NEW YORK — Two runs were already in for the New York Mets in the first inning Tuesday at Citi Field.
Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito wanted to limit the damage.
Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez had other ideas.
Álvarez hit a two-run home run. Brett Baty followed with another homer and the Sox were down by five runs.
The Sox couldn’t completely climb out of the huge hole, falling 11-10 to the Mets in front of 37,109.
“I clearly didn’t have it tonight,” Giolito said. “It hurts because the whole team came to play. Battled all the way back. I just didn’t have feel and I didn’t make adjustments.
“It was a very poor performance and I feel bad. We had a real chance to win this game if I was just half decent.”
The Sox trailed by as many as seven before making a game of it late.
“We battled all game long, just didn’t get there,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I’m happy with these guys, the way they fought. I’m happy the way we’re swinging the bat. Just got to keep going.”
Giolito, who has been mentioned in trade speculation, allowed eight runs on six hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. He surrendered three home runs.
“Gio was a little off today,” Grifol said. “It just seemed that every pitch that was left out over the plate was hit hard the whole game by them.”
Giolito walked two, surrendered an RBI double to Tommy Pham and the back-to-back homers in the rocky first.
“He’s got 32, 33 starts a year, today he wasn’t on,” Grifol said. “He’s human. He battled and gave us everything he had.”
Sox designated hitter Yasmani Grandal homered in the second, but the Mets got the run right back on an RBI double by Francisco Lindor.
Giolito struck out two in a scoreless third inning. But DJ Stewart began the fourth with a home run. Giolito exited after walking Pete Alonso with two outs in the fourth, his 100th pitch.
“No slider, bad fastball command,” Giolito said. “Changeup was my best pitch. But when you have to rely on one pitch you’ll get exposed on that. For me, it’s a (bleep)-y one, but I’ll get back on my routine.”
He was charged with a final run when Jeff McNeil knocked in Pham with a single against Bryan Shaw.
Giolito said the trade chatter didn’t enter into his mindset the last few days.
“It was just a bad start,” he said.
Álvarez hit his second two-run homer of the night in the sixth against Tanner Banks to put the Sox behind 11-4.
They rallied with five runs in the seventh inning on a two-run double by Jake Burger and a two-run single by Grandal, who later scored on a passed ball to make it 11-9.
“In Atlanta (Friday) we went down 4-0 and we learned some stuff from that, how to respond,” Burger said.
Burger doubled twice and had three RBIs. Grandal had the home run and three RBIs. Tim Anderson had three hits, scored twice and drove in one.
“It’s about hitting strikes,” Grifol said. ” We chased a little bit today, but not much. We got some pitches in the zone that we could hit and did a good job of that.”
Andrew Benintendi knocked in a run in the ninth to get the Sox within one, but that’s where the comeback ended.
“Tough loss,” Giolito said. “It’s on me. But I like the way we’re playing. I put us into a hole and everyone came through to pick me up. Offensively, defensively, bullpen did a fantastic job. Very close to tying it up in the ninth, but move on and go get a ‘W’ tomorrow.”
