NEW YORK -- Right-hander Spencer Turnbull had one poor inning, and it proved costly as the Tigers were edged by the Mets, 4-3, at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon.

At first, Turnbull was proving why he is one of the best pitchers on the Tigers’ staff, showcasing nasty stuff. In the first three innings, Turnbull faced the minimum nine hitters, struck out five and was staked to a 3-0 lead.

But things started to turn against Turnbull in the fourth inning. Dominic Smith hit what looked like a routine fly ball that should have been caught by center fielder JaCoby Jones, but it fell in for a double.

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“I was playing over in the left-center-field gap,” Jones said. “When he first hit it, I thought it was hit harder than it really was. But the ball died. The ball had a top spin and it kept fading away from me a little bit. I was trying to make a good play. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”

After Wilson Ramos singled to put runners on first and third, Todd Frazier came to the plate. The Mets’ third baseman took advantage of the fact that the Tigers were in a defensive shift, and he pushed a bunt single to right field, scoring Smith.

“It was a perfectly placed bunt,” Turnbull said. “We were shifted all the way on the other side of the field. Frazier saw it.”

Asked how he feels about the shift, Turnbull said, “I like it when it works. It’s frustrating when it doesn’t. That’s just part of the game right now.”

Two batters later, the Mets took the lead when Adeiny Hechavarria swung at an 0-1 fastball and hit a three-run homer over the right-field wall.

“If that didn’t happen, we might have won the game,” Turnbull said. “It’s frustrating. You have to keep going out there and try to keep getting zeros.”

Turnbull took his fourth loss of the year after going seven innings, tied for his longest outing of the season, allowing the four runs while striking out eight.

“I thought he threw the ball great,” Tigers catcher John Hicks said of Turnbull. “We would like to get that fourth inning back. The way we pitched Hechavarria -- we attacked with offspeed. He didn’t look great on it. … I thought we should go to a heater. It was a little up in the zone and he got it. I don’t know how well he got it, but it went out.”

The Tigers had a chance to at least tie the game in the ninth inning. They put runners on first and third with one out, but Hicks and Jones both struck out to end the game.

“We want to give ourselves a chance every night,” manager Ron Gardenhire said, with his team about to begin a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday. “These guys are playing and they are trying. These are tough losses. I believe they will come out fighting tomorrow.”