Tom Glavine had survived a rocky start. And for a few seventh-inning moments, it looked like he and the Mets would survive a rocky finish and maybe cop a victory.
Glavine allowed the first four Astros to reach base last night, but he escaped the first inning down one run.
However, the resurgent lefty couldn’t protect a one-run lead in the seventh and registered a no-decision in the Mets’ 6-3, 11-inning loss to the Astros.
The 39-year-old southpaw has lost once in his past seven outings, and five of those were quality starts. He allowed seven hits over seven frames and was charged with three earned runs against Houston.
The five strikeouts Glavine notched were his most since April 22, and he looked dominant at times against a lousy Houston lineup.
But the Astros knocked him around in the first and recovered from a 2-1 deficit in the seventh with two, two-out RBI hits.
Trouble began that inning when Jason Lane stroked a one-out double to left-center that broke a string of 12 straight Glavine had put down.
Carlos Beltran committed an error when the ball bounced away from him on a backhand attempt, putting Lane at third.
With the infield in, Jose Reyes made a tremendous catch on Adam Everett’s sharp liner. He left his feet for a diving backhanded snag that gave the Mets confidence they’d escape.
But Brad Ausmus followed with a double to right to tie the game 2-2. Pinch-hitter Craig Biggio lined a one-hopper off Glavine’s left shin toward the hole at second, allowing Ausmus to come around for the go-ahead run.
Kaz Matsui vacated his spot when he saw the ball was hit up the middle, and he couldn’t chase it down in time to nail Ausmus at the plate.
Glavine tossed 112 pitches, 27 in the first inning. He surrendered singles to Chris Burke, Jose Vizcaino and Lance Berkman with a walk to Eric Bruntlett in between.
He escaped, in part, because he picked off Burke after allowing the game-opening single to him.
The Mets let Glavine off the hook by tying the game in the eighth.