On the Mets beat

Not that the Mets needed any additional motivation today, but some covert operative deployed more fighting words in the runway leading to the home dugout. Saturday's framed picture was there, too, but this one had more inflammatory bulletin-board material from Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez with a photo from yesterday's benches-clearing incident.

"I don't care if it's broke I'm going to play tomorrow," Ramirez is quoted as saying about his hand. "---- everybody on the Mets. We're going to kick their -----."

Right below, in bold letters, the sign reads, "It's never a good idea to wake a sleeping mutt. Someone Pays Today."

Stay tuned. First pitch at 1:05.

Just in case, Pedro Martinez gave Jose Reyes the boxing gloves he usually keeps in his locker.

So much for Scenario A (see previous post). Guess it's Scenario B or nothing for the Mets, who trot out John Maine today to save their season -- maybe. Ramon Castro is starting for Paul Lo Duca, who still is bothered by a bruised left knee, so No. 16 may already have played his last game in a Mets uniform.

General manager Omar Minaya had an informal chat with reporters in the Mets dugout this morning. Looking back over the last two weeks, Minaya admitted that he expected this team to have clinched the NL East by now, and planned to be at a car wash today. When jokingly asked if he was opening one, Minaya laughed.

"I may have to consider that," he said.

Minaya is surprised by the collapse of his $115-million team and made a telling comment about the character of these Mets.

"Part of it last year was that we won easy," Minaya said. "As a group, we haven't been through a pennant race. This is our first pennant race."

And now that the Mets are being tested, they deserve an F. Give them a D in spelling, too. In the runway to the dugout, someone had put a framed photo of the team celebrating a walkoff win earlier this season. In large print, the message read: "We've worked to hard. Let's finish this."

Oops. The Mets must hope that's the only error they make today.

How appropriate that the "Da Vinci Code" was showing in the Mets' clubhouse yesterday before their puzzling 3-0 loss to the Cardinals. That was a head-scratcher. Seven solid innings from Pedro Martinez? And still lose? Is there some secret society messing with this team's playoff chances or what?

Here's a little more about the scene involving Willie Randolph's "guarantee" to win the NL East. There weren't many players available immediately following last night's game, but most of the reporters were swarmed around the locker of Pedro Martinez and a handful of others chatted with Billy Wagner. That's when Randolph came walking through, stuck his head into the trainer's room and then did a loop around the clubhouse, saying loud enough for people to hear, "We're going to win this thing. We're going to win it."

Does this qualify as a Ewing-like guarantee? Or just a manager trying to inject a few positive words in a decidedly negative atmosphere? Randolph had a brief talk with his players immediately after the loss, basically to tell them it's a new season and not to dwell on the past.

As bad as they've played this week, I think the Mets are going to rebound over these next three games, but I'm not sure if it will be enough. They just took three of four from the Marlins last week, and with the pitching matchups, they have a shot at taking three straight -- although Dontrelle Willis could be a problem on Sunday.

Here's how I see it for the weekend:

Scenario A -- Oliver Perez over Byung-Hyun Kim tonight, John Maine finally comes up big to beat Chris Seddon tomorrow and Tom Glavine, with the money on the table, winds up with a no-decision in a game the Mets win late on Sunday. The Phillies drop one to the pesky Nationals. Mets take NL East, Phillies win wild card.

Scenario B -- Mets win two of three, but so do the Phillies. And I don't like their chances in a division tiebreaker on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Padres win wild card. Adios.

But there are wild card possibilities, too. The Mets actually have the easiest schedule of the remaining contestants. The Phillies have to play the Nats, who have relished their spoiler role, while the Padres are at Milwaukee and the surging Rockies are hosting the Diamondbacks. All three divisions are still in play and that should take it right down to Sunday -- and possibly Tuesday, if the wildest tiebreaker scenario happens.

For those expecting a white-knuckle weekend, here are all the tiebreaker possibilities for the National League, if necessary.

Of course, the Mets could still claim the NL East title by the end of this weekend, but it's looking a little dicey. Click below for the tiebreakers.

Ominous words from Paul Lo Duca, but look on the bright side. The Mets are no longer living in denial and that's usually the first step toward recovery. There wasn't a lot of false bravado and "we'll be all right" comments following last night's 9-6 loss to the Nationals. The Mets, only a game up on the Phillies, realize now they are in serious trouble. And I think, for really the first time, the prospect of not making the playoffs has entered their minds.

"Unbelievable," is how Carlos Beltran described it and he could have been speaking for every Met fan out there in the Tri-State area. Interestingly, the Mets no longer include the number of days they have been in first place in their pregames notes and the Shea crew did not show Phillies-Braves highlights on the leftfield DiamondVision board last night.They had no problem flashing a few clips from the Marlins-Cubs game, however.

