NEW YORK _ Noah Syndergaard contributed probably his worst outing of the season Saturday against the Brewers, and that wasn't even the ugliest part of the Mets' 8-6 loss.
The Mets had three wild pitches, two errors, a passed ball and at least one mental defensive gaffe, Jeurys Familia picking up a slow-roller that appeared to be heading foul, turning it into an RBI single for Christian Yelich. At the plate, the Mets were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
At 13-13, the Mets are .500 for the first time this season. Steven Matz gets the ball Sunday opposite Gio Gonzalez, making his season debut, as the Mets try to avoid getting swept.
In five innings, Syndergaard allowed five runs and a season-high 10 hits, walking three and striking out five. He retired the first batter of an inning just once, when Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee's starting pitcher, struck out looking to begin the fourth.
Syndergaard's ERA heading into May is 6.35 _ the worst mark over a month in his career. His previous high was a 5.14 ERA in June 2015, his second month in the majors.
This latest stinker came immediately after ace Jacob deGrom pitched poorly (four innings, five runs) in his return from the injured list Friday. The Mets' rotation has a 5.32 ERA.
Syndergaard's peripheral numbers aren't as alarming as the surface-level ones. He entered Saturday striking out 27.6 percent of his batters and walking 5.7 percent, about in line with his career norms. His FIP _ fielding independent pitching, which attempts to measure a pitcher's run prevention without considering the defense behind him _ was 2.93.
The runs Syndergaard allowed were not all of the well-earned variety. The Brewers scored in the first, when first baseman Pete Alonso tried to throw behind Lorenzo Cain at second. Left fielder Jeff McNeil came running to second base, trying to sneak up on Cain, but Alonso's throw glanced off McNeil's glove into left-center, allowing Cain to score easily.
Eric Thames sneaked a two-run single through the right side in the third inning.
In the fourth, Syndergaard allowed a pair of solo homers: to Ben Gamel, a journeyman outfielder with minimal power, and to Yelich, the reigning NL MVP. Yelich's was his first on the road since Sept. 25 and his 14th this season, tying a major league record for long balls before May 1 (2006 Albert Pujols and 2007 Alex Rodriguez).
Woodruff held the Mets to one run in five innings. The Mets' run against him came in the third, when Jeff McNeil scurried home on a wild pitch.
The Mets' late comeback bid fell short. Amed Rosario (solo shot) and Alonso (three-run homer) went deep in the seventh, but Familia let Milwaukee open it back up in the eighth. He allowed his first three batters to reach, two of them coming around to score.
Alonso's was his ninth homer of the season, tying a Mets record for most long balls before May 1. Neil Walker (2016), John Buck (2013), Carlos Delgado (2006) and Dave Kingman (1976) also did it.
Another milestone watch for Alonso: He is one shy of the major league rookie record for home runs through April. Aaron Judge (2017), Trevor Story (2016) and Jose Abreu (2014) each hit 10.
Called on for a six-out save, Josh Hader struck out five of his six batters.
