MILWAUKEE — The Mets were flat, and that was even before it turned ugly Monday.
Some of it might have been the residual of a quick turnaround following a series in Miami, but the Mets essentially sleepwalked through nine innings in receiving their first smackdown this season.
Start with Carlos Carrasco’s ineffectiveness and move to a Mets lineup that produced only three hits and you have the recipe for a 10-0 loss at American Family Field in the Brewers’ home opener.
Carrasco got knocked out in the fifth and the Brewers piled on against Tommy Hunter, ending the suspense on this day even before the sausage race was run. The Mets (3-2) have scored one run total in their two losses this season.
Instead of wasting another reliever in a lost cause, manager Buck Showalter summoned Luis Guillorme to pitch the eighth. Guillorme pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit.
Freddy Peralta dominated the Mets, allowing two hits over six shutout innings in which he struck out seven and walked two. Daniel Vogelbach and Guillorme, each of whom singled, accounted for the Mets’ only two hits against the right-hander. Guillorme had the Mets’ only other hit, off reliever Bryse Wilson.
Carrasco’s final line over four-plus innings included five earned runs allowed on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts. He was removed at 96 pitches after walking Christian Yelich and Jesse Winker in succession to begin the fifth.
The Mets will turn over the rotation on Tuesday, giving co-ace Max Scherzer his second start of the season, with Justin Verlander in New York and on the injured list recovering from a strained teres major muscle near his right armpit.
The game turned into a runaway in the fifth, highlighted by rookie Brice Turang’s grand slam against Hunter that buried the Mets in a 10-0 hole. The homer was the first of Turang’s major league career.
Brian Anderson jumped on an 89 mph fastball from Carrasco in the fourth inning for a two-run homer that extended the Brewers’ lead to 3-0. Carrasco got two quick outs in the inning before Garrett Mitchell singled and Anderson cleared the center-field fence.
Carrasco allowed a run in the third on Winker’s bloop single to left field after Turang walked and stole second to begin the inning. After Winker’s single, Carrasco was called for his second pitch-clock violation of the game, but struck out Willy Adames to end the inning.
Carrasco was also hit with a pitch-clock violation to begin the game with Yelich at the plate, but still got a strikeout in the at-bat. Later in the inning Carrasco had an issue with the PitchCom device in his cap, bringing a stoppage of play.
The Mets received their third pitch-clock violation of the game in the seventh when Omar Narvaez was called for tardiness getting ready to hit. In the ninth, Mark Canha was called out on strikes on a pitch-clock violation.