But you can't pretend this isn't happening. It's not a bad dream. This is real. And where were all the supposed fans of this sinking team? The Mets sold 51,940 tickets for last night's game and Shea was half-empty. How is that possible? What are people waiting for? The playoffs? Are these games not important enough to come watch on a Wednesday night? Was everyone staying home for the series premiere of "Bionic Woman?" I don't get it.

Very strange.

Marlon Anderson had his appeal hearing this morning and was "sickened" by the umpire's report of the Sept. 15 incident. Anderson was tossed after flipping his helmet in the direction of plate umpire Dan Iassogna, but he was accused of doing much more than that in the report.

"He said I said the f-word three times," Anderson said. "Anybody who knows me knows I don't do that. He said I screamed it from the dugout. I have better words to use than that ... It makes me sick to my stomach. That's not who I am."

Anderson received a two-game suspension for his actions. But in light of the recent Milton Bradly episode, which actually resulted in the suspension of umpire Mike Winters, Anderson is likely to have his cut in half.

It was surprising to see Carlos Gomez in tonight's lineup against Nats lefthander Mike Bacsik rather than Lastings Milledge. As usual, manager Willie Randolph bristled when asked about his decision, but begrudgingly said it was for defense. With Beltran's knees hurting, the speedier Gomez can cover more ground than Milledge, who is a much better hitter.We'll see if the tradeoff works tonight.

Orlando Hernandez was not in a very talkative mood, but as far as I can tell, he'll try a simulated game tomorrow. El Duque had his right foot taped and was messing around with some different-sized pads -- presumably for his bunion -- as he shuttled from his locker to the trainers room.

Who knew that Rickey Henderson's card-playing could have such a negative effect on the Mets' team ERA? Or curse the rotation? To be honest, I never understood the whole Henderson hiring in the first place. And to axe Rick Down, we can all see that was pretty much unnecessary. But to finger Henderson for playing cards in the middle of this downward spiral seems excessive. Don Zimmer never took any heat for his Bridge games in the Yankees' clubhouse. Maybe the four World Series titles had something to do with that.

This might be getting ahead of ourselves, but does anyone trust Orlando Hernandez making a start in the Division Series? After not pitching since Sept. 11? If the Mets do clinch a playoff berth at some point, the postseason rotation is likely to be Pedro Martinez for Game 1, Tom Glavine for Game 2 and probably El Duque for Game 3 -- if he survives tomorrow's simulated game. Otherwise, pencil in Oliver Perez, who along with Pedro has been the Mets' most reliable pitcher as of late. Expect John Maine to fortify a weary bullpen.

It's impossible to predict what Philip Humber will do tonight. Given what's happened with the Mets lately, maybe it's better to expect the unexpected, so put Humber down for six innings, six hits, three runs. Wishful thinking? Remember, Humber was the No. 3 pick overall in the 2004 draft, so it's about time he showed everyone a glimpse of that potential.

Philip Humber did not even try to make the case that the final of the 2003 College World Series is any preparation for tomorrow--his first major league start in the heart of the last week of a pennant race. He said he never has experienced anything of that magnitude, but he was quick to add that he is pumped about it. "I'ts what you work for your whole career," he said.

Mets management is holding its breath, crossing its fingers and saying, as Omar Minaya did, "He's the best option available." That is more a commentary on the rest of the staff and the current rotation than it is on Humber's progress.

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Better news for the Mets was that Orlando Hernandez was in a visibly good mood after having thrown 50 to 60 pitches in the bullpen. He expects to throw a simulated game Thursday and might be able to pitch in a game before the regular season ends Sunday. "today I'm more happy than yesterday," he said.

* * *

Fred Wilpon also seemed in good spirits before and after he met iwth Minaya and Willie Randolph in the latter's office before the game. "He's always positive," Randolph said. Added Mnaya, "Fred's been consistent" in his support. Still, it's not every day he has a closed-door pep talk with the two other men.
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Tonight's Mets lineup

Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Alou LF
Delgado 1B
LoDuca C
Green RF
Glavine P

While Mets fans are getting sweaty palms about the Philllies' footsteps--and rightly so, considering the past two weeks and the state of the Mets bullpen--there might be a soft cushion even after an historic collapse.

The Mets start the game tonight two games ahead of the Padres in the wild card race, and the Padres are not in great shape, to say the least. San Diego has lost four consecutive games and two vital outfielders.

Old friend Mike Cameron looks to be out for the season with a hand injury, and Milton Bradley is out with a bizarre knee injury. He was in an argument with an umpire and was being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black. In the midst of that restraining move, Bradley happened to move the wrong way and was injured pretty seriously.

