ATLANTA — For one inning Tuesday night the Mets resembled a team with a competent, dangerous lineup.

The rest of the game was a Mets disaster offensively, marred by strikeouts and weak contact.

It might have been passable on many nights, but the Mets lately are finding just enough ways to lose.

With their bats asleep for the final six innings and Carlos Carrasco ineffective during one key stretch, the Mets lost 6-4 to the Braves at Truist Park.

The loss was the Mets’ fourth straight and pushed them below .500.

Returning to this ballpark for the first time since they were swept three games that cost them the NL East title near the end of last season, the Mets (30-31) managed only four hits.

Three came during a four-run third inning that included homers from Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso before the Mets settled quietly into the night.

For the Mets, it was a seventh straight game in which they failed to score more than four runs.

Carrasco was solid for the Mets through five innings, but allowed three straight batters to reach to begin the sixth and was removed.

Sean Murphy delivered a two-run double that pulled the Braves within 4-3 before Drew Smith entered and retired two batters.

But the third batter he faced, Marcell Ozuna, stroked a double to left field that tied it.

After a wild pitch advanced Ozuna to third, Orlando Arcia hit a grounder off a diving Eduardo Escobar’s glove for an RBI single that put the Braves ahead 5-4.

The Braves received insurance in the eighth after Eddie Rosario doubled against Adam Ottavino and reached third on Jeff McNeil’s fielding error.

Carrasco’s final line included four earned runs allowed on six hits and two walks and four strikeouts over five-plus innings that consisted of 86 pitches.

In his previous two starts, against the Cubs and Phillies, the right-hander lasted at least six innings and allowed only one earned run.

The Mets inflicted their damage on Bryce Elder in the third inning, using two-run homers from Lindor and Alonso to take a 4-1 lead.

Omar Narvaez delivered a first-pitch single in his initial at-bat since returning from the injured list to start the rally before Lindor cleared the right-field fence.

After McNeil walked, Alonso blasted his MLB-leading 22nd homer of the season.

The hit was Alonso’s 10th in his last 20 games that cleared an outfield fence.

Certainly the best sign in the inning was the slumping Lindor’s homer.

Lindor entered the day batting only .199 against right-handers with four homers in 161 at-bats.

Against lefties, he was batting .243 with six homers in 74 at-bats.

Ozzie Albies’ homer in the second inning gave the Braves a 1-0 lead against Carrasco.

The homer was the 16th of Albies’ career against the Mets.

For Carrasco, it was a fourth straight start allowing a home run. The right-hander has surrendered seven homers over his seven starts this season.

Carrasco allowed two singles in the first but escaped by getting Murphy to hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the third, Carrasco plunked Austin Riley with two outs to put runners on first and second before retiring Murphy.

Arcia walked leading off the fifth, but that was negated by Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting into an inning-ending double play after Michael Harris II struck out.