NEW YORK _ The Mets hadn't pushed a run across the plate in three of their previous four games. They hadn't even led in a game since their last win last Sunday at San Diego.
Then it happened, right there in the first inning Sunday at Citi Field. They scored twice against Colorado, their first lead after 45 fruitless innings. Of course, there was a problem, though. Yoenis Cespedes singled and scored during the rally, then came out of the game with a right quad injury.
The lead didn't last, either. Ultimately, Ian Desmond cracked a tiebreaking eighth-inning homer off Hansel Robles, his second solo shot of the game, to give the Rockies a 3-2 win and a sweep of the three-game series.
Colorado has won five straight games to improve to 20-15. The Mets have lost six straight after dropping every game on the homestand. They were once 11-1. They are now 17-15.
Noah Syndergaard turned in his fourth straight quality start, but he didn't have any 1-2-3 innings out of six in a 95-pitch outing. He allowed two runs, six hits, walked four, hit a batter and struck out five.
Kyle Freeland (2-4) outpitched him, yielding two runs and four hits while striking out eight and walking one over seven innings. Adam Ottavino allowed a walk and a single in the ninth before striking out pinch hitter Tomas Nido to earn his first save of the season.
Robles (2-1), who just returned from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace Matt Harvey on the roster Saturday, has allowed 29 homers in relief in 198 1/3 innings dating to 2015. Desmond belted a 96-mph fastball over the right-center fence for the deciding run.
The Mets took their lead in the first on an RBI single by Asdrubal Cabrera and a sacrifice fly by Todd Frazier.
Desmond got one back in the second, driving a 97-mph fastball from Syndergaard to the left field seats.
Colorado loaded the bases with no outs in the third. Syndergaard followed by issuing the first bases-loaded walk of his career, throwing four straight balls to Gerardo Parra to make it a 2-2 game. Syndergaard got a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.
But yet another game didn't end well for the Mets. Now they head out for a six-game trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