Willie Randolph was asked if teammates get juiced when they see an injured guy make a spectacular catch, as Carlos Beltran did in Florida yesterday (a play that aggravated the tendinitis in his knee and caused him to be removed from the game). The manager, a pretty tough audience, said that as a player he never was stirred by that kind of thing because guys are used to playing hurt, especially down the stretch.

“If I was on the Knicks that one year I would have been pretty inspired by Willis Reed,” Randolph said. “That’s inspiring, OK? But baseball is a different game. You know he’s out there, you know he’s going to play.”

Beltran is in the lineup tonight, having iced his left knee a lot last night and this morning. “I want to be out there, playing,” he said.

Here’s the full Mets lineup tonight:

Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Alou LF
Delgado 1B
LoDuca C
Gomez RF
Pelfrey P

Orlando Hernandez was walking around the clubhouse and on the field without the big boot that had been protecting his right foot (which has a bunion). He did a little throwing, which represented a step forward. How much forward is still up in the air.

“I think `today,’ ” he said when he got back to the clubhouse before the game. “I don’t know the future.”

He did add he felt “OK” and that he took it easy today. If he feels better tomorrow, he will throw a bullpen session. Willie Randolph said it’s possible he could pitch in a game before the regular season is over.

Anyone else feel wiped out from that road trip? Talk about your emotional roller-coasters. I know all of you watching at home didn't have your laptops out hammering away at stories on deadline. But let me tell you this much -- the bullpen's performance (and rain on Friday) made for some nerve-wracking situations for the beat writers. Hope everything made sense in the newspaper or on the web site the next day.

Couple of observations from the trip. I'm wondering if Carlos Beltran is going to make it through the end of the season. Sure he's been in the starting lineup, but it's now been three straight games he's had to leave early because of the tendinitis affecting his knees. Tell you one thing. The Mets have taken notice of the public perception of Beltran as a soft player. GM Omar Minaya came out swinging after Sunday's win with an unsolicited defense of his $119-million centerfielder, so you know they're hearing the criticism.

The Mets also have to keep their fingers crossed with Moises Alou, who seems to be on borrowed time himself with that balky quadriceps muscle. He does appear to be wearing much less ice these days, however, so maybe that's a good sign.

Philip Humber on Wednesday? My advice is to temper your expectations. The guy hasn't made a start since Aug. 27 and a simulated game under the lights in Port St. Lucie isn't much of a tuneup. I still don't see why the Mets kept Humber buried for a month. They should have kept him on some type of schedule after he was called up from Triple-A New Orleans instead of making him an afterthought.

Good to see the MVP chants followed David Wright to South Florida and there were mostly Mets fans among the sparse crowds at Dolphin Stadium. Say what you want about Wright's lack of glamour numbers, but there is no one with more clutch hits than the Mets' third baseman, and Sunday was just another example of him getting the job done with the game on the line. Still is prone to those throwing glitches, however.

Predictions for the week? I can't figure out this team. They could run the table or go 2-5 and make this a race down to the very last day. Funny how they could use some help from the Braves, who begin a three-game series in Philadelphia tomorrow and will pitch both John Smoltz and Tim Hudson. My sense is that the Phillies finally will cool off and the Mets, despite not being a good home team, will feed off the crowd's enthusiasm at Shea.

That said, with the magic number at five, I'm thinking the clincher will be (drum roll please) on Thursday against the Cardinals. How's that for justice? Celebrating in front of St. Louis after what happened last October. I know Willie Randolph said on Sunday that the baseball gods are making the Mets "pay a little bit." But if those same gods have any sense of humor, it would be very appropriate for the Mets to be popping champagne with the Cardinals in town.

Surprise! Philip Humber will start Wednesday against the Nationals. Talk about your unexpected moves. Humber was so far off the radar screen, the Mets didn't seem to realize he was even traveling with them until they called him into Willie Randolph's office yesterday, told him of his new assignment and then drove him up Route 95 to Port St. Lucie to throw a simulated game at 7 p.m. under the lights at Tradition Field.

Good for Humber, but this only begs the question of what the heck were the Mets waiting for? Why didn't they start Humber last Monday against the Nationals rather than let Brian Lawrence get raked? That also would have given Humber a start to build on before taking the ball for a huge game in the final week of a division race. Just an odd sequence of events to get to this point if you ask me.

Carlos Beltran apparently did not suffer a bruised knee Friday as the Mets first announced during the game. Instead, Beltran aggravated a preexisting condition -- tendinitis in both knees -- and I think that's much worse.

“I felt pain in both knees,” Beltran said. “When I tried to stand up, I had no strength. My legs were shutting down."

