LOS ANGELES – Hailed as the team’s ascendent ace when he replaced Clayton Kershaw as the Opening Day starter this season, Walker Buehler has instead become the biggest mystery in the Dodgers’ rotation – and potentially its biggest problem.

Buehler lasted just 2 ⅓ innings Saturday – the shortest start of his big-league career. Handed a three-run lead, he gave it right back, allowing four runs in the third inning as the New York Mets chased him from the game and went on to beat the Dodgers 9-4.

“It stinks. It stinks to put your team in a hole after they scored four runs for me,” Buehler said, hours later having had plenty of time to stew over his recent results. “It’s kind of more of the same. Frustrating.”

Buehler faced 13 batters, retired just six of them (he got one double play) and allowed five runs. Francisco Lindor took him deep in the first inning and Pete Alonso hit a two-run home run in the third, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to exit the dugout as if he was spring-loaded and pull Buehler after 65 pitches.

In his previous start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, Buehler allowed four runs over six innings (also featuring two home runs). It is the first time in Buehler’s 105-start major-league career that he has allowed four or more runs in consecutive starts.

“He’s going to work it out,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s going to figure it out. I have all the confidence in that.”

Buehler’s ERA has been on a steady upward trajectory over his past five starts during which he has allowed 19 runs in 24 ⅔ innings.

“I’m trying to figure it out and I don’t like this any more than the next guy,” he said.

Coming into Saturday’s game, opposing batters had hit .373 against Buehler’s four-seam fastball (including all five home runs he had allowed) and his attempts to reclaim his fastball’s ferocity was Buehler’s main focus between starts.

Buehler did flash better velocity Saturday, touching 97 mph while striking out three in the first inning.

Instead, Lindor hit a hanging curveball for his first-inning solo home run. Starling Marte cracked a slider for an RBI double in the third. And Alonso sent another slider on a 401-foot journey.

“I still made some good pitches. … In the third, it was two sliders they hit pretty hard,” Buehler said. “One was a pretty special swing (by Alonso) to hit that ball out.

“I just kind of keep bouncing around between what they’re hitting. At some point, it’s not about one thing or one bad pitch. … It was definitely kind of encouraging for me at one point, the fastball velocity being there and I was able to throw it where I wanted it a little bit more. … At some point, you’ve got to take the little victories.”

Alonso added a three-run home run off Brusdar Graterol in the seventh inning. It was his seventh home run in 11 games at Dodger Stadium — where he will likely try to defend his Home Run Derby crown as part of the All-Star festivities next month.

The Dodgers were able to absorb Buehler’s less-dominant starts by scoring more than six runs per game in his first 10 outings. Saturday seemed to be headed that way when they put four runs on the board in the second, three on a bases-loaded double by Mookie Betts.

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But the Dodgers’ offense was done for the night. With Mets manager Buck Showalter toggling through seven pitchers, the Dodgers had just four hits over the final seven innings.

And a touch of confusion was added to the evening.

Roberts sent Zach McKinstry out to pitch the ninth — unaware that position players are not allowed to pitch in games unless it is extra innings or a six-run margin. That set off an extended conference among the umpires who contacted MLB headquarters in New York to confirm that the rule, originally put in place for 2020 but relaxed during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, was indeed in effect this year.

Evan Phillips eventually retired the Mets in the ninth. Roberts acknowledged later that he was not aware the six-run rule was in effect this year.

“Justin (Turner) pitched in a minus-five run game last year (a 5-0 loss). Obviously they relaxed that rule last year,” Roberts said. “The goalposts have been moving a lot. It’s an oversight on my part but I do recall we did it last year.

“That was on me.”

Showalter said he was aware of the rule but joked that he had to check the math, repeating in his head “9 minus 4 is 5.” But he said he did not object — the umpires caught the infraction and the Dodgers requested they clarify with MLB.

Trea Turner was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, ending his hitting streak at 26 games.