FLUSHING - The Mets could take great pride in knowing that, of the 13 losses suffered by the Houston Astros over the first 60 games, they were responsible for two of them.
Apparently, the Astros needed no reminder. The team with the best record in baseball (48-13 and no one is remotely close) pinned the Mets with their fourth straight loss by virtue of a 5-3 decision.
The setback dropped the Mets (34-26) into a first-place tie with the Braves (35-27), who had a chance to unseated New York from the top spot for the first time since early April but were denied. Anthony Garcia's walkoff two-run homer in the pushed the Dodgers past Atlanta, 8-6.
Things got off to a promising start for the Mets. A sac fly by Robinson Cano and RBI single from red-hot Wilson Ramos, who went 3 for 3, staked them to a 2-0 lead in the first. Steven Matz (2-6) pitched valiantly into the seventh, expending 120 pitches and allowing eight hits and three runs, one charged on his ledger when Dellin Betances surrendered a two-out, three-run homer to Yordan Alvarez, his 19th.
