Mets’ rally not enough as loss to Royals spoils Sean Manaea’s return

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Mets finally had a Sean Manaea sighting, but otherwise Sunday served as a frustrating final game for them before the All-Star break.

One letter separates “sweeping” from “sleeping.” The Mets offensively were guilty of the latter — and therefore never attained the former — in a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium to complete a .500 road trip.

Nick Loftin’s RBI single against Manaea in the ninth served as the game winner. Manaea, in his fourth inning of work, surrendered a single to Tyler Tolbert to start the winning rally. Tolbert stole second.

The Mets finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. It was the fourth time in five games the Mets failed to score at least four runs.

The Mets, after slumbering for eight innings, rallied to tie it 2-2 in the ninth. Jeff McNeil smashed a pinch-hit triple for the first run and after Brett Baty was retired on an infield grounder, scored on Jared Young’s sacrifice fly. Ronny Mauricio began the game-tying rally against Carlos Estévez with a leadoff double.

The bright spot was Manaea, who in his season debut pitched in a piggyback role behind Clay Holmes. The left-hander, who was sidelined in spring training with an oblique strain and was later slowed by a bone fragment in his elbow, allowed one earned run over 3 ¹/₃ innings and struck out seven.

Manaea, last season’s de facto ace, gives the Mets a full rotation for the first time as they prepare to open the second half on Friday against the Reds.

Holmes pitched five innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

It placed Holmes, a converted reliever, at 103 ¹/₃ innings at the All-Star break. His previous career high for innings pitched in a season was 70, split between the Pirates and Yankees in 2021.

John Rave’s two-run double in the second inning pushed the Mets into a 2-0 hole. Maikel Garcia doubled against Holmes leading off the inning and Salvador Perez was plunked before Rave delivered with one out. Rave was thrown out by Luis Torrens attempting to steal third.

Holmes’ successes included getting Bobby Witt Jr. to hit into a double play in each of his first two plate appearances.

Jonathan India had singled leading off the inning (in the first and third) both times.

The Mets wasted Mark Vientos’ first-inning triple — a ball Jac Caglianone misread in right field — and left two runners on base in the fourth. In the latter inning, Noah Cameron escaped by striking out Torrens and Luisangel Acuña after Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor had each singled.

Taylor singled leading off the seventh but was erased when Torrens hit into a double play. Acuña singled with two outs before Francisco Lindor was retired.