TORONTO — The Mets' rise over the past two weeks has been driven by solid performances from successive starting pitchers, but David Peterson dropped the baton on Tuesday night.
The time may have just come for Peterson, whose stellar performance since late July has been reflected in a six-game winning streak in which the Mets have started.
The left-hander struggled early that night and his teammates' offense went quiet in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The Mets suffered their second loss in three games and fell to a tie with Atlanta in the race for the third wild card in the National League.
Peterson, in his shortest start since July 6, pitched just 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts.
Peterson had not allowed more than three earned runs as a starter since a July 28 loss to the Braves.
Peterson still leads the starting pitchers with a 2.98 ERA, but another well-performing pitcher, Sean Manaea, is scheduled to start Wednesday's final and deciding game of the series.
Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are in the wings behind Manaea, while Tyler Megill has made three starts in place of Paul Blackburn and has been respectable for the team.
The Mets managed just three hits in a 3-2 win on Monday and then doubled that total the following night, but they just went 1-for-8 with runners on base and failed to produce when it mattered.
Brandon Nimmo, who moved to the fifth spot in the batting order, hit a one-run single in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker singled in succession against Chris Bassitt before Nimmo recorded his 75th RBI of the season with two outs.
In the top of the bottom of the second inning, a fielding error by Mark Vientos on Ernie Clement's grounder allowed the Blue Jays one unearned run.
Peterson fouled off two wild pitches in the inning and Leo Jimenez's RBI single tied the game at 1-1.
Peterson faced nine batters in the third inning, and the Blue Jays scored four runs to take a 5-1 lead over the Mets.
Dalton Varsho bunted and singled, but Peterson got a wild glove shot to first base, and Varsho advanced to second. Alejandro Kirk then hit an RBI double to give the Blue Jays the lead.
Davis Schneider followed up the inning's big hit with a two-run triple after Clement's single advanced a runner to third base.
Peterson hit off Leo Jimenez and Joey Loperfido's RBI single put the Mets up by four.
The Mets' second run in the seventh inning came on a pinch-hit double by Jose Iglesias, who was leading off the inning.
A wild pitch by Brendon Little advanced Iglesias to third base, and then Tyrone Taylor was walked.
Iglesias scored on a passed ball by Alejandro Kirk.
Pete Alonso struck out looking, leaving Taylor in scoring position at third base.
Alonso entered the night with a lackluster September batting average of .185/.313/.333 with just one home run.
Clement hit a triple off Huascar Brazovan in the seventh inning and Spencer Horowitz hit a double off Alex Young to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 6-2.