The Mets centerfielder awkwardly spun around on the rubberized warning track trying to catch Jeremy Hermida's long double in the fifth inning and ultimately fell to the ground. As Beltran walked off the field, he moved stiffly, mostly favoring his left leg. But after the Mets' 9-6 victory over the Marlins, Beltran seemed hopeful that he would be in today's lineup, if the anti-inflammatory medication he took late Friday works its magic.

Perhaps the one thing in Beltran's favor is that he's been used to playing with leg problems since he signed with the Mets.

BY DAVID LENNON

MIAMI – Maybe the Marlins finally took pity on their spiraling NL East foe because Friday’s game was a gift, plain and simple. The Mets benefited from eight unearned runs, along with Florida’s six errors, and Pedro Martinez was merely adequate in an 9-6 victory at Dolphins Stadium that temporarily put a hold on all of the panic talk.

“They kicked it around a little bit and let us back in the game,” David Wright said. “When you give a team like us four or five outs an inning, we’ll make you pay.”

With the Mets needing to be rescued again, Martinez (3-0) was a flawed savior before the torrential rain cut his outing short at five innings. Martinez had his first shaky performance since his Sept. 3 return in allowing eight hits and four runs, but the Mets took advantage of the Marlins’ miscues to build an 8-4 lead by his departure.

With the lengthy 2-hour, 21-minute delay, Martinez was dressed and waiting for reporters when the clubhouse door opened. Knowing the importance of the win, and the heat manager Willie Randolph has been taking lately, Martinez ended the interview like only he can.

“All right guys,” Martinez said. “Take it easy on Willie. I’m going home.”

The Mets welcomed one Carlos back and lost another on the same night. Carlos Delgado homered in his return from a strained hip flexor – he had been out since Sept. 4 – and Carlos Beltran collected three RBI before he was forced to leave the game with a flare-up of tendinitis in both knees.

It was the Mets’ second win in three nights after a five-game losing streak and the magic number dropped to 8, but their division lead remained at 1 ½ games because the Phillies also beat the Nationals.

“We’re not afraid to add a little drama to it,” Delgado said. “It’s not our choice, but we’ll take it.”

With Billy Wagner’s status in doubt because of back spasms, the bullpen once again did not inspire much confidence. Guillermo Mota retired six of seven in relief of Martinez, but Pedro Feliciano walked the first two batters he faced in the eighth inning before serving up a two-run double to Hanley Ramirez.

The Marlins got the tying run to the plate that inning, but Scott Schoeneweis averted disaster by striking out Jeremy Hermida. With Wagner on the shelf, Schoeneweis stayed in for the ninth and earned his first save since Sept. 26 of last season.

Trailing 3-0, the Mets tied the score in the third inning with the help of errors from Mike Jacobs and Miguel Cabrera. The first run scored on a passed ball, but Mike Jacobs kept the inning alive when a routine throw kicked off his glove and Miguel Cabrera let Beltran’s grounder through his legs to score another run. Moises Alou followed with an RBI single that extended his hitting streak to 25 games, tying Ichiro Suzuki for the second-longest in the majors this season.

The Mets took a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning thanks to Cabrera’s second error, which should have been the second out. Luis Castillo blooped an RBI single to centerfield and Beltran ripped a two-run single. In the fifth, Jacobs booted a grounder for another error that opened the door for Jose Reyes, who drove in two runs before he was thrown out trying to stretch the single.

Martinez didn’t know it at the time, but the fifth would turn out to be his last inning. And it was the same for Beltran, who was forced to leave the game after chasing Hermida’s leadoff double into the centerfield triangle. He spun into the wall twice before tumbling to the ground.

Once on his feet, Beltran limped off. The injury was first announced during the game as a bruised left patellar tendon. But Beltran later explained that the slick rubberized warning track caused him to twist both knees in pursuit of the ball and aggravated his existing tendinitis.

“I felt pain in both knees,” Beltran said. “When I tried to stand up, I had no strength.”

Beltran took anti-inflammatory medication after coming out of the game and was hopeful he would be in Saturday’s lineup. As for the chronic tendinitis, Beltran believes it’s something he needs to get corrected after the season.

“I was saying to [Jose] Reyes, it’s like something is happening to us,” said Beltran, referring to the flurry of injuries. “We just need to continue. Keep fighting and see what happens.”

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Martinez stranded a runner at second base by whiffing Josh Willingham. Florida made it 3-0 in the second and a large part of that blame went to Paul Lo Duca, who prolonged the rally with a throwing error on Scott Olsen’s sacrifice bunt.

