Bobby Parnell (AP)
Pedro Feliciano ) (AP)
PHILADELPHIA — The sun came up yesterday, just as Fred Wilpon had predicted, but the Mets were left barking at the moon.
Woof, woof, woof.
The biggest dog collars were reserved for relief pitchers Bobby Parnell and Pedro Feliciano, who lifted their hind legs and turned Mets starter Jon Niese into a human fire hydrant.
On Thursday, Wilpon answered the question of whether Omar Minaya will remain as the team’s general manager in 2011 by saying, “Is the sun going to come up tomorrow?” Yesterday, the Mets officially became losers again — they dropped under .500 for the first time since May 23 — with a 7-5 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Niese gave the Mets (54-55) a chance to move back above .500 with seven strong innings before the tag team of Parnell and Feliciano imploded.
Parnell flushed a 2-1 lead by allowing four straight singles that accounted for two runs before Feliciano allowed two hits and a walk, giving the Phillies a five-run lead heading to the ninth.
Pinch hitter Mike Hessman’s three-run homer off J.C. Romero with two out in the ninth gave the Mets a sliver of hope before Brad Lidge got the final out, sending the Mets to their 15th loss in 21 games and leaving one to wonder if the sun will come up today.
The carnage started in the eighth, when Mike Sweeney and Jayson Werth singled in succession against Parnell. Ben Francisco’s ensuing RBI single tied the score at 2-2 before Carlos Ruiz put the Phillies ahead with an RBI single.
The Mets’ misery was just getting started. Feliciano entered and allowed a bunt single to Wilson Valdez that loaded the bases before Ross Gload walked to force in a run and Jimmy Rollins singled to make it 5-2. Placido Polanco added a sacrifice fly against Manny Acosta and Sweeney, the 10th batter in the inning, delivered an RBI single.
Niese unleashed a steady stream of graffiti on manager Jerry Manuel’s imaginary wall.
You know, the same wall Niese had supposedly reached last week during a horrible outing for the Mets that was going to cost the lefty a turn in the rotation. Instead, Manuel relented and Niese responded, allowing one run over seven innings in the no-decision.
It was a second straight strong start in this ballpark for Niese, who limited the Phillies to one run over seven innings on April 30 — the night before the Mets began a tailspin that nearly cost Manuel his job in mid-May.
Joe Blanton gave the Phillies a chance by holding the Mets to two earned runs on seven hits with no walks over seven innings.
The Phillies appeared ready to put an early hurting on Niese, loading the bases with two outs in the first, after Polanco’s RBI double gave them a 1-0 lead. But Niese, who walked Werth and Francisco to load the bases, struck out Ruiz to end the threat.
Niese did his best work in the fifth, striking out the side, including getting Rollins looking at strike three for the final out.
Josh Thole’s RBI single in the fourth gave the Mets a 2-1 lead.
Jose Reyes had made it 1-1 an inning earlier with a two-out RBI single, his 40th RBI of the season.
