Mets couldn’t beat Diamondbacks this time

PHOENIX — Trevor Williams’ appearance in the Mets’ starting rotation was a dud, but opportunity still awaited them in the later innings on Saturday night.

A strong bullpen performance had enabled the Mets to beat the overwhelming Diamondbacks and steal a game that screamed “blowout loss” an innings earlier. But rallies died and the Mets lost 5-2 at Chase Field to go on a two-game winning streak.

The Mets (11-5) had runners on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but failed to score each time. Only two of their seven hits for the night went for extra bases, barely the buoyant to overcome an early four-run deficit.

Williams was pushed to starting duty because of last Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Giants, which followed a rainstorm. The Mets didn’t have a starting pitcher at full rest, and Williams was able to at least give them several innings.

But the right-hander put on a performance that hardly suited a team that finished first in the big leagues and started the day with a starting rotation ERA of 2.07.

Williams was thrashed from the start and was KO’d before recording an out in the third inning. He conceded four earned runs with seven hits over 62 pitches before Sean Reid-Foley helped steady the situation.

Pavin Smith’s RBI double in the third inning gave the Diamondbacks a 4-0 lead. An inning earlier, four consecutive singles — including a Geraldo Perdomo Bunt that saw Williams collided with Eduardo Escobar — resulted in Arizona scoring two goals.

Daulton Varsho and David Peralta each played Williams in the first game, and the Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead when Christian Walker’s RBI fielder made the pick. Walker’s double, who led the third inning, eventually knocked out Williams.

Perdomo’s triple lead from sixth place against Adam Ottavino resulted in the Diamondbacks extending their lead to 5-2. In the inning, Varsho struck but got to first base on a wild pitch. Peralta’s sacrificial fly entered the race.

The Mets rallied with two carries in the fifth to make it a ball game. Jeff McNeil’s RBI triple earned the first run before Tomas Nido cut Arizona’s lead to 4-2 with an infield RBI single. Dominic Smith, batting a mere .172, started the rally with a leadoff double in the right field corner.

Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar each went sixth, but left Kyle Nelson came in with two outs to fly Smith back to center on the first pitch.

Brandon Nimmo came to the plate in the seventh with two runners on base and hit in a double play at the end of the inning. The Mets had an unfortunate break earlier in the inning when McNeil’s grounder Robinson hit Cano while he was in front of second base. Cano had singled out on an infield and advanced on a wild pitch.

Arizona’s Seth Beer was also hit by a grounder on the base paths in the fifth inning and called out. The game ended with Reid-Foley limping — he was pulled out of the game with what the Mets described as leg cramps.

Humberto Castellanos lasted five innings for the Diamondbacks, allowing two earned runs with four hits and a walk with five strikeouts.