If Friday’s win and postgame concert provided an unmistakable nightclub vibe, the Mets’ matinee follow-up was shaping up to be more akin to a summertime block party.
But the rollicking run and good times were at least temporarily interrupted Saturday, as the Mets’ flushed a five-run lead — and a chance to take over the third wild-card position in the National League — with a 9-6 giveaway loss to the Astros.
Entrusted a 6-4 advantage in the eighth inning — which was 6-1 earlier in the game — relievers Jake Diekman and Reed Garrett combined to walk four and allow three runs, including Alex Bregman’s go-ahead two-run single to right with two outs.
It marked only the Mets’ fifth loss in their past 21 games, when another win would have vaulted them over the Cardinals into a playoff position.
It leaves them 40-40 entering the 81-game midpoint of the regular season in Sunday’s series finale.
Referring to the team’s recent hot streak, Mets owner Steve Cohen had posted on X before the game that “there is something special happening” at Citi Field.
“The players have come together and are playing for each other. The atmosphere is electric,” he added. “Let’s keep this going!”
In late May, with the Mets in the throes of what would turn out to be a 24-35 start, Cohen had posted on X about the “mind-boggling” and “disheartening” stretch that threatened to torpedo the team’s season before it was two months old.
Team president David Stearns even had acknowledged Friday that he can envision adding pieces at the July 30 trade deadline rather than what previously looked like it would be a second straight summer of selling.
“We’ve given ourselves an opportunity, and we need to continue to run with it,” Stearns said before the series opener. “I think Steve has shown repeatedly that he is committed to investing the resources in the team that we need to compete. And certainly I think we’ll continue to do so.”
Cohen fully expected the team to be competitive this season, but the Mets initially could not overcome an injury to holdover starting pitcher Kodai Senga and poor starts by several lineup regulars and returning closer Edwin Diaz.
On May 24, between ugly back-to-back losses against the Giants, Cohen took to social media to express his dismay.
“What a stretch, mind-boggling,” Cohen tweeted. “I know how disheartening this is for our fans. [Thank you] for caring so much.”
Mets fans clearly have embraced the resurgent squad in recent weeks, as well as the good vibes surrounding the McDonald’s character Grimace throwing out the first pitch earlier this month and the appropriately titled song “OMG” by veteran infielder Jose Iglesias, aka Candelita, which he performed on the field following Friday’s win.
Over the previous 30 days through Friday, the Mets also owned the best batting average (.294), on-base percentage (.367), slugging percentage (.526) and OPS (.893) in baseball, while trailing only the Orioles in home runs and runs scored.
Houston scored first Saturday against starter Tylor Megill on Jake Meyers’ one-out solo shot in the second.
But the Mets responded with five runs in the bottom half against two-time All-Star lefty Framber Valdez on run-scoring hits by Iglesias, Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo and a two-run single by Pete Alonso.
Mark Vientos extended the lead to 6-1 with his fifth homer in eight games one inning later, but the Astros got to Megill for three in the fourth, including a two-run double by Jeremy Pena.
Megill fanned Yainer Diaz and Meyers with two runners aboard to complete five innings with the 6-4 lead intact.
But Diekman walked the first two batters he faced in the eighth, and Garrett walked Trey Cabbage to load the bases after the umpires had lost track of the count.
After one run scored on a wild pitch, Jose Altuve also was walked before Bregman’s full-count single put the Mets in a 7-6 hole from which they would not recover.
Mauricio Dubon added a two-run double against Danny Young in the ninth.
