Mets blow early lead in loss to Red Sox as postseason hopes take another hit

New York Mets' Pete Alonso, left, is tagged out by Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez while trying to score on a single by Michael Conforto during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Boston.
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Marcus Stroman used some magic to escape an early jam unfazed. The Mets rewarded him with a lead. Then everything unraveled.

Stroman allowed four runs over five innings, and the Boston Red Sox rolled to a 6-3 win on Tuesday at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Red Sox scored six straight runs off Mets pitching to erase an early 2-0 deficit. Stroman’s ERA broke 3.00 for the first time this season as he fell to 9-13.

The Mets fell 6.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East with just 11 games to play. They also trail the St. Louis Cardinals by eight games for the second wild-card spot in the NL.

The majority of the damage against Stroman came in the fifth inning, when the Red Sox turned a one-run deficit into a 4-2 lead. Enrique Hernandez hit a solo home run over the Green Monster to tie the game at 2-2, and Xander Bogaerts added a two-run home run into the monster seats to put the Red Sox up for good.

A two-run single by Bogaerts off Miguel Castro in the bottom of the sixth inning rounded out Boston’s scoring.

Stroman ensured his night did not go much worse when he escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the third inning. He got Bogaerts to ground into a 5-2-3 double play for the first two outs, and he ended the inning by getting Rafael Devers to fly out to left.

The Mets pounced for two runs in the top of the fourth inning. After loading the bases with no outs, J.D. Davis walked to force home a run. Michael Conforto singled to center, scoring Javier Baez, but Pete Alonso was easily thrown out at home, putting a damper on a potentially bigger rally.

Alonso did connect for his 34th home run of the season with a solo shot in the eighth inning.

Next up

Wednesday: RHP Taijuan Walker (7-10, 4.27) vs. LHP Chris Sale (4-0, 2.40), 7:10 p.m.

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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com.

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