NEW YORK _ As the Mets tallied nine straight wins, it seemed as if Mickey Callaway could do no wrong. Every decision seemingly worked.
Batting the pitcher eighth. Using certain pitch hitters. Going to relievers in big spots. Callaway was hitting on 16 and pulling a five almost on a daily basis.
These last two days, the magic has worn off.
His bullpen maneuvering did not work in Monday's brutal 8-6 loss, and his decision Tuesday night to use Jose Reyes in a critical spot backfired in a 5-2 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field. The Mets (12-4) have now lost two straight games for the first time this season, and will attempt to avoid being swept Wednesday night.
Callaway's critical decision Tuesday came after the Mets put runners on first and third with one out against lefty Gio Gonzalez while trailing 3-2.
The Mets had Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Adrian Gonzalez available, but Callaway opted for Reyes, a switch-hitter who was 0-for-16 entering the at-bat.
Reyes posted an .843 OPS against southpaws last year, and Callaway kept him in even as the Nationals turned to hard-throwing southpaw Sammy Solis.
The debatable decision did not work out as Reyes struck out, ending the at-bat with an ugly swing. Amed Rosario then fouled out to end the threat.
Nimmo and Conforto later were used as pinch hitters in the eighth inning, but the Nationals had boosted their lead to 5-2 at that point. Despite the lefty-lefty matchup, both seemingly would have been better options than the struggling Reyes.
The failure to get a clutch hit defined the Mets night as they finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 11 runners, including two in the seventh when they again had runners on the corners with one out in a 4-2 game.
Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce stuck out against Ryan Madson to end that treat, and Gonzalez is now 11-1 with a 1.82 ERA in 15 career starts at Citi Field. Gonzalez limited the Mets to two runs in 5 1/3 innings while surrendering eight hits and striking out five.
With the Mets unable to tie the game at any point, Zack Wheeler (1-1) suffered the loss despite showing some moxie by limiting damage throughout his six-inning effort. He yielded seven hits and three runs while striking out two batters spanning 99 pitches.
Wheeler lacked an out pitch and it particularly hurt him in the fourth inning.
With the Mets trailing 1-0, Wheeler allowed a single to Moises Sierra in a 1-2 count, and Wilmer Difo later knocked in a run with an RBI single in a 1-2 count. Pedro Severino followed with an RBI single in an 0-2 count to push Washington's edge to 3-0.
Wheeler stranded two runners that inning to keep the Mets within striking distance.
He also helped his own cause by igniting the Mets' lone run-scoring rally. He singled to start the sixth, and later scored on Asdrubal Cabrera's sacrifice fly to center. The Mets added another run in the inning on Yoenis Cespedes' RBI groundout.
Wheeler finished 2-for-2.
The righty has now completed at least six innings in both of his starts, and has pitched well in place of Jason Vargas, who will miss at least one more start with a broken right hand. Vargas will not return until next weekend at the earliest.
With Wheeler (2.77 ERA) pitching well, the Mets may have a tough call on their hands regarding which pitcher to bump from the rotation when Vargas returns. Matt Harvey has not pitched well since his fantastic first start, and starts Thursday against Atlanta.
The Mets' bullpen struggled for the second straight day with Robert Gsellman allowing two runs in two innings to put the Mets in a three-run hole in the eighth.
