Miscues prevent Mets from sweep of Cards

To think, it wasn't even Albert Pujols' two-run blast that downed the Mets. No, it was their own defensive ineptitude that ultimately sealed their fate.

Bidding for a sweep of the three-game series, the Mets turned a one-run deficit into a four-run hole and lost to the Cardinals, 6-2, Thursday at Citi Field.

The defeat, punctuated by two egregious errors in the fifth, not only overshadowed a decent outing by Jonathon Niese but put a damper on what many believe was Carlos Beltran's final home game as a Met.

With the Cardinals ahead 2-1 and one out in the fifth, Daniel Descalso doubled into the rightfield corner before Niese walked pitcher Jake Westbrook. Nick Punto then hit a grounder to first baseman Lucas Duda, whose throw to second hit Westbrook in the shoulder, allowing Descalso to score.

And things only got worse for the Mets. Jon Jay's grounder ricocheted off second base and tailed away from Justin Turner into shallow centerfield. Angel Pagan ran in, fielded the ball and inexplicably fired it toward first -- right at Cardinals first-base coach Dave McKay.

"I was looking at the runner without looking at who was on first base,'' said Pagan, who has seven errors, two in the past two games. "I mistake him for one of our players. It happens sometimes.''

Pagan was the hero Wednesday night, hitting a walk-off home run in the 10th in a 6-5 victory. But Thursday's error allowed Westbrook and Punto to score, resulting in a 5-1 deficit.

The Mets hacked their way through the 2-hour, 7-minute game -- their quickest of the season -- but mustered only five hits. Westbrook (8-4) kept them off-balance in his season-high eight innings, throwing cutters on the inside of the plate to complement his devastating sinker.

The Mets (49-49) scored in the fourth on Jose Reyes' triple and Turner's groundout. They made it 5-2 in the eighth when Duda doubled and scored on Jason Pridie's two-out single.

The crowd of 37,416 stood and cheered as Beltran stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Turner on first after a single. It seemed the possibility that Beltran's career in Flushing was over finally had sunk in. "I don't think anybody thought about it until that point,'' Jason Bay said.

Beltran failed to save the day, though, flying out to left before Daniel Murphy flied out to end the game.

"I heard the fans cheering. It's great,'' Beltran said. "Let's hope I can come back.''

But even with the ongoing trade rumors and a 10-day road trip that ends the same day as the July 31 non-waivers trade deadline, manager Terry Collins said he hadn't given any thought to Thursday being Beltran's final home game at Citi Field.

"I deal in reality,'' Collins said. "I know it's news, I know it's talked about, I know it may happen. But I deal with what's a fact, and the fact is he's in there getting packed to go on this trip.''

Pujols gave the Cardinals (51-47) the lead in the first when he crushed his 21st home run off the facing of the second deck in leftfield. However, Niese (9-8) -- who allowed three runs, five hits and a walk in six innings, striking out seven -- cruised through the next few innings, retiring 10 in a row.

Collins said he pulled Niese in an attempt to generate offense.

"Jon pitched good,'' Collins said. " . . . We play defense in the fifth inning, it's a 2-1 game and Jon Niese is probably still in the ballgame.''