PHILADELPHIA -- Everything aligned well for the Phillies heading into Tuesday's game against the Mets. A perfect evening featured a sellout crowd and Philadelphia's best starter on the mound.

With memories of a 12-1 homestand fresh in their heads, players talked before the game of regaining the intensity lost on the 2-4 road trip.

Then something went awry in 8-5 series-opening defeat to the Mets in a much needed game against an National League East opponent.

Brett Myers (5-4) was anything but the dominating, intimidating pitcher who entered the game with the NL's third-best earned run average.

From allowing a leadoff infield single to Jose Reyes -- who he would eventually balk in with the game's first run -- to an RBI single to Carlos Beltran in the fourth, Myers didn't quite have it.

"With the stretch he's been on, he's going to have an outing like that," said pitching coach Rich Dubee. "Randy Johnson had a bad one for the Yankees tonight, too. [Myers] wasn't at his best, but he'll be fine."

Reyes stole second and went to third on a ground out. Myers noticed him dancing off third base, and said he stepped off the mound. The home plate umpire disagreed, and ordered Reyes home.

"I stepped off, but I did it so quick, he must not have noticed," said Myers. "But that didn't lose us the game. Tonight's loss is on me."

Myers was especially fallible during a four-run second, giving up five hits, including three doubles. Doug Mientkiewicz doubled to start the inning, and scored on Victor Diaz's single. Two outs later, Myers allowed three straight hits, accounting for the four runs.

As brilliant as the right-hander has been this season, Myers refused to look at past performances in evaluating his start.

"Any loss is tough to take," he said. "I go back out there in five days. That's the only thing I can look forward to now, because I can't restart the game. It's not like we have rewind in our lives."

Philadelphia didn't lay down against Kris Benson (6-2), answering with a run in the first, and plating two apiece in the third and fourth innings. While they kept climbing to within a run, they never led.

The Phillies put together the unlikeliest of two-run, two-out rallies when reliever Aaron Fultz singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Jimmy Rollins. Rollins later scored on a single by Kenny Lofton.

Fultz delighted the crowd and the bullpen with a headfirst slide into home plate, though he described it as an "athletic fall."

The Mets put things further out of reach in the eighth, when Mientkiewicz and Brian Daubach smacked solo homers.

Braden Looper pitched the ninth for his 14th save, but it didn't come easily. He began the inning by hitting Mike Lieberthal, then gave up a one-out hit to Rollins, who was then erased on a fielder's choice.

A red-hot Bobby Abreu, who doubled and walked earlier, then grounded to third to end the game.

More disturbing for the Phillies was that the loss came against an NL East opponent. As well as Philadelphia has played during in June, this was their first game against an NL East opponent, and it was a loss.

The Phillies are 12-19 against the NL East this season and must improve on that during a stretch in which they play 22 of 29 games at home -- and 16 against the East.

"We have to beat teams in our division," manager Charlie Manuel said. "There's no better time than right now."