MILWAUKEE – Jenrry Mejia insisted he wasn't nervous. Yet the young New York Mets starter had control problems while making his first major-league start in two years.
Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer during a five-run fourth inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-6 win over the Mets on Saturday night.
Mejia (0-1) pitched three innings in his first major-league start exactly two years after making his last start. He underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery in May 2011.
"Today (was) not my day," Mejia said.
Daniel Murphy had a double and two singles for New York. Ike Davis hit a two-run homer, his 27th, in the ninth for the Mets.
Mejia, who made his major-league debut in 2010 at the age of 20, had control problems, walking five batters and throwing strikes in just 32 of his 68 pitches. He gave up five runs on six hits and five walks and was removed by manager Terry Collins after the first four Brewers reached base in the fourth inning.
"Once the game starts, after the first inning, you hope he settles down," Collins said.
The Mets manager said Mejia was "pretty excited" but struggled to control his pitches.
"His command was off," he said. "That's going to be something we have to make sure is first and foremost. It's tough to pitch up here behind the count."
Trailing 4-1 in the fourth the Brewers rallied for five runs to win for the 19th time in 25 games and pull within 2 1-2 games of St. Louis for the final NL Wild Card spot. The Mets lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
Weeks struggled the first three months of the season, and didn't get his batting average permanently over .200 until July 25. He's been hot lately, batting .343 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in his last 16 games to raise his average to .230.
Weeks' homer capped the fourth inning and was his 20th of the season. He also had a double, scored two runs and drove in three. Reliever Brandon Kintzler (2-0) pitched a scoreless fifth to get credit for the victory.
Daniel Murphy had a double and two singles for New York. Ike Davis hit a two-run homer, his 27th, in the ninth for the Mets.
With the Mets leading 4-1, Mejia walked Nyjer Morgan to open the fourth and Jean Segura reached on a bunt single. Pinch-hitter Logan Schafer lined a triple down the right field line to score both runners and bring the Brewers within 4-3.
Mejia then walked Aoki and was removed for Jeremy Hefner. The right-hander's second pitch to Weeks bounced in front of the plate and got past catcher Kelly Shoppach for a wild pitch, scoring Schafer from third to tie the score at 4-4.
Weeks then hit a 1-2 pitch that landed in the netting above the Brewers bullpen, giving Milwaukee a 6-4 lead.
Notes: Mejia's last major-league start was on Sept. 15, 2010 against Pittsburgh. He underwent surgery on May 16, 2011 and had pitched in relief one other game this year. ... Milwaukee 1B Corey Hart missed his fifth consecutive game with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, but did some running and took swings in the batting cages on Saturday. Roenicke said Hart could return on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. ... Aramis Ramirez dropped a foul popup in the sixth for an error, snapping a streak of 42 errorless games. ... The Mets used eight pitchers and the Brewers used six.six.
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