The Mets gifted a Father’s Day sellout crowd at Citi Field with an impressive comeback and chance to win a series for the first time since June 1.

But a respite from losing does not come easily for this beleaguered bunch, and soon the scoring stopped for both teams – all the way until the ninth inning when Adam Ottavino allowed a go-ahead homer to Nolan Arenado that served as the Mets’ margin of defeat in an 8-7 loss to the Cardinals.

It meant a losing series for the Mets to the NL Central’s basement dwellers and a 2-3 homestand.

The Mets fell five games below .500 for the second time this season.

David Robertson pitched a scoreless eighth before Ottavino entered and got a fast out in the ninth.

Arenado, who had already homered in the first inning, cleared the left-field fence for the Cardinals’ fourth blast of the day.

The dads hoping for cake on their day were instead served a stale Cookie as Carlos Carrasco got knocked out after three innings in which he surrendered six runs, five earned, on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

The veteran right-hander has struggled to give the Mets length, averaging just over four innings in his last three starts.   

Arenado quickly gave the Mets a 2-0 deficit to overcome by slamming a two-run homer in the first inning.

Brendan Donovan doubled leading off the game for the Cardinals and Arenado hit a curveball from Carrasco into the left-field seats.

The Mets got a run in the bottom of the inning on Francisco Lindor’s two-out solo homer.

The blast was Lindor’s 13th this season, moving him alone into second place on the team in homers, behind Pete Alonso.

Francisco Alvarez has 12.

Eduardo Escobar’s throwing error helped the Cardinals enjoy a three-run second inning.

After Andrew Knizner reached on the high throw, which forced Alonso to leap from first base, Tommy Edman walked and Donovan stroked an RBI single.

Paul Goldschmidt’s ensuing two-run double extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-1.

But the Mets rallied against left-hander Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the inning.

Escobar stroked an RBI triple after Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch and Mark Canha walked before Brandon Nimmo delivered a two-run double that pulled the Mets within 5-4.

Nimmo was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a triple.

Paul DeJong blasted a two-out homer against Carrasco in the third that gave the Cardinals a 6-4 lead.

The Mets countered with Canha’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning, after McNeil was plunked by a pitch for the second time in the game and Escobar walked.

Jordan Walker’s homer in the fifth against John Curtiss put the Mets in a 7-5 hole.

But the Mets got even in the bottom of the inning on Tommy Pham’s two-run homer, after Lindor walked and stole second.

Pham’s homer was his seventh of the season and continued his sizzling play lately – he entered with a 1.110 OPS over his previous 14 games.