The third inning began terribly for Martinez, but he finished it brilliantly. After he loaded the bases, Martinez escaped with strikeouts of Cody Ross and Olivo. Martinez froze Ross with a 3-and-2 fastball on the outside edge of the plate and got Olivo on three straight curve balls.

“I believe that was the turning point,” Martinez said. “I turned it up a little bit and got the team motivated. That’s what we needed.”

I was optimistic the Mets would pull out of this nosedive, even after dropping their fifth straight, but now I'm not so sure. For really the first time of this plunge, manager Willie Randolph appeared shaken after Thursday's loss, and I think it had to do with Billy Wagner's back spasms.

Randolph's frequent use of the term "battling" in the postgame media chat brought back sickening memories of the Art Howe Error. It was Howe's favorite phrase. More of a mantra, really. And with the bullpen now in complete disarray -- Jorge Sosa has to be spent after pitching five times in six days -- Randolph has precious few reliable options. Maybe just one. Aaron Heilman.

Make no mistake. Thursday's loss was the toughest of the season for the Mets and maybe the most brutal defeat in recent memory. Sure, Game 7 of last year's NLCS was difficult. But that was the playoffs. Stuff like that always happens in the playoffs.

Another strange development Thursday. Randolph was practically speechless when asked about Lastings Milledge's blowup with plate umpire Jim Joyce. "You'll have to ask the parties involved," Randolph said. Weird. No defense or scolding of his young player. He's got to come down one way or the other on the issue. Seemed very indecisive to me and an indication of the doubt seeping into the Mets.

BTW, in keeping my eyes on the Phillies, I lost track of what's going on out West, where the D-Backs and Padres are now battling over the NL's best record. Sheesh. Even if the Mets do make the playoffs, there's a good chance they won't even have home-field advantage throughout. Wow.

BY DAVID LENNON

MIAMI – The Mets’ frustration, already at its boiling point, exploded last night in the seventh inning when Lastings Milledge ripped into plate umpire Jim Joyce without warning. Even after he was ejected, and later restrained twice by coaches, Milledge still charged back at Joyce and is likely to be suspended for his actions.

As reporters approached Milledge’s locker afterward, first base coach Rickey Henderson -- Milledge’s mentor -- tried to keep the media at bay.

“Gentlemen, he ain’t going to comment on that s---,” Henderson said. “Not tonight. Leave him alone.”

After Milledge dressed, he quietly told reporters, “Right now it’s not a good time. Tomorrow.” Manager Willie Randolph, who barged in to separate Milledge from Joyce, didn’t offer a comment.

“It’s probably best to ask the parties involved,” Randolph said.

In the seventh inning, Milledge popped up to short for the third out, but as he headed back toward the dugout, Milledge confronted Joyce on the infield grass near the pitcher’s mound.

Once face-to-face, Milledge didn’t get to say much before he was immediately ejected, and then had to be restrained by Henderson, who hustled over when things began to escalate. Finally, manager Willie Randolph came out to get between the two, and Henderson escorted Milledge off the field. That was only the beginning.

With Joyce still stating his case to Randolph, Milledge suddenly burst from the dugout and charged Joyce again before both Henderson and bench coach Jerry Manuel grabbed him. As they pulled him back, Milledge screamed at Joyce and repeatedly pumped his right fist at him.

It was unclear what upset Milledge, but replays showed that it might have been the first pitch of the at-bat, which looked outside but was called a strike. Milledge also was hit by Dontrelle Willis in the first inning and the Marlins starter threw behind him in the fifth.

BY DAVID LENNON

MIAMI – It’s official. The Mets are now in a bare-knuckle fight for their playoff lives.

Losing games is one thing. But to be bitten by the bad karma that is haunting the Mets at this very moment goes beyond what happens between the white lines.

Need proof? Around the time Marlon Anderson’s heroic pinch-hit, three-run double in the ninth inning sets up the Mets for a comeback victory last night over the Marlins, Billy Wagner throws one warm-up pitch and is frozen by back spasms.

“It stinks,” Wagner said. “There’s nothing you can do.”

Three runs up, all the Mets had to get was three measly outs. And without Wagner, they couldn’t finish the job. The Marlins tied the score at 7 against Jorge Sosa in the bottom of the ninth and then finished off the weary Sosa in the 10th when Dan Uggla’s game-winning double cemented an 8-7 loss for the Mets.

This heart-breaking defeat, coming fast on the heels of Wednesday’s uplifting win in D.C., has the potential to sink the Mets like concrete shoes. Back at RFK Stadium, the Phillies rallied to beat the Nationals, 7-6, and move within 1 ½ games of the Mets, who are threatening to pull the biggest late-season choke in history. No team has ever lost its grip on first place after leading by seven games with 17 remaining.

