Imperfect 10 for Mets as Giants deal them a fourth straight loss

Giants 4 Mets 3, 10 innings (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 62-48

Mets streak: Lost 4

Last 10: 6-4

WP - Ryan Walker (3-4)

LP - Edwin Diaz (5-1)

SV - Randy Rodríguez (2)

Seat on the Korner: Dom Smith

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

It was old home day for a bunch of ex-Mets. Wilmer Flores — 10 years and a day after his memorable walkoff homer for the Mets after nearly being traded — was in the Giants' starting lineup. Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto came on in relief for San Francisco. But it was Dom Smith — the last former Amazin' to enter the game — who had the final say in dealing the Mets their home-stand-opening 4-3 defeat in 10 innings. Called on as a pinch-hitter against Edwin Diaz with the ghost runner at third and one out, Smith smacked the first pitch he saw up the middle past the drawn-in infield to plate Willy Adames with what proved to be the winning run when the Mets' rally in the last of the 10th fell short.

Need to Know

• The Phillies came from behind to beat the Tigers 5-4 and leap-frog over the Mets and back into first place by a half-game.

• To make room for newest Met Cedric Mullins, Luisangel Acuna was sent to Triple A Syracuse.

• Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who came out of Wednesday's game after getting banged on the side of the head with a foul ball, was given the night off.

• The Giants got to David Peterson for two runs in the second inning when, after Wilmer Flores rapped his first of two hits to put runners at first and third, Casey Schmitt laced a double down the left-field line. Flores later scored on a groundout.

• Tyrone Taylor can't buy a hit. The struggling Mets centerfielder — who will be a backup outfielder now that the Mets have acquired Cedric Mullins — was robbed by Giants shortstop Willy Adames on a smash up the middle in the third inning, with Adames starting a 6-4-3 double play. Mullins would pinch hit for Taylor in the ninth inning and pop to third.

• The Giants took a 3-0 lead in the seventh against Ryne Stanek, who gave up doubles to Jung Hoo Lee and Patrick Bailey, both down the right-field line.

• A video tribute to reliever Jose Butto, traded to the Giants during Wednesday night's game, was shown pre-game at Citi Field. While Butto is wearing a different uniform for the first time in his big-league career, he kept his number 70.

• Ryan Helsley made his Mets debut out of the bullpen in the ninth inning and, while he did give up two hits, he struck out three with a nasty slider and a blazing fastball that reached as high as 101.4 mph.

  
  

Turning Point

The Mets still had a chance. After falling behind in the top of the 10th on Dom Smith's RBI hit, the Mets threatened in the bottom half and got the tying run 90 feet away. (Of course, with the ghost runner, every team threatens in extra innings, but I digress.) Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez induced Brandon Nimmo to pop out, hit Francisco Lindor with a pitch, jammed Juan Soto for another harmless infield pop, and then walked Pete Alonso to put the tying and winning runs on second and third for Ronny Mauricio. But Rodriguez fanned Mauricio on a 100-mph fastball to end it.

Three Keys

Grunt work

The Giants Robbie Ray was outstanding. The grunting right-hander no-hit the Mets for the first 5.1 innings and gave up just four hits and a run through his seven-inning stint. He walked just one and struck out six while lowering his ERA to 2.85. The Mets offense barely made a peep against him until Pete Alonso's homer in the seventh. Before the homer, Ray struck out Alonso twice.

Petey on point

David Peterson put together another strong start and continues to be the most impressive member of the Mets' rotation. Although he was touched for a pair of runs in the second, Peterson shut the door after that. He gave up just four hits over six innings and struck out four — including Rafael Devers three times.

Take it from the top — finally

The top of the Mets order has been strugging lately, but finally came to life in the late innings. Pete Alonso, who had just five hits in his previous 62 at-bats, broke through against Ray with an opposite-field homer leading off the seventh. It was Alonso's 249th career homer, putting him just three behing Darryl Strawberry for the Mets record.

Then, in the eighth against former Met Joey Lucchese, Brandon Nimmo walked and Francisco Lindor singled with one out. Juan Soto clubbed a smash off Lucchese's foot and into left field for an RBI hit that moved Lindor to third.

Jose Butto was brought on to face Alonso, who lofted a fly to center to bring home Lindor with the tying run. The Mets did have the go-ahead run at second with two out, but Brett Baty hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.