Mets lose to Dodgers, 3-2, in 13 innings
New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes hangs his head after Blake DeWitt steals third in the 12th inning due to a throwing error by Mets pitcher Elmer Dessens. (July 24, 2010) Credit: AP
LOS ANGELES - In the fading sunlight of Chavez Ravine, the Mets exited Dodger Stadium separately Saturday.
David Wright had bolted before the clubhouse door opened. Jeff Francoeur walked alone across the outfield grass. Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan followed a few minutes later.
Lastly, general manager Omar Minaya headed for the waiting bus, leaving through the centerfield gate only a few feet from where the Dodgers' James Loney deposited the winning home run off Oliver Perez in the 13th inning of the Mets' 3-2 loss.
It was their 12th walk-off defeat, by far the most in the majors, and they have not won back-to-back games since June 22-23, when they took two from the Tigers at Citi Field. The Mets have the look of a team in survival mode, and after losing eight of 10 on this road trip, they are gasping for air.
The Mets scored two runs in the sixth, tying it at 2 on Jose Reyes' RBI single, and then mustered only two walks the rest of the way. After Angel Pagan's two-out walk in the ninth, the Mets went down in order - 13 straight - in what looked like a replay of Wednesday's 14-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.
"I don't have an explanation for it, man," Beltran said. "It really has been a disappointing road trip, but let's try to end up with a positive note. Everyone here is trying to go out and try to make things happen. Just nothing is working our way right now. That doesn't mean we're not putting the effort in. We're going out, playing hard. That's just how the season is sometimes."
The team's hitting malaise has engulfed the entire roster. Even Wright, who looked like an MVP candidate before the All-Star break, is having a brutal visit to the West Coast. After going 1-for-6 with three strikeouts, he is 7-for-40 (.175) with 14 strikeouts on this trip.
With only one day off in the first 98 games, Wright could be due for another. He was not around after the game to answer for the team's offensive woes. But if someone on the Mets has a solution, now might be a good time to speak up.
"I don't know if it's a matter of what they're doing to us or what we're not doing," Jerry Manuel said. "We went down too easily in those innings. I don't know whether we're trying to hit it out of the park or what we're trying to do. That's something we definitely need to address.
"We didn't mount anything - didn't have a scare of getting a run. I feel we're better than that. We just got to find a way to get it done. We have to see what the mind-set is and the approach and see if we can make some changes."
Mike Pelfrey allowed two runs in five innings before Manuel, desperate for offense, pulled him for a pinch hitter as the Mets scored two in the sixth on Rod Barajas' RBI single and Reyes' run-scoring hit with the bases loaded. Before that, the Mets were .202 (17-for-84) in bases-loaded situations, the worst mark in the majors.
Barajas had to come out of the game in the sixth with a strained right oblique muscle. It's likely he will wind up on the disabled list. "The discomfort got greater after that hit," he said. "I consider myself a pretty quick healer, so we'll see what happens."