“We've lost every which way,” said Tom Glavine, who was ripped for four runs in the fifth inning, including a three-run homer by Miguel Cabrera. “You're watching things happen that you just can't believe you're seeing happen. And it seems like everything that you could have go wrong against us has gone wrong.”

The injury to Wagner was the tipping point. The Mets closer first experienced back spasms during the sweep by the Phillies last weekend at Shea, but they were not a problem when Wagner polished off the Nationals on Wednesday to end the five-game losing streak.

But the ensuing plane ride to Florida, and another night in a hotel bed, put Wagner in pain again when he woke up yesterday morning. After getting worked on by a chiropractor and massage therapist, Wagner believed he could pitch, but the spasms returned with a vengeance in the ninth.

What’s worse is that Wagner could be dealing with this condition for the remainder of the regular season, and if the Mets are fortunate enough to advance, into October as well. After last night’s game, Wagner was wrapped with a heating back and stood up stiffly as he spoke with reporters.

“I’m day to day right now,” Wagner said. “Wish and hope and pray. That’s all I can do.”

The Mets as a team may want to try that, too, because there seems to be otherworldly forces at work here. Lastings Milledge was ejected in the seventh inning for a vicious confrontation with plate umpire Jim Joyce and Aaron Heilman was nailed on the left wrist – while warming on the mound! – by a baseball apparently flung from the stands in the eighth.

“I didn’t see it,” Heilman said. “But it hit me square. I was about to throw my second warmup pitch.”

Heilman supplied a scoreless eighth inning but things got very messy from there. In the ninth, Pedro Feliciano was pulled after Jeremy Hermida’s leadoff single and Sosa -- making his fifth appearance in six days -- immediately surrendered a double to Miguel Cabrera.

Alfredo Amezaga’s groundout scored the first run and an infield single by former Met Mike Jacobs added another to cut it to 7-6. Cody Ross prolonged the rally with a single that dropped in front of the charging Endy Chavez in leftfield – and stayed fair by a matter of inches. Matt Treanor then tied the score at 7 with a grounder to short.

Trailing 4-3 in the ninth inning, the Mets loaded the bases before Marlins closer Kevin Gregg whiffed Jose Reyes for the first out. Up next was the pinch hitter Anderson, and with the count 3-and-2, he ripped a bases-clearing double into the right-center gap. Many of the Mets flooded the area near the on-deck circle to greet their incoming teammates. Paul Lo Duca, his shaved head shining, was pumping his fists as each walked past.

The team’s mood was more somber in the wake of this demoralizing loss. Lo Duca, who always is available for comment afterward, still had not cooled down by the time reporters approached his locker.

“Not tonight, boys,” Lo Duca said as he brushed past. No one could really blame him after this loss.

So what happened last night? Was the Mets' 8-4 win over the Nationals the true turning point of this pennant push? Or was it merely the dead-cat bounce of a Mets team that still remains vulnerable down the stretch?

Combined with a Phillies' loss that sliced the Magic Number to 9, I'd say it's the former (though my pessimistic friend Bill over there says otherwise). The Mets showed a bunch of positive signs on Wednesday. Jose Reyes, despite an early error, sparked the top of the lineup with two hits and two runs scored. He also turned the double play of the game in the sixth inning. True, that was a tailor-made grounder Nook Logan hit up the middle, but with Reyes' troubles of late, that was no guarantee.

Moises Alou also inspired his teammates by climbing off the trainer's table and getting into the lineup, despite the very real risk of blowing out that left quadriceps for good. The Mets must hope Alou can keep doing that through October, and it would be nice if Paul Lo Duca has no lingering effects from taking that pitch off his knuckles. I know that the X-rays were negative, but sometimes you don't see a break on the first look.

Carlos Delgado said after the game that he felt great during BP, but with the Marlins throwing Dontrelle Willis tonight, he may wait until tomorrow to return.

If the Mets didn't win Wednesday, Pedro Martinez said he was breaking out the Yoda mask in Miami. Trust me. You don't want to know what that entails.

Their lead may be crumbling, and the sense of impending doom grows stronger by the minute, but the Mets were pretty much the same today. Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay howled in laughter as they watched something on Endy Chavez's laptop screen. Once again, the couch was crammed with players watching MTV. Guess it's better for them than checking out SportsCenter these days.

Oh yeah, and Paul Lo Duca, who seems to take losing harder than anybody, showed up with his head shaved. This was not some team-wide sanctioned event, however, like the Mets did in San Francisco back in May. After last night's loss, Lo Duca returned to the team hotel and took electric clippers to his head, doing the deed solo. No easy task, and with the blade dulled by overuse, Lo Duca had more than a few nicks in his scalp.

