Mets, Giants stage epic back-and-forth battle

SAN FRANCISCO — When it was all said and done, the scoreboard displayed a combined 25 runs and 37 hits. Unfortunately for the Mets, they found themselves on the wrong end of a 13-12 thriller on Tuesday night at Oracle Park.

In a game that featured dramatic twists and turns until the very end, including a heart-pounding seven-run Mets rally in the eighth inning, New York ended up making unwelcome history, scoring its most runs in a loss in franchise history.

“Great game for fans,” manager Buck Showalter said. “I’m really proud of our guys. Just fun to watch. Remarkable to watch them compete every night.”

Showalter’s team appeared poised for another epic comeback victory, reminiscent of their seven-run ninth inning in Philadelphia earlier this month. Trailing 8-2, the Mets scored two runs in the seventh inning and seven more in the eighth to take an 11-8 lead in front of a stunned crowd.

But Giants slugger Joc Pederson belted a three-run home run into McCovey Cove in the bottom of the eighth — his third long ball of the night — to tie the game at 11. Pederson finished the night 4-for-6 with a career-high eight RBIs.

“Amazing,” said Francisco Lindor, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs. “Hats off. The whole team did well, but we all saw what he did. That’s a good month for a lot of people.”

Still, New York was undeterred. The Mets vaulted back in front, 12-11, on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly by Brandon Nimmo, giving closer Edwin Díaz a chance to lock down the Mets’ 30th win.

“It was crazy,” Díaz said. “We came from behind, and they came back in the eighth. When I came into the game, I said, ‘This game is over.’ But after two outs, they got me today.”

Díaz allowed a game-tying single by Pederson, followed by Brandon Crawford’s walk-off single for Díaz’s third blown save of the year.

“I didn’t do my job today,” Díaz acknowledged. “Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I’ll come in to get the ball again and win the game.”

Added Lindor: “After every loss, you’ve got a little bit of frustration. However, I think the feeling is everybody fought, everybody competed.”

The Mets racked up 18 hits for the second straight night, combining for 25 runs in the first two games of the series. Eduardo Escobar led the way with four hits, Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil added three apiece, and Mark Canha, Dominic Smith and Lindor each had two.

“I’m super proud of everybody here,” Lindor said. “Everybody came in and fought, no matter what. We got down early. We did whatever it took to come back.”

Mets starter Chris Bassitt struggled, allowing a career-high eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. The veteran right-hander has allowed 13 runs in two losses against the Giants this season.

“Second time rough outing against this lineup,” he said. “We’ll figure out a way to combat it.”

Despite the loss, New York sits atop the National League East at 29-16, eight games ahead of the Braves and Phillies.

And as they’ve shown all year, the Mets have no problem responding to defeat. They have won a franchise-record 14 consecutive games following a loss, just two shy of the Major League record.

They’ll have a chance to extend that streak in Wednesday’s series finale.

“They know how proud they should be of their fight tonight,” Showalter said. “We’ll get it going again tomorrow.”