Mets’ 7-game winning ends, Red Sox win 6-4 in 10 innings

NEW YORK (AP) -- If this had been a playoff game, New York Mets manger Terry Collins would have let Matt Harvey pitch one more inning. But it wasn't, so he took his ace out after the sixth.

Harvey, throwing for the first time in 11 days after the NL East leaders skipped his turn in an effort to manage his innings, blanked Boston on two singles and struck out eight Friday night.

Too bad for Harvey, he needed 103 pitches to go that far. And he could only watch after that as the Red Sox 6-4 in 10 innings, ending the Mets' seven-game winning streak.

"He wanted to throw another inning," Collins said. "I said we can't do it, that's why we gave you time off."

Harvey exited with a 2-0 lead.

"In my mind, in a close ballgame like that, I feel like I need to be out there for the seventh and eighth inning," Harvey said. "Unfortunately, I just couldn't quite keep the pitch count down."

Collins then turned the game over to his tired bullpen, which was unable to protect the two-run lead and then completely fell apart in extra innings.

Red Sox rookie Blake Swihart led off the 10th with an inside-the-park home run. Boston, visiting the Mets for the first time since 2001, scored three times in the 10th.

Swihart led off with a drive that appeared to clear the center field wall and bounce back into play, but the ball was ruled in play.

There was no indication from the umpires that it was a home run, and the ball caromed back past center fielder Juan Lagares.

"I don't think he planned on an inside-the-park home run," Boston interim manager Torey Lovullo said. "But we run hard until our base coaches stop our guys and he did exactly what he was supposed to do."

Lovullo indicated that the team planned on having the play reviewed if Swihart had not crossed the plate.

The Mets rallied in the bottom half when reliever Junichi Tazawa walked four straight batters with two outs to force home a run. Craig Breslow replaced Tazawa and retired Yoenis Cespedes with the bases loaded on a fly ball for his first save.

Tommy Layne (1-1) got the win. Carlos Torres (5-6) took the loss.

"My job is to go out there and get outs," Torres said. "I didn't do that today, and that's all that really matters at the end of the day."

Josh Rutledge added a sacrifice fly and Xander Bogaerts had an RBI double later in the 10th.

After Harvey came out of the game, Collins turned to Logan Verrett.

Verrett made the spot start in Colorado in Harvey's turn in the rotation. He was successful in the start but was not as sharp this time.

David Ortiz and Jackie Bradley Jr. homered off Verrett in a three-run seventh.

Travis d'Arnaud and Michael Cuddyer each had RBI singles for New York, which had scored 73 runs during its winning streak - a team record for a seven-game span.

Mets captain David Wright went 2 for 5 in his first game at Citi Field since April. He returned from a long stint on the disabled list earlier in the week during a sweep in Philadelphia.

The crowd gave Wright a standing ovation when he came to bat for the first time.

Boston rookie Henry Owens gave up one earned run in five innings.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: INF Daniel Murphy didn't start. Collins indicated that several other regulars would be given a day off over the weekend. Collins also indicated there was a "good shot" that Wright would sit on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Joe Kelly (7-6, 5.18 ERA) is coming off his longest outing of the year and has thrown three consecutive quality starts for the first time all season. Kelly is 1-0 against the Mets in three career appearances.

Mets: Jacob deGrom (12-6, 2.29 ERA) looks to rebound from the worst start of his career. DeGrom allowed a career-high seven runs in just 2 2-3 innings against Philadelphia.

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