HOUSTON — Johan Santana was pretty good last night, but Hunter Pence was better.
The Astros’ right fielder hit a three-run homer off of Santana in the first inning, then after David Wright’s eleadoff home run in the eighth tied the game, Pence hit another one out in the bottom of the inning, providing the difference in the Mets’ 4-3 loss at Minute Maid Park.
“I knew in this ballpark, you have to throw the right pitch,” Santana said of the 3-2 offering to Pence. “I threw a slider in the at-bat to him before and had him, but on that one, he had a good enough swing to hit it out.”
Santana struggled to get loose early and paid the price. He gave up four straight hits — including Pence’s homer — before retiring a batter.
“He settled down great after that,” Josh Thole said. “That’s why this was so frustrating.”
He was pitching so well Jerry Manuel opted to let Santana hit in the seventh.
“I thought with the way he was going, it was better to keep him on the mound,” the manager said.
The Mets, who scored a run in the first when Fernando Martinez drove in Jose Reyes, scored another in the second on a Reyes groundout in the second as they failed to capitalize on several early chances against former Met Nelson Figueroa.
“We had him against the ropes in the first inning, but couldn’t get him out of there,” Wright said.
But their bats fell asleep again until Wright’s homer.
dan.martin@nypost.com
. Carlos Beltran followed with a single, but Ike Davis followed by grounding into a double play. Then Pence delivered the deciding blow.
Thole led off the ninth with a single, but never got beyond second base, as pinch-hitter Chris Carter was called out on a close call at first and Reyes popped to left to end the game.
“I felt very good with him going back out there in the eighth,” Manuel said. “But Pence had a huge night.”
Bigger than the Mets could contend with, as the offense failed to score more than three runs for the fourth straight game, three of them losses.
dan.martin@nypost.com