Rally falls short; Mets can't sweep Tigers

What a perfect setup for the Mets. They were in position to finish a big comeback at home, complete a sweep and move into first place. The Braves had lost in the afternoon and everything was in just the right place.

Except that perfection doesn't come easily, as the winning pitcher Thursday night can tell you. Armando Galarraga of the Tigers, famous for the past month because of his Imperfect Game, saw his bullpen bail him out and his team hold on for a 6-5 win at Citi Field, where the Mets had looked nearly flawless lately.

"It's been a while since we came in the clubhouse and it was quiet," Jason Bay said.

The Mets had won 12 of their past 13 at home and believed they were on their way to another win, coming almost all the way back from a 6-1 deficit.

"That's what good teams do, they never quit," said Jose Reyes, one of five runners stranded in the seventh and eighth innings after the Mets pulled within one. "I think we've got a very good team here. We always fight back, no matter what the score is, so that's good to see."

And as manager Jerry Manuel said, "You've got to love the fight."

Their resilience was just not quite enough, though, to overcome their flaws on this night.

Starting pitcher Hisanori Takahashi (6-3) sure wasn't perfect, nor was he close to being as good as he was in six scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium Friday. The Tigers torched him for six runs before he was removed with none out in the fifth - Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly in the first, Magglio Ordoñez hit a two-run homer in the third, Ryan Raburn homered in the fifth and two more runs scored after he was out of the game.

"Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't go well," Takahashi said through an interpreter. "Nothing was different before the game, I just didn't have much command with my fastball."

The Mets did do much better against Galarraga (3-1) than the Cleveland Indians had on June 2, when they got no hits through 8 2/3 innings and reached base on the potential final play only because of an admitted bad call by umpire Jim Joyce. Galarraga has been a national celebrity ever since, drawing praise for his graciousness. Mets fans applauded when his name was announced before the game.

But he did leave quietly after six this time, with the Mets having scored three times in his final inning as David Wright doubled home a run and Bay singled in another. In keeping with a slightly imperfect night, however, Bay was thrown out after he hesitated between first and second on a pitch that bounced away from catcher Gerald Laird, but not that far away.

"We've kind of been aggressive on the bases all year and there's times to do it and times not to,'' Bay said, "and there was kind of a little indecision to start it. Basically, I got halfway, saw him and figured I was a dead duck."

"That happens," Manuel said. "I have no problem with that at all."

Credit Jesus Feliciano, playing centerfield while Angel Pagan sat out with spasms in his side, with providing energy with three hits and two runs. Credit the Mets' bullpen for five scoreless innings to keep it within range. But credit the Tigers' bullpen for closing it out.

With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, former Yankee Phil Coke struck out Wright and retired Ike Davis on a fly to centerfield. With two outs in the eighth, Joel Zumaya retired Chris Carter on a fly to left. Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth, striking out Wright to end the game.

So the Mets finished the night a half-game behind the Braves. And what Reyes said about Takahashi can apply to anyone on the team: "He has been unbelievable for us. He's not going to stay perfect all season long."