Clay Holmes done in by longball as Mets’ bats go quiet without Juan Soto in loss to Pirates

Clay Holmes’ early success this season has correlated largely with his ability to keep the ball in the park.

Wednesday night the right-hander watched two of his pitches disappear behind the left field fence at Citi Field, helping bring an end to the Mets’ three-game winning streak.

With offensive support lacking, Holmes and the Mets lost 4-0 to the Pirates on a soggy night in Queens.

The two homers allowed by Holmes gave him three for the season — the other occurred in his previous start, against the Cubs last Friday.

The Mets finished 4-2 on the homestand but fell short in their attempt to sweep a fourth series this season.

Offensively, the Mets barely created a murmur, going without an extra-base hit and finishing 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. For the first time this season the Mets had a starting lineup that excluded Juan Soto, who was given a night off by manager Carlos Mendoza.

Jeff McNeil’s pinch-hit single in the seventh and Starling Marte’s single leading off the ninth accounted for the only Mets offense over the final four innings. The Mets twice loaded the bases earlier without scoring.

Next up for the Mets is the Subway Series, with three games at Yankee Stadium beginning Friday night.

Holmes gave the Mets six innings in which he allowed four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk. It was a third straight outing in which the former reliever completed six innings. He departed at 90 pitches.

Matt Gorski blasted a two-run homer in the second — with the rain falling heavily — to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. Isiah Kiner-Falefa began the rally with a two-out single before Holmes unleashed a wild pitch. Gorski jumped on a full-count sweeper and cleared the left field fence.

Luisangel Acuña drew a two-out walk to load the bases in the fourth, ending lefty Bailey Falter’s outing. But Chase Shugart needed only one pitch to retire José Azocar, ending the threat. Brandon Nimmo and Luis Torrens each singled in the inning.

The Mets also loaded the bases in the first inning but came up empty: Torrens struck out to end the frame after Marte’s walk. Mark Vientos singled in the inning and Pete Alonso walked.

Jared Triolo delivered a two-run homer in the fifth that sank Holmes into a 4-0 hole. Ji Hwan Bae bunted for a single leading off the inning before Triolo hit a first-pitch sinker into the left field seats. Holmes allowed two additional base runners before getting Joey Bart to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Alonso was thrown out to end the fifth attempting to stretch a single into a double. Alonso beat the throw from left field, but was tagged out after his hand left the base during his slide.

Génesis Cabrera provided the Mets with two scoreless innings in relief, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth to keep the deficit at four runs. Dedniel Núñez pitched a perfect ninth. It was a second straight sharp outing for the right-hander, who struggled to find the strike zone in his first two appearances after his recall from Triple-A Syracuse.