Odd loss means Mets can't pull even

PITTSBURGH -- Terry Collins has the right attitude. He doesn't want his team to settle for playing .500 ball.

But, as Collins would say, "Cripes!" It sure would be nice for the Mets to get back there for the first time since May 20.

In their third try at reaching .500 since then, the Mets lost to the Pirates Monday night at PNC Park, 3-1.

Paul Maholm (3-7) and three relievers held the Mets to four hits as the teams split the four-game wraparound series and the Mets fell to 32-34.

"It's important," Jose Reyes said of getting to .500. "We want to play .500 or better."

Mike Pelfrey (3-5) gave up just two runs in seven innings. But a pair of baserunning mistakes by the Mets and an obstruction call when a Pirate was on the basepaths contributed to the defeat.

With the Mets trailing 1-0 in the fifth and runners on first and second, Daniel Murphy strayed too far off second base as Pelfrey missed a sacrifice bunt attempt. Murphy was caught in a rundown for the second out of the inning. The Mets didn't score when Pelfrey grounded out.

"You see it a lot," Collins said. "You talk, you instruct, but the guy at the plate's got to do his job. And the one thing you can't do is get off that bag so far, if he bunts through it, you're in no-man's land. And that's what happened."

Then, the Mets were down 2-0 when Maholm was removed after seven innings and 95 pitches. He allowed three hits and walked two.

Former Yankee Jose Veras came in and walked Ruben Tejada. Pinch hitter Lucas Duda singled to right, setting up a juicy first-and-third situation for the red-hot Reyes.

Reyes sliced a line drive to left. Jose Tabata hesitated before making an awkward sliding catch. Tejada scored from third to make it 2-1, but Duda went all the way to second and was doubled off. He didn't even want to leave, well after the umpires call him out. End of threat.

"I thought he trapped it," Duda said. "Obviously, I was wrong."

The Pirates' first run came in the first inning and was also the product of some baserunning intrigue.

Tabata led off with a single and tried to take third on Xavier Paul's single to center. Angel Pagan threw Tabata out, but second-base umpire Jerry Layne ruled that Reyes had obstructed Tabata's path around second base. Reyes was charged with an error and Tabata was placed at third.

Collins argued, and replays made it seem as if he had a pretty good case. Tabata did hesitate before he got to the base, but not when Reyes was briefly in his path. Reyes skipped out of Tabata's way and didn't protest after he was thrown out.

"I watched Tabata the whole way," Collins said. "For me, if he thought he was obstructed, he wouldn't have just walked off third base when we tagged him out."

Anyway. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead when Neil Walker singled to center on the next pitch and made it 2-0 in the fifth when Brandon Wood homered to left. Tim Byrdak walked in a run in the eighth for the final margin as the Mets were unable to climb the .500 mountain.

"I think we're better than a .500 team," Pelfrey said. "And eventually, it will show in the end."