If and provided an unmistakable nightclub vibe, the Mets matinee follow-up was shaping up to be more akin to a summertime block party. But the rollicking run and good times were at least temporarily interrupted Saturday. Tylor Megill and a shortened bullpen flushed a five-run lead and a chance to take over the third wild-card position in the National League with a 9-6 giveaway lo s to the Astros that snapped a four-game winning streak. Jean-francois Berube Jersey Jake Diekman was one of the many Mets relievers who struggled in their 9-6 lo s to the Astros. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST Megill was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following the game in an effort to get a reinforcement for the depleted bullpen, according to MLB.com. Entrusted in the eighth inning with a 6-4 advantage which had been 6-1 earlier in the game relievers Jake Diekman and Reed Garrett combined to walk four and allow three runs, including Alex Bregmans go-ahead two-run single with two outs. Explore More Four walks in that inning, theyre gonna make you pay eventually, especially facing a team like that, manager Carlos Mendoza said. Those guys have gotten big outs for us in the past and theyre gonna continue to get opportunities. But it wasnt the case today. While it marked only the Mets fifth lo s in their past 21 games, another win would have vaulted them over the Cardinals into a playoff position. It leaves them 40-40 entering the 81-game midpoint of the regular season in Sundays series finale. Still, referring to the teams recent hot streak, Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on X before the game that at Citi Field. Reed Garrett faltered when called upon Saturday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST The players have come together and are playing for each other. The atmosphere is electric, he added. Lets keep this going! In late May, with the Mets in the throes of what would turn out to be a 24-35 start, Cohen posted on X about the mind-boggling and disheartening stretch that threatened to torpedo the teams season before it was two months old. Cohen fully expected the team to be competitive this season, but the Mets initially could not overcome an injury to starting pitcher Kodai Senga and poor starts by several lineup regulars and Edwin Diaz, who mi sed all of last season due to knee surgery. Mets fans clearly have embraced the resurgent squad in recent weeks, as well as the good vibes surrounding the earlier this month and the appropriately titled song OMG by veteran infielder Jose Iglesias, aka Candelita, which he performed on the field following Fridays win. The Astros rallied back from five runs down to win. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST They left the ballpark Saturday with a different kind of grimace. Houston scored first against Megill on Jake Meyers one-out solo shot in the second. But the Mets responded with five runs in the bottom half against two-time All-Star lefty Framber Valdez on run-scoring hits by Iglesias, Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo and a two-run single by Pete Alonso. Harrison Bader slams his bat after flying out in the eighth inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST Mark Vientos extended the lead to 6-1 with his fifth homer in eight games in the third inning, but the Astros got to Megill for three in the fourth, including a two-run double on an 0-2 pitch by Jeremy Pena. Megill fanned Yainer Diaz and Meyers with two runners aboard to complete the fifth with the 6-4 lead intact. Wasnt terrible, but just hung an 0-2 breaker to Pena there, said Megill, who lasted just three innings in his previous start. Our job is to go deeper into games and save the bullpen arms. Tylor Megill reacts after ending the top of the fifth inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST Especially with Diaz presently suspended for sticky stuff and with Drew Smith facing po sible Tommy John surgery. Diekman walked the first two batters he faced in the eighth, and Garrett walked Trey Cabbage to load the bases after the umpires lost track of the count. After one run scored on a wild pitch, Jose Altuve also was walked before Bregman recovered from an 0-2 count for a full-count single to put the Mets in a 7-6 hole from which they would not recover. Mark Vientos homered in the Mets lo s to the Astros. Robert Sabo for NY Post Mauricio Dubon added a two-run double against Danny Young in the ninth. I obviously want a couple back. I didnt execute to the best of my abilities, Diekman said. I was competing with everything I got out there and it just didnt fall my way. Sometimes thats how it is. It stinks. I didnt execute my job at the end, and just didnt put them away. Pierre Engvall Jersey