Edwin Diaz blows save as Mets drop series opener to Phillies

This is what you would call a difficult seven-day slice of the schedule for the Mets.

They managed to avoid getting swept by  six-time defending NL East champion Atlanta on Sunday night, taking the finale of the three-game series thanks to Brandon Nimmo’s walk-off two-run shot in the ninth inning.

Now the Mets were starting a run of four straight against the NL East-leading and MLB-best Phillies — two at Citi Field and then two at Citizens Bank Park.

It looked as if the Mets were going to make it two straight wins against the division’s elite as they rode a two-run lead into the ninth Monday night.

The lights dimmed and the trumpets announced the arrival of Edwin Díaz. But the closer couldn’t close the door, allowing Philadelphia to tie it, serving up a leadoff homer by Bryson Stott and hitting Alec Bohm with two outs and the bases loaded.

Philadelphia (29-13) scored in the 10th off Sean Reid-Foley on Stott's sacrifice fly and held on for a 5-4 victory.

So Diaz has blown saves in two of his last four appearances. After having surgery to repair  a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and sitting out all of last season, he has saved five in seven chances overall but has allowed four homers and six walks in 16 2/3 innings. He’s 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA.

“Location, obviously,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I don’t think he’s trying to throw harder. I think it comes down to the walks. You could say a little bit of pitch sequencing, too . . . He’s going through it right now.

“Look, he’s one of the better ones in the game, if not the best one. He’ll continue to get big outs for us and he’ll get through it . . . The guy’s healthy. The velo is there.”

After a wild pitch by Reid-Foley helped the Phillies take the lead in the 10th, Jose Alvarado retired the Mets (19-21) in order with their automatic runner at second, saving the victory for Orion Kerkering.

“It’s tough,” said Mets starter Sean Manaea,  who lost a chance at a win after throwing six innings of one-run, four-hit ball. “ . . . But at the end of the day, I thought the boys fought really hard.”

Stott opened the ninth against Diaz with a drive over the fence in right, cutting Philadelphia’s deficit to 4-3. Then came a single by Kody Clemens and a walk to Brandon Marsh.

Diaz struck out pinch hitter Kyle Schwarber swinging and Garrett Stubbs on a pop to second. Then he walked Whit Merrifield to load the bases — Diaz thought his 1-and-1 pitch should’ve been called a strike and that Merrifield didn’t check his swing on a 3-and-1 pitch — and drilled Bohm in the left hand with a fastball to force in the tying run.

“I’ve been missing my location a little this year,” Diaz said. “ . . .  I’ve got to do my job better.”

The Mets trailed 1-0, then scored two in the second on an RBI double by J.D. Martinez and an RBI single by Tomas Nido against lefty Cristopher Sanchez. Martinez walked with the bases loaded and none out in the third, making it 3-1, but the next three Mets struck out.

The Phillies got one back in the seventh off Jorge Lopez, but the Mets went up 4-2 in the bottom half on an error at third by Bohm.

And then it got away.

“Today wasn’t a good day for me,” Diaz said. “I let the team down. Reid-Foley got the loss, but I count it as on me because I came in with a two-run lead and I blew it.”

Notes & quotes: Adrian Houser, who had been banished to the bullpen after going 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA in six outings, will start Wednesday night in Philadelphia. “He’s still built up,” Mendoza said. “We’re trying to find that extra day of rest for some of the guys.” . . .  Mendoza said there’s “a good chance” the Mets will activate reliever Drew Smith from the injured list for Tuesday’s game after his recovery from right shoulder soreness . . .  The Mets recalled righty reliever Shintaro Fujinami from Syracuse and put him on the 15-day injured list with a strained right shoulder.