Padres 10 – Mets 3
Art Howe talked more about spoiling than contending. Cliff Floyd sounded resigned to the fact the Mets are in an endless tunnel with no light at the end. In fact, their offensive funk is so deep that when Steve Trachsel lost his shutout in the fifth inning, yesterday’s game seemed over.
The 10-3 loss to surprising San Diego showed how completely the wheels have come off the Mets’ season. The Mets and Padres were the NL’s worst teams last year. But while the Padres are contending for the wild card this season, the injury-riddled Mets are careening toward utter collapse.
After being just a game out of first in the NL East on July 15, the Mets have plummeted to a season-worst 14 games behind the first-place Braves (6-4 winners over the Rockies last night). The Mets have lost five straight to leave them just 5 ½ ahead of the last-place Expos and a season-high eight under .500.
“You have that many injuries, it’s going to be tough to win,” Floyd said. “Things just ain’t looking bright. We’ve got to look for that bright sport, and there ain’t no light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re struggling. But being frustrated, you can talk about that until you’re blue in the face. You’ve just got to keep grinding. I’m past frustration.”
Yesterday it was Adam Eaton (9-11) who frustrated the Mets with a big-breaking curve, giving up just two hits in seven innings. But truth be told, this emasculated lineup – missing regulars Mike Piazza, Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui – has been getting shut down routinely.
The Mets have lost eight of 11, and in their five-game skid they’ve hit just .188 and mustered nine runs total. They had scored just one in their last 26 innings before Eric Valent and Mike Cameron homered in a three-run ninth yesterday. No amount of cosmetics, however, can hide this ugly six weeks.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 20-100 or 100-20. You go out and compete every day, find ways to win a ballgame – and we didn’t find too many ways this series,” Cameron said.
“I think we dropped our bats off somewhere between here and San Francisco. When things don’t go well, everyone tries to take it upon themselves to do a little more. That’s definitely not going to help. But you really hate to lose four games, goodness.”
Yesterday’s game disintegrated rapidly, much like the Mets’ season has over the past six weeks. Trachsel (10-11) was perfect through four, but after Phil Nevin doubled to lead off the fifth, Khalil Greene added a two-run double and Eaton hit an RBI double. It would’ve been enough.
As Eaton dominated, the Padres poured it on. They chased Trachsel (6 2/3 innings, eight hits, six earned runs) during a three-run seventh. It was his third straight loss, and opened this homestand with the first four-game sweep at the hands of San Diego in club history.
“Not good,” Trachsel summarized. “Pretty ugly.”
San Diego strafed reliever Pedro Feliciano with a four-run eighth. The bitter crowd of 27,621 reserved its loudest cheers as sarcasm when Feliciano – after allowing six straight baserunners – finally retired Brian Giles and Nevin to end the bloodletting.
Valent broke up the shutout with a solo homer off the right-field foul pole to lead off the ninth, and Cameron added a two-run shot. It was little more than window-dressing.
“I don’t know even why you come in here to talk to me,” Howe said. “It’s the same story.”
