NEW YORK -- The Guardians had a weekend they would like to forget.

They lost both ends of a split doubleheader on Sunday and were swept in the three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field. All three losses were by one run.

Cleveland lost the nightcap, 2-1, even though right-hander Shane Bieber completed his first game of the season. In Game 1, the bullpen struggled and played a role in a 5-4 loss.

The Guardians, who have lost 11 of their last 17 games, now return home to Progressive Field to play a three-game series against the White Sox. After the second game of the doubleheader against New York, manager Terry Francona held a meeting with the players, encouraging them to pay attention to detail and leave everything out on the field because:

“You don’t know what’s going to be too much or not enough. Just don’t take anything for granted. Play the game as right as you can and see where you end up.”

According to first baseman Josh Naylor, Francona held a similar meeting last year and it helped the Guardians win the American League Central.

“It was a wakeup call and he expects a lot out of us. We expect a lot out of ourselves,” Naylor said. “We trust each other as teammates and as brothers. We want to make the coaching staff proud, the Cleveland fans proud.

“So we continue to work hard. If the ball falls our way, it falls our way. If it doesn’t, that’s unfortunate. We have to show up the next day and keep working.”

Game 2 of the doubleheader was a battle between former Cy Young Award winners -- Bieber against Mets right-hander Justin Verlander. It turned out to be a pitchers' duel.

Both hurlers threw eight innings, but Bieber came up short, allowing the two runs. He had two blemishes in the game. The first came in the sixth inning, when Francisco Lindor’s homer tied the score at 1.

“I wouldn’t like for it to happen that way,” Bieber said. “The curveball kind of spun out of my hand a little bit. I don’t think it was a terrible pitch, but it definitely wasn’t a great one. It wasn’t the one I was trying to execute.

“It’s a really good lineup. Francisco is a great hitter. He took advantage of it.”

Two innings later, pinch-runner Starling Marte scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Jeff McNeil.

“You have to credit the Mets,” Francona said. “They put the ball in play and McNeil is a hard guy to strike out, and he gets a sac fly. That ends up being the difference.”

Said Bieber, “Overall, it’s going to be a tough one to swallow, but we competed as a team. … Every guy in here is a strong competitor. … No excuses, we are going to stick together, have a late flight tonight, come in tomorrow and compete.”

Verlander, on the other hand, allowed just three hits, including a first-inning home run by José Ramírez. Manager Buck Showalter enjoyed watching two aces perform on the mound.

"Every once in a while, you've got to watch yourself by spectating and watching two really good pitchers pitch,” Showalter said. “You're sitting there going, 'This is pretty cool being this close to this,' and watching these people operate against the best hitters in the world.

“We were just a little bit better tonight."

The Guardians had chances to win at least the first two games of the series, but their relievers couldn’t get the job done in the late innings.

Cleveland’s bullpen allowed nine runs in six innings and saw its collective ERA jump from 3.10 to 3.44. Relievers have also had issues keeping the ball in the park, allowing 22 home runs in 157 combined innings.

“I just think it’s just inconsistency [regarding the bullpen problems],” Francona said. “Anytime you are inconsistent anywhere, something is going to find you and that’s what [we are] right now.”

In the first game of the doubleheader, Cleveland’s bats looked lethargic in the first seven innings. Mets right-hander Max Scherzer held the Guardians to three hits, while left-hander Brooks Raley held them scoreless in the seventh inning.

But the bats woke up in the top of the eighth inning against Adam Ottavino. After Tyler Freeman scored on a Myles Straw groundout, Steven Kwan scored on a single by Amed Rosario to make it a one-run game.

Ramírez followed with a two-run homer to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead.

But Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan yielded a two-run homer to Marte to put the Mets ahead for good.

“I fell behind with the first two hitters and they made me pay. I settled in too late. That’s what happens late in ballgames,” Stephan said. “It’s frustrating as a team. We are not playing too well together. It seems like the offense gets going and the bullpen has a tough game.

“It’s a long season. We’re fighting. We are going to be all right.”