Fall below .500 for first time this season

There was a time not too long ago when a one-run differential for the 2019 Mets could easily be overcome. Even if their starters had given up a handful of runs, the Mets found a way to crawl back and make the ninth inning exciting. Now, as the season settles into May, the pitching was stellar and the offense was particularly nonexistent.

Leading off the ninth, Pete Alonso cranked his 10th homer of the season and tied the game at 2-2 to force the second of a three-game set against the Brewers into extra innings. It allowed Jeff McNeil to drive in the go- ahead run for a 3-2 lead in the 18th inning, but it wasn’t enough for right-hander Chris Flexen. The Mets lost 4-3 to the Brewers during an 18-inning marathon on Saturday night in Miller Park.

Representing the Mets’ last arm available, Chris Flexen loaded the bases on three consecutive walks in the bottom of the 18th inning. Flexen then gave up the game-winning hit to Ryan Braun to end the five hour and 22 minute game on the toughest Mets (16-17) loss of the season that dropped them under .500 for the first time this year.

Robert Gsellman chewed up three scoreless innings and gave up just one hit with four strikeouts before Flexen. Seth Lugo hurled three scoreless innings on 28 pitches from the ninth to the 11th, before passing the ball to Edwin Diaz. After giving up the game-winning homer in each of his last two appearances, Diaz found his form against the Brewers. The Mets closer retired the side on 11 pitches in the 12th inning.

Milwaukee left-hander Gio Gonzalez dominated the Mets lineup with seven punch outs over 5.1 innings. The Mets recently passed on acquiring Gonzalez, despite his ties to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s previous employer in the CAA agency, and opted to remain loyal to fifth starter Jason Vargas.

The Mets scraped just 10 hits over 62 at-bats on Saturday. While the offense looked lost at the plate, swinging at obvious errant pitches and sleepily retreating to the dugout, Zack Wheeler pitched his heart out in his seventh start of the season.

Wheeler struck out 10 and held the Brewers to two earned runs on six hits with one walk across seven innings. He clocked in his fastballs at 99 mph and used them to explode at the top half of the strike zone — fooling the Brewers on seven whiffs and 19 swinging strikes.

Wheeler gave up the two runs in the same inning when the righthander looked sharpest. Wheeler gave up a leadoff single to Ben Gamel in the third, then punched out Orlando Arcia and Gonzalez with masterful command.

Next, Lorenzo Cain beat the shift for an RBI single to right that tied the game at 1-1. Wheeler walked Eric Thames and surrendered an RBI double to Mike Moustakas as the Brewers claimed a 2-1 lead until Alonso’s solo slam in the ninth. The Mets entered Saturday 0-for-13 when trailing after eight innings.

But Wheeler recomposed himself after that rocky third inning and maintained the rotation’s recent stretch of strong starts.

In their first 21 games, Mets starters posted a 5.64 ERA with a .267 opponent’s batting average. They gave up 3.9 walks per nine innings pitched and 12 of those 21 starts were completed after just five innings or less.

Over the rotation’s last 11 games, Mets starters entered Saturday having held a 2.97 ERA with a .232 opponent’s batting average. They’re averaging 2.7 walks per nine innings and 3 of those 11 starts lasted five innings or less.