SEATTLE — It wasn’t that so much had to go wrong for the Seattle Mariners to lose to the New York Mets on Friday. It was that so much nearly went right before going wrong.

That’s the frustrating truth of the Mariners’ 7-5 loss to the sub-.500 Mets. The Mariners overcame a four-run deficit, blew a lead by giving up three runs in the eighth inning, then wasted their own precious chance to counter at the plate that inning.

And then there was this: The Mets were 2-40 coming into Friday when trailing after seven innings.

Make that 3-40.

The Mariners held a 5-4 lead heading into the eighth inning, and manager Scott Servais called on his lefty specialist, Marc Rzepczynski, to face former Redmond High standout Michael Conforto.

Just a few weeks ago, before he played in the All-Star Game, Mets outfielder Conforto said, “Being a kid from Seattle, I was absolutely hoping to play for my hometown team.”

That didn’t happen—the Mariners selected Alex Jackson instead—but Conforto did exact a little revenge in his first game at Safeco Field.

First he homered in the third inning. Then he doubled down against Rzepczynski, tying the game with a solo home run. It was the first home run Rzepczynski had allowed in 20 appearances.

The Mets tacked on two more runs that inning off newly acquired Mariners reliever David Phelps: two-out RBI singles to Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson. Granderson’s single, a sharp line drive, deflected off the glove of Mariners first baseman Danny Valencia.

Valencia led off the eighth with a single, and Mitch Haniger was hit by a pitch. Jarrod Dyson’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out.

But the Mariners couldn’t cash in. Mike Zunino struck out. Jean Segura grounded out.

The Mariners wasted what was, until that point, an impressive comeback after a rocky start from Ariel Miranda.

Miranda’s stat line, in the end, looks pretty impressive and rather normal: six innings, four runs (three earned) and a career-high 10 strikeouts. But he took a strange route to get there.

Miranda struck out the side in the first inning; he also allowed a two-run home run to Jay Bruce on an 0-2 pitch.

Miranda had seven strikeouts through three innings; he also had allowed four runs, including Conforto’s first home run.

Miranda retired the final 11 batters he faced and had a strikeout in every inning. He was just a couple of pitches away from dominance.

After that start, the M’s rallied.

Zunino hit his 16th home run this season, a solo shot in the third inning. Then the Mariners got methodical.

Haniger led off the fifth inning with a double. Dyson singled. Zunino walked to load the bases.

With Segura at the plate, Haniger scored on a wild pitch, cutting the Mets’ lead to 4-2; Segura reached with a walk.

Ben Gamel struck out with the bases loaded, but Robinson Cano delivered with a sacrifice fly that cut the lead to 4-3.

That brought up Kyle Seager.

The Mets called on a left-handed reliever to face Seager, who gave the Mariners the lead with a two-run, two-out single.

And that’s how things stood until the eighth inning.