Mets lose, slip below .500 for first time since May 5

SAN FRANCISCO — And now the Mets have a losing record.

Their miserable month continued Tuesday night with a 3-2 loss to the Giants, their fifth in a row.

That dropped them to 59-60 — their first time below .500 since May 5 — and 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East. In the last 20 days, they have gone 5-14 and lost 9 1/2 games in the division standings.

Pete Alonso (two-run homer) and Marcus Stroman (seven innings, three runs) had different public dispositions toward the team’s struggles and the questions surrounding them. The upbeat slugger again praised the Mets’ process and attitude and the pitcher sort of did the same but in an annoyed way.

"The amount of work, the amount of energy, the amount of concentration and effort and care that we have is absolutely tremendous," Alonso said. "The only thing you can do is keep coming to the yard every single day, working hard, having a fantastic attitude and taking whatever opportunities are presented."

Stroman (8-12), who retweeted personal highlights nine times within 25 minutes of the game ending, said: "I know you guys [reporters] are looking for us to give you some crazy answers, but we stay present. There’s no sense in looking forward to tomorrow, there’s no sense in looking to yesterday. We can only control what we can control."

Why haven’t the results been there?

"No clue," Stroman said.

As he rose from his seat upon the conclusion of his two-minute video news conference, Stroman added, "Man, I’m done answering these guys’ questions."

Catcher Patrick Mazeika, who was playing only because James McCann was scratched from the lineup minutes before first pitch with back spasms, made the penultimate out. Had McCann been available, the Mets could have used, say, pinch hitter extraordinaire Brandon Drury against Giants lefthander Jarlin Garcia. Instead, Mazeika grounded out to first.

Kevin Pillar struck out looking against Dominic Leone to end the game, stranding Jeff McNeil (leadoff single) on second.

The offense offered more of the underwhelming same: eight hits, 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, six men left on base. The lone RISP hit was J.D. Davis’ single on a weak ground ball to third base in the fourth inning.

"We’ve had a lot of tough losses," manager Luis Rojas said. "We know what’s happening when we lose a game."

The Giants’ Logan Webb (7-3), a 24-year-old righthander who has taken a huge jump this year from fringe major-leaguer to frontline starter, lasted 7 1/3 innings and yielded two runs — both on Alonso’s home run, which ended Webb’s night. He struck out eight, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.92.

"He had his A-plus stuff," Alonso said.

The wasted opportunity most bemoaned by Rojas: runners at the corners with one out in the fourth. McNeil grounded into a first-pitch double play. He slammed his helmet to the ground as he ran another 90 feet past first base.

"We didn’t deliver," Rojas said. "We have to be positive."

Stroman threw 114 pitches, his highest total since July 2017 (and the first time all season that he reached triple digits). He completed six innings for only the second time in two months.

Tommy La Stella, the Giants’ second batter of the game, hit a two-run homer. Evan Longoria added a solo shot in the seventh.

"Stro threw the ball really well," Rojas said. "Two mistakes, three runs."

The Mets will try to not get swept Wednesday.

"Our attitude, our process is excellent," Alonso said. "And I know it’s tired and people want results. That’s the nature of the beast. I totally understand that. But we’re giving it our all out there. I’m so proud of how every single game we’re in it, we’re locked in, we fight and scrap. Unfortunately, sometimes we come up short."