ANAHEIM, Calif. — For a second straight night the Mets rallied from an early deficit, but this time there wasn’t a postgame celebration.
Opportunities were wasted Saturday, including a replay challenge that the Mets didn’t issue, which would have subtracted the Angels’ first run.
Along with them went the Mets’ chances of winning a second straight game — something they have accomplished only once since April 7.
Former Yankee Oswald Peraza’s RBI single against Austin Warren in the 10th inning sent the Mets to a 4-3 loss at Angel Stadium.
The loss was the Mets’ 18th in their last 22 games.
Only adding to the team’s frustration, Ronny Mauricio fractured his left thumb diving into first base and will be placed on the injured list. It leaves the Mets in need of a shortstop — Mauricio became the starter last week after Francisco Lindor was placed on the IL with a left calf strain.
Warren was ahead 0-2 in the count with two outs before Peraza ended it with a line drive single to left. Warren had walked Jorge Soler and allowed a single to Jo Adell in the inning, moving the automatic runner to third base.
Adell’s single in the first gave the Angels a 1-0 lead, but the run should not have counted: replays showed Jorge Soler was tagged out attempting to race first-to-third before Nolan Schanuel touched home plate. The Mets did not challenge the play.
“We called obviously and he missed it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, referring to replay coordinator Harrison Friedland. “Harrison is one of the best at his job and it ends up being a big play when you lose by one run, but I also think we had [other] chances there.”
Nobody had a rougher night at the plate than Bo Bichette, who grounded into a double play in the 10th inning after Brett Baty reached on a catcher’s interference. In the seventh, after the Mets had tied the game, Bichette batted with the bases loaded and hit into a fielder’s choice out at the plate. The Mets never took the lead.
“We had a chance to win it,” Bichette said. “I had two chances and didn’t get the job done.”
In his shortest career start, Nolan McLean lasted just four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
Bichette’s RBI single in the third tied it 1-1. Austin Slater, in his first start for the Mets, doubled before Bichette delivered against Reid Detmers for his 15th RBI this season.
Vaughn Grissom’s two-run single gave the Angels a 3-1 lead. Soler walked and Adell singled before McLean’s wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. After Grissom delivered, Peraza singled, but McLean avoided further damage by striking out Travis d’Arnaud for the final out.
“I just wasn’t executing,” McLean said. “I got behind in counts in the fourth and it’s really hard to pitch behind in counts.”
The Mets scored twice in the seventh to tie it 3-3, but left the bases loaded when neither Bichette nor Juan Soto could deliver. Bichette grounded into a fielder’s choice out at home plate before Soto struck out against Sam Bachman.
Andy Ibanez brought in the inning’s first run with a sacrifice fly before Taylor’s RBI single tied it.
Slater then singled and Mauricio’s squib to first base became an infield single following a replay challenge won by the Mets.
But Mauricio fractured his left thumb on the dive into the bag. Bichette and Soto were then retired, leaving the bases loaded. Mark Vientos’ double started the rally and Marcus Semien singled and stole second.
“Guys like Bo and Juan, those are the guys you want at the plate in those situations and more often than not they are going to come through,” Mendoza said.
Tobias Myers worked into the seventh and departed with the go-ahead run on first base and two outs. Huascar Brazoban ended the inning by retiring Soler.
Myers allowed three hits and one walk over 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings. The right-hander has pitched to a 2.05 ERA this season.
