Justin Verlander struggled in his home debut for the New York Mets on Tuesday night as the club dropped to a season-worst three games under .500.

He allowed six runs on eight hits, including two homers, with three strikeouts and two walks across five innings in the Mets' 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"I understand the fans are frustrated; we're frustrated, too," Verlander said. "We expect to be better. I expect to be better. I think this entire organization expects to be better, and there's only one thing left to do, and that's put your head down, work hard and find your way out of this slump."

Buck Showalter said the fans' boos aligned with the current vibe of the Mets' clubhouse.

"People come out here and want to see the Mets win, want to see us do well, and they get frustrated just like we do," Showalter said. "I understand that, but we control it every night. They want us to do well. We control that. Play better and that won't happen. That's part of playing here when you're doing something that's very important to people."