"I thought about a mohawk," Lo Duca said, "but I didn't want to make a mockery of it."

When Shawn Green was warned that Lo Duca was back on the head-shaving kick, he planned to stay far, far away from the cue ball catcher.

"I started hitting home runs once I got my hair back," said Green, who has smacked two in the past two games.

As for tonight's lineup, Moises Alou is in it, despite leaving Tuesday's game in the fifth inning with a tight left quadriceps. Alou missed 2 1/2 months with a left quad strain earlier this season, but he understands he can't sit out with the team in full crisis mode.

"It's a different time of the year right now," Alou said.

Not sure if this is good news or not, but Orlando Hernandez played catch with his protective boot on early this afternoon. He started warming up by throwing underhand and he was really zipping it fast-pitch softball style. Again, I guess that's progress. I'm not really positive though.

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In keeping with my disaster theme -- nuclear Armageddon, car barreling off cliff -- I Googled "train wreck" for today's photo and this is what came up. Britney Spears at the MTV awards. No joke. Amid countless photos of trains crashing into each other or piled up on tracks, there was a smiling Britney, busting out of her questionable wardrobe choice.

That made me think. Are the Mets like Britney, realizing too late that she has serious problems only to go down in flames in front of a national TV audience? Despite all the negativity, and how tempting it is to just keep shoveling on the dirt, I say no. As upsetting as last night's 9-8 loss to the Nationals was, and it was stomach-turning, the Mets did appear to fix some leaks.

They played error-free for the first time in six games. They had 16 hits. Once again, they jumped ahead 4-0, then led, 5-1 and 7-3. At least the Mets showed a pulse. I know this is no time for moral victories -- the Mets desperately need real ones -- but it was a drastic improvement from the previous two games. As Paul Lo Duca said, "We played p--- poor in those games. We couldn't have beaten a high school team."

In the aftermath of last night's loss, the Mets ate together quietly. The only sounds that could be heard was the occasional whine of a blender and forks scraping plates.There was almost zero talking. And just about everyone dressed in time to make the first bus back to the hotel. The room was virtually empty only 40 minutes after the last out.

I'm going to think positive here and suggest the Mets just wanted to get this loss out of their system as quickly as possible. They had their pregame meeting, the result was not what they wanted, but this is no time to waste energy looking backward. Get some sleep, get back to RFK and salvage the finale of this series

"It's not going to be easy," Lo Duca said. "Hopefully this makes us stronger. We played hard, we battled, and if we play like this, we're going to win eight of 10 games. It just didn't happen."

Just joking with the mushroom cloud. No major blowups down here.The Mets did have their much-anticipated team meeting this afternoon, but were predictably tight-lipped about it. Manager Willie Randolph briefly chatted with the players before speaking with reporters on the dugout bench and then treated the whole episode like no big deal.

"This is not Armageddon to us," Randolph said.

In the clubhouse, it was business as usual. Plenty of card-playing, TV watching and hamburger-munching. No sense of impending doom or anything like that. Quite tame really.

Here's one piece of big news. Orlando Hernandez will have to wear a protective boot on his bunion foot for another seven to 10 days, which puts the remainder of his season in serious jeopardy, as well as the playoffs.So much for a surplus of starters. As for whether he feels he can come back or not, a dejected El Duque said, "I have to wait."

There were a bunch of questions after last night's humiliating loss to the Nationals about meetings, who should speak, when will manager Willie Randolph address the team. Here's my take on that -- enough with the soapbox stuff. If the Mets can't get their act together, on an individual basis, then they don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

For a team that has been in first place longer than anyone else in baseball -- 317 days and counting over the past two seasons -- you would think the Mets have the mental toughness to stay there for another 13 games. They should, anyway.

"We've hit a bump and there's a couple of different options," David Wright said last night. "We can very easily play below what we're capable of and continue to coast. Or we can step it up. Guys in here understand this is a crucial time."

And here's the bottom line on team meetings, which I know you've heard before. Manager talks to players before game, team wins, manager=genius. Manager talks to players before game, team loses, manager=desperate schlub with the motivational skills of a resin bag. So it's a 50-50 bet, depending of course on the starting pitcher.

With that mind, maybe today is the right time. Tonight's starter, John Maine, has been iffy on occasion in the second half. But Maine also is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts against the Nationals this season with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Here's where Randolph blew it last night. Why on earth you would double-switch Paul Lo Duca out of the game in the sixth inning? Randolph calmly explained that it was merely a substitution after Lo Duca made the last out of the previous inning. But with the Mets needing some offense, pulling Lo Duca, who already had two hits in the game, did not seem like a good idea. Especially when Lo Duca spent the rest of the night fuming on the dugout bench.

