find lanes for him, and he's got to fight through it," Mendoza said. "You can't hide him. He's gotta go. He's gotta pitch. He's too good of a pitcher. I'm pretty confident that he'll turn it around."

Flores' hit came on a first-pitch fastball, while Wade's single came on a low knee-high fastball over the center of the plate. Wade was thrown out by Marte trying to stretch his hit into a double, and Diaz got the game to the 10th with a groundball from Curt Casali.

"I think I executed really good pitches. That's what I want to do but the results didn't come my way," Diaz said. "How I performed in the moment, how I looked, how I feel was way better than last week."

Luis Severino's start sank

For the second time this season, Luis Severino carried a no-hitter more than halfway through the game only to come away with a no-decision.

The 30-year-old had his whole arsenal working on Saturday. He had both his four-seam fastball and sinker dialed in up to 98 mph and had three whiffs on his sweeper, including his first two strikeouts in the first inning.

Severino recorded the first 12 outs before giving up his first Giants baserunner when he walked Matt Chapman to lead off the fifth inning. Then, he produced a pair of fly balls to center field and struck out Heliot Ramos on a fastball.

Severino finished with one earned run allowed on two hits and three walks while striking out six. It was his first quality start since April 29 against the Cubs when he opened with seven hitless innings.

"The sinker in was unbelievable today," Severino said. "I made good pitches. First couple innings, I was not making outs quick but less pitches. We commanded the zone."

The Giants' first hit produced a run after Wisely poked a one-out opposite-field single over Baty into left field. After Luis Matos walked and Wisely moved over to third on a ground ball, Bailey ripped an RBI single into shallow right field to tie the game.

After issuing a two-out walk in the seventh, Mendoza ventured out to consult with Severino, who had thrown 102 pitches. But the starter remained in the game to record the final out on a pop-up to third.

"That was his game. I wanted him to have conviction. I said, 'This is your hitter. This is your game. We're gonna win it.' Just make sure he continued to execute pitches, and he did."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Inability to close games reaches new depth in loss to Giants