There were plenty of references Tuesday night at Citi Field to the Knicks run to the NBA Finals.
Anything, it seems, to distract from what’s happening on the field.
And with the Mets having lost five straight — including 7-2 on Tuesday to the Reds — expect the Knicks to deliver a cease and desist order sometime soon.
There were boos delivered from the crowd on hand, none louder than when MJ Melendez misplayed Tyler Stephenson’s double to the left field corner and Bo Bichette made a poor throw home to allow Stephenson to get to third on his run-scoring hit.
But there was plenty more to be displeased about, from another subpar start by David Peterson to another anemic showing by the no-show lineup.
This one was fairly predictable, as the Mets were shut down by Cincinnati’s Chase Burns.
The 23-year-old right-hander had allowed just two runs over 25 innings in his previous four starts and was facing a Mets team that scored a total of four runs during the first four games of the losing streak.
So things were already not shaping up well when Peterson’s first-inning woes continued.
A leadoff walk to Blake Dunn was erased when Luis Torrens threw Dunn out trying to steal second, but a two-out single by Sal Stewart was followed by a walk to Spencer Steer.
Eugenio Suárez delivered a two-run double to left-center, and Peterson only escaped the inning when Melendez threw out Suárez at home on a Dane Myers single to left.
Peterson has allowed eight earned runs in the first inning in his seven starts.
He struggled again in the second, loading the bases with no one out, but responded by turning a comebacker from Dunn into a double play and got Elly De La Cruz to ground out to keep it a two-run game.
That didn’t last, as Peterson allowed three consecutive singles to open the fourth and a two-out, two-run double to De La Cruz.
But the Mets bats were no match for Burns.
After Torrens’ double, he was stranded at second and the Mets didn’t pick up another hit until Bichette singled with one out in the sixth.
Juan Soto, sporting a new hairdo and back in the lineup after missing two games with an illness, followed with a two-run shot to get the Mets on the board.
A.J. Ewing singled to end Burns’ night.
Mark Vientos pinch hit for Jared Young against left-hander Sam Moll and hit into an inning-ending double play.
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“We’re not happy with what’s going on,” Carlos Mendoza said before the game. “But … they keep showing up and keep working. We know we’ve had stretches where it’s hard and we see it after games. I know how much they’re holding each other accountable and what goes on behind the scenes. We understand there’s a sense of urgency here … It’s not good enough, what we’re doing.”
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