This is not the time to be alienating your core players, even if the free-agent Lo Duca is a goner after this season. Remember, Lo Duca is one of David Wright's best friends on the team, and also works closely with the pitching staff, so this is not a guy Randolph wants to smack around. It's not good for his Q rating in the clubhouse, which already is on the decline. Not quite at Bush levels yet, but put it this way -- Randolph's lucky he shed his lame-duck status before this season began.

Still no word on the progress of Orlando Hernandez, but even if there was, not sure who would deliver it. Just know that El Duque's foot is still hurting and he can't pitch off a mound until the soreness goes away.Or at least becomes easier to bear.

Good thing about Duque, though. He's like a box of frozen pizza rolls. Or Han Solo in Carbonite (see picture). Just defrost him a few days before Game 1 and he should be ready to go. With the 52-year-old Hernandez, the less he pitches, the less opportunity there is for him to get hurt, so no need to rush him back. Put him in the freezer, thaw him in time for October.

The good news? Carlos Delgado has been sneaking some batting practice in the indoor cages. The not-so-good? Manager Willie Randolph gave him the thumbs-down for the DC series and a maybe for Florida.

The Mets need some runs from this lineup. Not sure Brian Lawrence (6.31 ERA) has a three-hit shutout in him tonight.

Reyes ...... SS
Castillo ..... 2B
Wright ...... 3B
Beltran ..... CF
Alou ......... LF
Green ....... 1B
Lo Duca ... C
Milledge .... RF
Lawrence ...RHP

OK, so I blew it by predicting a Mets sweep of the Phils over the weekend. That's what I get for stealing the brainchild of Post colleague Mark Hale for the sake of a cheap-o blog item. Hale's been picking every series since Opening Day -- just bored, I guess -- and anything that keeps him away from reading about his New York Football Giants these days is probably a good diversion.

After the weekend carnage at Shea, there's no figuring out these Mets. They had just won 10 of 12 and David Wright even said his crew was peaking at the right time. Maybe they were -- en route to driving right off the mountaintop. As bad as the Mets want to close out the NL East, they also have to hope the Phillies don't get the wild card. Really, really hope. As in pray.

At least Brian Lawrence goes tonight against the Nationals to restore law and order in the NL East. And if he's pulled by the third, there's always Monday Night Football. Eagles-Redskins, ESPN. Maybe Hale can get an early jump on his scouting report for next week.

"Welcome to Shea cathedral," said Bishop Ignatius Catanello as he began Mass this morning in a setting that was hardly cathedral-like. It was the spartan, low-ceilinged former Jets locker room, but the ceremony was moving.

The regular Sunday morning service, attended by ushers, other employees, police officers and occasionally players, had a special feature today. It was the annual tribute to the 23 NYPD members who died in the line of duty on 9/11. The officer who spoke at Mass said the police honor all those who lost their lives that day, but that once a year, the fallen police are remembered in a special way at Shea.

At the end of Mass, a roll call was held with each of the 23 names read, followed by the response from an officer at the lectern saying, "Absent." Among those who read the names were Mets Paul LoDuca, Aaron Sele, Aaron Heilman and David Wright.

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Jay Horwitz, vice president of media relations, was inducted into the Fairleigh Dickinson University Hall of Fame last night. Horwitz' work in publicizing FDU sports in the 1970s--including his creative promotion of high jumper Franklin Jacobs--helped get him the job as media relations director with the Mets in 1980.

The Mets made official today what they had strongly hinted yesterday, that Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez will miss his start in Washington tomorrow because his right foot still is hurting. The club has no idea when he will start again, but it won't be any time in the next four days.

The rotation has been set up for the week and he is not part of it, at least not now. Brian Lawrence will take Hernandez' place tomorrow. Lawrence, called up yesterday from Triple A New Orleans,said he was told about his start yesterday. He had been scheduled to pitch yesterday for the Zephyrs, had they not been eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs. So he will be well rested. He hasn't been told about another possible start, so the club is leaving the door open for Duque.

Willie Randolph repeated this morning that Hernandez still can do his full workouts--running, long tossing. The foot hurts when he pushes off while pitching.

The manager also announced that Mike Pelfrey will start against the Nationals Wedndesday, which would have been Tom Glavine's spot. That will give Glavine and Pedro Martinez and extra day of rest. Even though the Mets are insistent that they aren't presumptuous enough to be setting up their postseason rotation, the extra rest won't hurt.

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Marlon Anderson said this morning he has not heard anything from Major League Baseball officials about possible disciplinary actions for having thrown his helmet after being ejected yesterday. The helmet hit Phillies catcher Chris Coste, to whom Anderson apologized