Giants’ pitcher Matt Cain has 12th straight losing start as Mets claim 6-5 win

NEW YORK - By the time Matt Cain found his rhythm, it was too late.

Especially against a team that’s doing most everything right.

Cain’s winless streak hit a career-worst 12 straight starts when the New York Mets built an early lead and held off the San Francisco Giants 6-5 Saturday.

Cain issued a two-out walk in the first inning that loaded the bases and set up Neil Walker’s two-run single.

The righty plunked two batters in the second and both scored on Michael Conforto’s two-out double.

“I definitely would have liked to have finished the first two innings better,” Cain said.

The 31-year-old Cain (0-3) hasn’t won since last July 22, losing six times. Slowed by injuries and inconsistency in recent years, the three-time All-Star who once pitched a perfect game is saddled with a 7.00 ERA this season.

Conforto and Wilmer Flores later tagged Cain for solo home runs.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy liked what he saw from Cain in the later innings.

The crowd of 44,466 was the largest for a regular-season game at Citi Field since the park opened in 2009.

The Mets almost gave away the game, too, before posting their eighth straight win.

Ahead 6-3 in the eighth inning, they walked a pair of batters and let the Giants load the bases with no outs.

Hunter Pence’s bid for a go-ahead grand slam was caught just in front of the center-field wall for a sacrifice fly.

Brandon Crawford followed with another sacrifice fly, a liner that right fielder Curtis Granderson jumped to backhand on the warning track.

Jeurys Familia took over in the ninth and closed for his eighth save in as many chances.

Jacob deGrom (3-0) overcame his first four walks of the season, pitching two-hit ball for six innings.

All three runs against him were unearned and came after a throwing error by Flores, who played third base to give David Wright a day off.

New York’s defense also helped deGrom. Pence fisted a bases-loaded, two-run single with two outs in the third, but first baseman Lucas Duda took the accurate relay from Granderson and threw out Brandon Belt trying to reach third.

A day after the Mets set a club mark by scoring 12 runs in the third inning, they quickly struck against Cain.

Walker’s two-out single in the first made it 2-0. Conforto launched a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall in the second for a 4-0 lead.

Overall, the Mets have outscored opponents 50-21 during their winning string.