Capuano can't overcome Mets' offense

Chris Capuano's dominance in the first 32/3 innings of Monday night's 4-1 loss to the Marlins was matched only by how quickly and how decisively the game unraveled at his fingertips.

It isn't necessarily an indictment of Capuano, who allowed three of his four runs in the fourth and retired the side in order four times in 72/3 innings. It's merely the reality of the Mets now: an injury-plagued team so offensively strapped that the first-inning loss of Scott Hairston (leg bruise from a foul ball) seemed back-breaking and a three-run, fourth-inning deficit insurmountable.

"We're going through a down spell right now," Capuano said. "Whether they were down 4-0, up 10-0, it really doesn't matter . . . Whatever the score is, my focus is to keep making pitches and just focusing on executing the next pitch, one after another. "

Capuano made a lot of good pitches, except for a few in the eighth that led to three hits and a run to knock him out of the game, and that fourth inning, when he allowed a walk and three hits, all with two outs.

The lefty had a 1-and-2 count on Hanley Ramirez before Ramirez poked a single to become only the second Marlins baserunner of the game. Capuano then walked Gaby Sanchez before allowing back-to-back RBI hits by Mike Stanton and Mike Cameron. "I had [Ramirez] in a situation where I really should have put him away and he went down and hit a really good pitch," Capuano said.

Indeed, the Mets' recent travails have left their pitching staff with little room for error. Good pitches are no longer good enough.

Case in point was Capuano's take on Stanton's two-run double: "I threw a first-pitch changeup. I threw it where I wanted to. He dove and hit the ball hard."

And on the game in general: "I was upset with giving up those three runs in the fourth because I felt like my stuff was good enough to really keep them at bay tonight . . . I was pretty much putting [my pitches] where I wanted to."

It's a difficult line to toe for a pitcher like Capuano, who, though effective, is hardly dominant. Generally consistent, he's also consistently hittable -- his 4.16 ERA is fourth-worst in the rotation, with only the beleaguered Mike Pelfrey faring worse. He'll keep you in the game, but needs support from the lineup.

Manager Terry Collins seemed to think as much, saying he wasn't displeased with Capuano's performance, while hinting that this team might need a little more than acceptable-though-not-spectacular.

"I thought Cappy pitched fine," he said. "I think Cappy pitched a good ballgame. He gave us a chance and we couldn't get anything done offensively . . . He got some balls up. It was a very good at-bat by Hanley."

The Mets, meanwhile, mustered only one hit in five innings against Marlins starter Clay Hensley and didn't score until Jason Bay's sacrifice fly in the ninth. By then, of course, those early runs loomed heavy.

"They put three runs on the board that quick," Capuano said. "It can happen that quick."

If only, he should add, it could happen to us.