For five innings, Sean Manaea looked like the monster he transformed into during last season’s second half.
For the sixth, he looked like every Mets pitcher not named David Peterson attempting to pitch deeper into games these days.
The club’s discouraging streak lives — no starter other than Peterson has finished the sixth inning since Clay Holmes back on June 7, more than eight weeks ago — after Manaea came apart in the sixth inning of a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Guardians at Citi Field on Monday.
“No way around it; that sucks,” said Manaea, who was efficient and excellent for five before the sixth-inning eruption.
The lefty, just about fully built up in his fifth start off the injured list, needed just 57 pitches to slice through the Cleveland lineup in five two-hit innings.
And then the sixth came, when Manaea said he lost feel for his slider and lost control of the game.
The frame was a strange one, the Guardians scoring a pair of runs and collecting three singles without registering a hard-hit ball.
Steven Kwan found a hole in the right side for a single. Angel Martínez showed bunt and was struck by a pitch, given first base by plate umpire Nestor Ceja. After a José Ramírez fly out and a wild pitch that moved Kwan and Martinez up one base, David Fry lined a single into right for the first run of the game.
As Pete Alonso held Fry on first base, Carlos Santana took advantage of a wide-open right side and grounded a single for a second run.
But Manaea could not complain about the big blow, leaving a changeup over the middle to Gabriel Arias, who demolished a three-run homer 440 feet to left-center to make it a five-run hole for the Mets.
“It happened fast,” said Mendoza, who was heartened by the Manaea he saw for five innings.
“I would say [I] just didn’t execute,” said Manaea, who was charged with the five runs on seven hits over 5 ²/₃ innings.
The Mets called up righty Dom Hamel, who had developed as a starting pitcher until transitioning into a lengthy arm in the bullpen this year, while optioning righty Austin Warren back to Triple-A Syracuse.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Hamel, who was the club’s No. 9 prospect in both 2022 and ’23 before struggles at Syracuse last year stalled his rise.
Alonso started at designated hitter for the first time all season, with Mark Vientos making his second start at first base.
“Trying to find a way to kind of get Pete a half off day,” Mendoza said of Alonso, who has played in every game this season. “Trying to protect him a little bit.”
Edwin Díaz was named the NL Reliever of the Month for July, during which he racked up seven saves, did not surrender a run and struck out 18.
