Mets' offense fizzles; fall behind for wild card

[September 27, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- With two games to go, the Mets don't look like a playoff team at all.

New York's offense fizzled and Mike Pelfrey lost to Florida for the fourth time this season, a 6-1 defeat Friday night that put the Mets' postseason chances in peril.

Josh Willingham homered and Hanley Ramirez had four hits for the Marlins, who knocked New York out of the playoff race on the final weekend last season.

The Marlins want to do it again, and they haven't hesitated to say so.

The Mets fell two games behind first-place Philadelphia, which beat Washington 8-4, and a game behind wild-card leading Milwaukee, a 5-1 winner over Chicago.

New York will send ace Johan Santana to the mound Saturday on three days' rest, hoping to stay in the race. The Phillies can clinch their second consecutive division title with a win or a New York loss. Of course, they rallied past the collapsing Mets last year to capture the crown on the final day of the season.

This September hasn't been much better for the sputtering Mets, who are 2-5 since taking over the NL East lead with a win at Atlanta last Friday.

Chris Volstad (6-4) yielded just an unearned run in six innings for Florida. Ramirez scored three times and stole two bases as New York opened the final regular-season series at Shea Stadium with a dud.

The bullpen was a problem again. If games ended after eight innings, the Mets would have entered Friday with an eight-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East, according to Stats, LLC.

But they last nine innings, and New York always seems to have trouble late.

Pelfrey (13-11) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings, falling to 0-4 in five starts against Florida this year. The big right-hander went 0-3 in his final six starts, though he pitched well for the most part.

After Pelfrey was lifted, New York tried four relievers in the seventh. They combined for three walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter as Florida scored twice to make it 5-1.

Bobby Parnell walked pinch-hitter Luis Gonzalez leading off the inning. Pinch-runner Brett Carroll scored when left fielder Daniel Murphy bobbled Ramirez's single for an error, and Aaron Heilman later walked Willingham with the bases loaded.

Jorge Cantu added a two-out RBI single off Brian Stokes in the eighth.

The Marlins jumped on Pelfrey right away, putting him in a hole after four pitches. Ramirez singled on the first offering of the game, quickly stole second and scored on John Baker's single. Cantu followed with a double that put runners at second and third, and Dan Uggla had an RBI groundout.

New York had several early chances to respond, but stranded six runners over the first three innings.

Ryan Church flied out to deep left-center with the bases loaded to end the first. Jose Reyes and Murphy failed to come through with two on in the second. Church grounded into an inning-ending double play with two aboard in the third.

Volstad found a groove after that, allowing only Brian Schneider's RBI grounder in the sixth. Four relievers combined for three scoreless innings to finish it.

Willingham hit a solo shot in the sixth, lofting a drive just over the fence in the left-field corner.

Notes: Schneider (back) returned to the lineup at catcher, though he's not 100 percent. ... Ramon Martinez started at second base again. New York manager Jerry Manuel said he wanted to give Damion Easley (quadriceps) another day to rest. ... Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry received warm ovations when they were introduced before the game as the Mets began saying goodbye to big Shea. They will move next season into a new ballpark, Citi Field. ... The Marlins said they will bring back their entire coaching staff and training staff next season. ... With 125 runs, Ramirez tied his own team record set last season.

[Associated Press; By MIKE FITZPATRICK]

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