ARLINGTON, Texas — The Mets’ recent success has been built not just on a surging lineup, but also a bullpen that has become respectable after a disastrous May.
But Wednesday night, in their attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the sagging defending World Series champions, neither the runs nor the late-inning lockdown needed were found.
Drew Smith surrendered a go-ahead homer to Leody Taveras in the seventh inning and the Mets never recovered in a 5-3 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
The Mets had a season’s best seven-game winning streak snapped.
The Mets’ bullpen had pitched to a 1.40 ERA over the previous 11 games, but Smith — who has been largely dependable since returning from the injured list on June 2 — couldn’t get the last out in the seventh inning.
Taveras, on the seventh pitch of his at-bat, hit a 94 mph four-seam fastball over the right-field fence for a two-run homer that gave the Mets their margin of defeat.
Smith, a Dallas-area native who grew up attending Rangers games, had the thrill of pitching a shutout inning here Monday, but on this night absorbed the loss.
“It’s baseball’s highs and lows,” Smith said. “I experienced a high the first day and a pretty bad low the last day.”
Smith said the family and friends that had stuck around after Monday’s game to see him didn’t bother on Wednesday.
“They all left,” Smith said.
Manager Carlos Mendoza might have used Dedniel Nunez in the seventh, but the fireballing rookie had a sinus infection and was unavailable.
Offensively the Mets managed only five hits and went silent in the final three innings.
It followed a stretch in which the Mets (35-38) combined for 32 runs over three games against the Padres and Rangers.
The Rangers didn’t get their first hit against Sean Manaea until the sixth on Robbie Grossman’s single to left field. It snapped a string of 14 straight batters retired by Manaea since the first inning.
Manaea lasted 5 ²/₃ innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits with three walks and a hit batter.
Manaea needed 36 pitches to get through the first inning, but surrendered only one run.
Manaea walked Grossman, Adolis Garcia and Josh Smith in succession with two outs to load the bases before plunking Wyatt Langford to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
But Manaea rebounded to get the third out on Nathaniel Lowe’s grounder.
After the first inning, Manaea huddled with Mendoza and catcher Francisco Alvarez for a pep talk.
“They took me aside and said, ‘Now we go’ and it kind of motivated me there,” Manaea said. “From there it was throw the ball down the middle and see what they can do with it. That was a huge difference, not trying to shy away from contact.”
Mendoza said Manaea’s body language in the first inning was problematic.
“It was one of those where I wanted to pump him up a little bit,” Mendoza said.
Starling Marte’s RBI double against Andrew Heaney in the fourth tied it 1-1.
Brandon Nimmo delivered a check-swing double to left to start the rally and J.D. Martinez drew a full-count walk with one out.
But following Marte’s double, Heaney struck out Mark Vientos and Alvarez to strand runners on second and third.
Pete Alonso launched a two-run homer in the sixth that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Martinez walked and Alonso cleared the center-field fence for his 16th homer this season.
A night earlier Alonso stroked a go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning of the Mets’ 7-6 victory.
Smith’s RBI double in the sixth pulled the Rangers within 3-2 and knocked out Manaea, who was within one out of working through the sixth inning for the first time in six starts.
Sean Reid-Foley entered and allowed a single to Langford that tied it 3-3.
Lowe followed with a walk before Reid-Foley struck out Jonah Heim to escape the inning.
Alvarez singled to begin the seventh, but pinch-hitters Jeff McNeil and D.J. Stewart were retired before Jose Urena struck out Francisco Lindor.
Smith walked Corey Seager with two outs in the seventh before Taveras homered to put the Mets in a 5-3 hole.
Though the Mets lost their winning streak, Mendoza is pleased with the manner in which the team has performed during an 11-5 June.
“After what we have been through, especially in the month of May, and for us to play good baseball shows that we have got a good team,” Mendoza said. “We have got guys that are going to continue to compete.”
