CLEVELAND — Yo, Adrian — good night.
Adrian Houser’s tenuous status with the Mets trended further toward the exit Tuesday night. In a spot start, the right-hander scuffled and served as the ringleader of the latest letdown by the club during a brutal stretch.
Houser was hittable and Jake Diekman surrendered a big home run behind him in the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field. The loss was the Mets’ ninth in 12 games and pushed them a season’s worst six games below .500.
A rotation that has largely been a strength found a weak link on this night as Houser allowed six earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts, one walk and a hit batter over five-plus innings. Houser received the start to allow extra rest for the rotation.
“I thought he pitched better than the line score,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I thought his stuff was a lot better.”
Houser, who owns a 7.88 ERA, had been relegated to low-leverage bullpen appearances before receiving this start.
The Mets will have the option of removing David Peterson from the injured list next week — he’s scheduled to pitch in a final rehab appearance for Triple-A Syracuse in the coming days — and could use Houser’s roster spot for the left-hander.
“I’ve been working hard the last few weeks and I felt like tonight I was able to kind of repeat everything we have been working on,” Houser said. “It felt really good, we just didn’t get the results we wanted.”
The Mets fought, getting a two-run homer from Starling Marte in the eighth to pull within 7-6, but never fully recovered from the three-run hole into which they fell in the third inning.
Edwin Diaz, who has been displaced from the closer’s role at least temporarily after three straight blown saves, warmed up in the bullpen and would have entered had the Mets’ deficit remained at three runs, according to Mendoza. But after Marte’s blast sliced the Guardians’ lead to one, Sean Reid-Foley was used instead.
“This is something we have been talking about and [Diaz] is all up for it,” Mendoza said. “Any time we need him to pitch he’s going to take the ball, I just thought tonight wasn’t the right time.”
Marte’s misplay in right field contributed to the Mets’ third-inning woes.
Marte first got a bad read on Jose Ramirez’s fly ball that landed behind him. Upon retrieving the ball, Marte dropped it, allowing Ramirez to reach third. The Guardians’ third run of the inning scored on the play.
Bo Naylor started the rally against Houser with a hit by pitch before consecutive doubles by Brayan Rocchio and Tyler Freeman gave the Guardians a 2-0 lead. Ramirez’s RBI double followed.
Mark Vientos launched a 420-foot homer to center in the fifth for the Mets’ first run. Xzavion Curry (who replaced injured Carlos Carrasco in the rotation) didn’t survive the inning.
After Jeff McNeil doubled and Tomas Nido singled, Francisco Lindor delivered an RBI single that pulled the Mets within 3-2.
Houser dented again in the fifth, when Ramirez smashed a two-run homer that extended the Guardians’ lead to 5-2.
The blast was the 12th of the season for Ramirez, who cleared the right-field fence after Freeman had walked in the inning.
But the Mets fought back in the sixth with McNeil’s two-run homer.
Vientos delivered a double before McNeil hit his second homer of the season, pulling the Mets within 5-4.
Houser’s night concluded after allowing a leadoff single to Brennan in the sixth.
Diekman entered and allowed a pinch-hit homer to David Fry that gave the Guardians a 7-4 lead.
Marte’s homer in the eighth got the Mets within one. The blast was Marte’s first since April 20, ending a drought of 96 plate appearances without a home run.
