The Mets were oh-so close to snapping a brutal seven-game losing streak that pushed their playoff hopes to the brink.

Alas.

Tyler Rogers, Edwin Diaz and shoddy late-inning defense turned a two-run eighth-inning lead into a painful 3-2 loss – the Mets’ eighth straight – to the Rangers in front of 41,752 at Citi Field on Saturday.

Rookie righthander Brandon Sproat, in his second MLB start and first at Citi Field, had a six-inning scoreless start that the Mets let go to waste.

Juan Soto’s 40th homer, a solo shot, gave the Mets a 2-0 lead in the seventh. He also had a one-out single in the ninth off Phil Maton but was stranded at third. Shawn Armstrong struck out Pete Alonso, allowed a single to pinch hitter Ronny Mauricio and struck out Brandon Nimmo to shut the door.

The Mets (76-73) fell into a tie with the Giants, who hosted the Dodgers late Saturday, for the NL’s third wild card.

Cody Freeman led off the ninth against Diaz with a single off a leaping Francisco Lindor’s glove. After Michael Helman’s sacrifice bunt and Josh Smith’s strikeout, Wyatt Langford roped a run-scoring single to center to give the Rangers (79-70) the go-ahead run.

 

Soto cranked Hoby Milner’s full-count, inside sinker 414 feet to the second deck in rightfield for a solo homer that gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. He became only the fifth player in franchise history to record a 40-homer season, the second of his career.

Francisco Alvarez, Rogers and Diaz (6-3, 1.92 ERA) combined to fumble the lead as the Rangers tied it at 2-2 in the eighth. Smith led off with a catcher’s interference, Langford doubled and Joc Pederson cut it to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pulled Rogers after he struck out Jake Burger. Diaz entered, walked Josh Jung and surrendered the tying ground-rule double to pinch hitter Rowdy Tellez.

The Mets wasted three opportunities with a man in scoring position in the eighth after Nimmo led off with an infield single and moved to second on Jung’s throwing error. Brett Baty struck out, Alvarez grounded out, Jeff McNeil walked and pinch hitter Cedric Mullins struck out.

Sproat was in command in his first home start. The Mets’ No. 5 prospect tossed six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and no walks with three strikeouts. He threw only 70 pitches, filling the zone with 53 strikes.

The Rangers went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position against Sproat. With men on first and second and two outs in the sixth, Jung, Sproat’s final batter, hit into a 6-4 forceout to end the inning.

The righthander, who turns 25 on Wednesday, did not allow a hit through 5 1/3 innings of his MLB debut in Cincinnati last Sunday. He ultimately received the loss in the Reds’ 3-2 win, allowing three runs and three hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking four.

Thanks to Lindor’s baserunning, the Mets grabbed the game’s first run with one out in the fifth. Alonso dunked a single into centerfield, and Lindor, who led off the inning with a bunt single, moved from first to third. The second baseman Freeman, who attempted to make a sliding catch on the play, fired an errant throw to third that bounced, hit Lindor (who was already on the base) in the back and scooted into foul territory, allowing Lindor to score.

Patrick Corbin, the 36-year-old lefthander, allowed an unearned run, six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five.

The Mets threatened in the first, loading the bases with two outs, but Starling Marte struck out looking on a questionable call on Corbin’s full-count inside sinker. They also came up empty in the sixth despite putting men on first and second with no outs; Baty was picked off at second, McNeil flied out to center and Jose Siri struck out for the third time.

Ben Dickson

Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins’ teams.