BOSTON — Norm!
That is basically how you describe a night for the Mets lately in which the team fails to deliver with runners in scoring position.
Cheers were few for the visiting team on Tuesday, through a confluence of bad luck on well-struck balls and noncompetitive at-bats.
Not even a third-inning ejection of the opposing starting pitcher helped.
All of it spelled a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox on a chilly night at Fenway Park.
The Mets, who fell from first place for the first time since April 9 a night earlier, lost a third straight game for the first time this season.
It was their fifth loss in six games over the past week.
The Mets went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before disappearing completely over the final four innings.
Entering play the Mets were tied for 21st in MLB with a .691 OPS with runners in scoring position.
Clay Holmes kept the Mets in the game by allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings.
It was a fourth straight start for Holmes that lasted six innings.
The Red Sox lost starting pitcher Walker Buehler in the third inning when he was ejected for an outburst toward plate umpire Mike Estabrook following a pitch to Juan Soto that was clearly in the strike zone but called a ball. Red Sox manager Alex Cora also got ejected.
Soto walked on four pitches to give the Mets runners on first and second, but Pete Alonso was retired before Brandon Nimmo hit a shot to deep center at 103.1 mph off the bat that was tracked by Kristian Campbell for the third out.
Mark Vientos doubled leading off the fourth but was left stranded at third after Brett Baty’s shot was snagged by first baseman Nick Sogard for the final out.
Sogard’s diving stop on Jeff McNeil’s grounder earlier in the inning also prevented the run from scoring.
Holmes dented in the fifth. Carlos Narváez homered leading off the inning for the game’s first run.
Two batters later, Rafael Devers also cleared the Green Monster, pushing the Mets into a 2-0 hole.
It was a second straight start with multiple homers allowed by Holmes, who has surrendered only five this season.
