Just when Mets’ fans thought it couldn’t get any worse, the Mets followed up a miserable road trip with a loss at home to the Brewers 2-1 on Monday night.

Even having Justin Verlander on the mound couldn’t fix what’s ailing the Mets, as they dropped their fifth in the last six games — and 16th of 21 — as the season that began with enormous expectations continues to spiral out of control.

They are now a season-worst eight games under .500 (35-43), a season-worst 16 games back of the NL East-leading Braves and 8 games behind in the wild-card race.

“I don’t think anyone saw this coming,’’ Verlander said, seemingly stunned at what he’s become a part of.

On Monday, Verlander pitched five scoreless innings, but needed 100 pitches to get there and had to be replaced to start the sixth.

Drew Smith, fresh off a 10-game ban for violating the league’s sticky substance policy, entered with a one-run lead and gave up a two-run homer to Joey Wiemer to put Milwaukee ahead.

But as Buck Showalter said before the game, it’s impossible to point the finger at one area in which the team is lacking.

Adolis García hit a two-run homer on Michael King’s first pitch of the 10th inning, and the Texas Rangers beat the slumping New York Yankees 4-2 on Friday night for their fifth win in six games.

New York’s offense again struggled in the absence of injured slugger Aaron Judge. The Yankees are last in the major leagues in batting average and runs in June, managing six hits or fewer in five of their last six games. They are 10-16 this year when Judge has been on the injured list, losing 10 of 16 since he hurt a toe. New York is 31-19 with Judge available.

The team’s other big slugger, Giancarlo Stanton, is hitting .096 since returning from a strained hamstring, going 5 for 52 with a pair of solo homers for his only RBI.

Texas leads the AL West and tops the majors in scoring and batting average.

García drove a hanging curve from King (1-4) into the left-field seats, giving him 17 homers and 60 RBI. King has struggled of late, with a 9.95 ERA in his previous five outings.

Joe Barlow (1-0) worked around a two-out single in the ninth, and Will Smith pitched the 10th for his 14th save in 15 chances.

At least on this night — though he hopes for many more — Max Scherzer looked like the future Hall of Famer whom the Mets made their $130 million man.

Scherzer saved his best start of the season and his longest as a Met for the defending world champs, silencing the Astros in an 11-1 laugher on Monday at Minute Maid Park that was well-timed for the star and his club.

The Mets (34-38) showed some hope to begin a six-game road trip that will go from Texas to Philadelphia. 

They have a pulse after winning just their fourth game in the past 15 and beating the Astros for the first time in their past eight  head-to-head matchups.

A pair of five-run frames helped. 

As did Francisco Lindor’s five RBIs. But the Mets have Scherzer — whose ERA fell from 4.45 to 4.04 — to thank most for the series-opening destruction.