Mets in an offensive funk when Santana pitches

Illogic owns this Mets season, so it figures that it was rookie Jon Niese who twirled a brilliant one-hitter last night as the Mets defeated the Padres, 3-0, to win the nightcap of this day-night doubleheader and captivate a Citi Field crowd.

Likewise, the Mets held metaphysical serve by losing the opener, 4-2, with their best pitcher on the mound.

The Mets, having completed a 5-1 homestand, return to the road Friday night at 32-28, hopeful that an upcoming tour of dismal American League teams Baltimore and Cleveland will help turn around their 8-18 mark away from home.

They seem to feel very good about themselves, especially after the Niese masterpiece. Yet there's the oddity of the ace, Johan Santana, pitching mostly stellar ball, and the team having so little to show for it.

"It's just part of the game," Santana said after the Mets' suffered their fifth loss in the lefthander's last six starts. "There's not much I can do. I just have to stay focused and do my job, and pitch. That's the best I can do. At some point, everything will turn around, and we'll start scoring runs."

Said Jason Bay: "We don't have the luxury of not winning games in which Johan pitches well, which is all of them, basically."

On seven days' rest, Santana had his worst start of this stretch, allowing four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked four with only one strikeout. As my Newsday colleague Jim Baumbach pointed out, Santana induced just four swings and misses in his 108 pitches. San Diego reliever Luke Gregerson, in striking out the side in the seventh, recorded five swings and misses in 14 pitches.

Santana touched 90 mph with his fastball a few times, yet he mostly stayed in the 87-89 range.

"I didn't have command of my fastball at all," he said.

Don't panic about a health concern; Santana has earned the benefit of the doubt. However, go ahead and worry that Santana is due for a down cycle after dominating for a three-week stretch. His 18-inning scoreless streak ended in the fourth, when Jerry Hairston Jr. drove home Adrian Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly.

And if that happens, then the Mets will have to ramp up their heretofore, virtually nonexistent support for Santana. They've totaled 42 runs in the 13 games he started, an average of slightly more than three runs per game.

"It is frustrating, because for him, we know how good he is," Jeff Francoeur said. " . . . We've got to find a way to score him runs and get him what he deserves."

Jerry Manuel hypothesized that Santana keeps going against the opponents' aces, who shut down the Mets' offense. There's some truth to that. San Diego's Mat Latos has pitched very well this season and limited the Mets to two runs in six innings, striking out eight.

"I think that'll change," Manuel said. "Once the second half comes, he'll hopefully be matched up against guys we can do things against, and it'll even out for him."

At least the day evened out for the Mets, thanks to the best start of Niese's young career. Wow. Only Chris Denorfia, with a third-inning double, dispelled dreams of a perfect game. Niese has been terrific in his two starts since returning from a disabled-list stay to rest his right hamstring.

"Hopefully I can carry it over into the next game," the quiet, modest lefty said.

At some point, if they have serious playoff ambitions, the Mets will need to win behind their ace. On this day, though, they could smile away such headaches. And now we'll see, once again, if they can retain that smile away from Flushing.