When it's 40 degrees and the wind is gusting to 20 miles an hour, and you're a surfer from Honolulu who doesn't like cold weather, and you just suffered back spasms in spring training, this probably wasn't your night to pitch. And for Sid Fernandez, it wasn't. The 25-year-old left-hander made his 1988 debut for the Mets, and it was a somewhat stormy one. The Philadelphia Phillies nicked him for one run in the first inning and another in the third, and then Lance Parrish nailed him with a 430-foot home run for two runs in the fourth. And just like that, the Mets were beaten by 5-1 and, despite all their long-range hitting this week, they were suddenly a .500 ball club after four games.

The Mets treated themselves to a few rousing moments. Gary Carter, marking his 34th birthday, hit a vintage home run to center field off Bruce Ruffin the first time he batted, and it was the third home run in his last four times at bat after a 1-for-9 start this season. 10th Homer in 4 Games It was also the Mets' 10th home run in four games. But otherwise, Ruffin protected the runs his teammates scored off Fernandez on a wintry evening in Veterans Stadium and stopped the Mets on six hits.

''Sid pitched well, but the other guy pitched better,'' Dave Johnson said later, refusing to cast any blame. ''It's the kind of game where the elements depress you.''

For a few moments, it looked as though the Mets might survive their own failings. Fernandez fell behind in the first inning, but not as far behind as he might have fallen, considering the way the inning shaped up.