Astros surpass .500 for first time this year, beat Mets 10-5 in 11 innings for 9th win in 10 games

Brandon Nimmo hit his 100th career home run for the Mets, a tying two-run homer in the seventh inning off Bryan Abreu.

With only a few thousand fans at Citi Field after a 2-hour, 47-minute rain delay in the middle of the ninth, Chas McCormick gave the Astros a 5-4 lead with an RBI single in the 10th off Adam Ottavino.

Nimmo responded with a tying double starting the bottom half against Tayler Scott (4-2), who stranded the potential winning run to third base when Mark Vientos grounded out.

Matt Festa (0-1), a New York native out of St. Joseph by the Sea High School on Staten Island, made his Mets debut and first major league appearance this season and allowed all five runs in the season-ending game. Myers singled for an RBI, Joey Loperfido followed with a two-run single and Trey Cabbage added a two-run double.

Houston (42-41) opened the season 7-19 and was 12-24 heading into the May 9 game. The Astros won two of the Mets’ three games and finished 17-8 in June.

The Mets reached the halfway mark at 40-41, rebounding from a 24-35 slump in early June. They have been outscored 29-9 in extra innings this season, going 3-8 in those games.

The Astros had a 4-2 lead and runners on second and third with two outs in the seventh when Altuve appeared to foul a fly ball off his left foot. The ball took three hops to Vientos at third, and he threw it to first as Altuve hovered around the batter’s box, hopping. James Jean, umpiring behind the plate for the first time after making his major league debut Friday, did not call a foul ball.

Altuve argued and manager Joe Espada came onto the field. The four umpires held a conference — that type of call is not subject to video review — and crew chief Alan Porter signaled the out. Altuve then slammed his helmet and his bat and was ejected for the second time in his major league career, the first since Aug. 6, 2016, when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with Porter.

Mets starter Luis Severino allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings. Houston’s Shawn Dubin, starting a bullpen game, pitched 3 1/3 hitless innings with three walks.

Jon Singleton gave Houston the lead in the second inning with his sixth home run of the season and first since May 21. Yainer Diaz hit an RBI single in a two-run fifth inning that included Meyers’ hit, and Altuve hit an RBI single in the sixth inning for a 4-0 lead.

Held hitless for five innings, the Mets cut the deficit in the sixth against Seth Martinez on Vientos’ two-out, two-run double off leaping third baseman Alex Bregman.

Nimmo tied the score in the seventh with his 13th homer this season, a two-run drive off Bryan Abreu.

New York sent right-hander Tylor Megill and left-hander Danny Young to Triple-A Syracuse and selected left-hander Tyler Jay and Festa from its top-tier team. Outfielder Duke Ellis was designated for assignment and left-hander Brooks Raley (elbow inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Astros: RHP Jake Bloss (right shoulder discomfort) threw a 20-pitch bullpen.

Mets: RHP Edwin Diaz threw batting practice against the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones. Barring rain showers, he can return July 6 from his 10-day suspension for using banned adhesion-enhancing substances.

Astros: RHP Hunter Brown (5-5, 4.37 ERA) starts Monday’s series opener in Toronto, which will be played with RHP Yariel Rodriguez (0-2, 5.94 ERA).

Mets: Left-handed pitcher David Peterson (3-0, 3.67 ERA) will take the mound Monday night for the Mets in Washington, and the Nationals have left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore (6-7, 3.60 ERA).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb