Pirates 6, Mets 5 (10)
Pirates 11, Mets 4
Mets 6, Pirates 1

Thank God that's over with. The Mets' frustrating first half came to an end with a thud. The team sits at 44-44, five and a half games out of the Wild Card race. When they return from the All-Star Break, they'll be thrust right into a four-game death match for relevancy. They had a chance to set themselves a little better in this final weekend, but instead they lost two games out of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The first game got off to a promising start thanks to an increasingly promising starter. Victor Zambrano at least equaled his best start of the season, going eight innings while allowing just one run for the second time this season. He allowed five hits and for the first time all year walked just a single batter. He only struck out four, but his eight-inning, 111-pitch effort was just another piece of evidence that he may be the second-best starter the Mets have. He lowered his ERA to 3.58 and left with a four-run lead, surely on his way to his fifth win of the season.

The Mets got the scoring started early, as Jose Reyes drew another leadoff walk, reached second on a stolen base attempt that was ruled a caught stealing and an error, but which really looked like a stolen base, reached third on a ground out and scored on a balk. He also scored the Mets' second run after hitting a single in the sixth. Ramon Castro also had a big night, hitting his first home run of the season and driving in another with a single, though a base running blunder in the top of the ninth cost the Mets at least one run. Marlon Anderson and Brian Daubach each had doubles. The Mets' infield made two errors in the first nine innings, but none of them factor in the scoring.

So when Aaron Heilman entered to pitch the bottom of the ninth, the task he was given wasn't an especially difficult one. True, he had to defend that four-run lead against the middle of the Pirates' batter order, but all that meant was that the toughest hitter he'd have to face would be Rob Mackowiak. And he retired Mackowiak! But the next two batters singled. He got the next batter to fly out, but then he walked Jack Wilson, who entered the game with an on-base percentage of .259. Braden Looper then entered to save Heilman's ass and the game. But he couldn't retire Tike Redman, who after an epic twelve-pitch at bat, singled to drive in a pair. A Matt Lawton double brought home two more, tying the game. Looper then got the third out to send the extra innings, where Looper would lose it with some help from an error by Miguel Cairo.

After that depressing collapse, the man tasked with the job of getting the Mets back on the right track was Kazuhisa Ishii, and I bet you can guess how well that went. Ishii lasted five and two-thirds innings and gave up four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five. The Mets were still in the game when Ishii exited, having scored three runs on a two-run home run by Mike Cameron and a solo shot by Cliff Floyd. But the bullpen made quick work of that glimmer of hope.

Heath Bell got Ishii out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth without any difficulty, but come the seventh, he put together his very own mess. A double, a single and a fly out led to an intentional walk to load the bases, and Bell couldn't escape a second time. He gave up a two-run single and the Mets officially threw in the towel, calling on Danny Graves to relieve Bell. The man the Mets want to be "a big part of the bullpen come the stretch run" didn't get an out, allowing a double, a walk and a grand slam home run. It was Jack Wilson's fifth home run of the year, Graves's fourth. Willie Randolph put Graves out of his misery and called on Royce Ring to finish the inning, which he did without allowing a run. Graves' season ERA is now 7.81, which is actually about half a run higher than it was when the Reds released him. He's allowed nine runs in nine and one-third innings as a Met. Perhaps his runs to innings ratio needs to creep above one before the Mets get the hint that if every AAA pitcher were like Graves, Drew Henson might be the Yankees' starting third baseman right now.

On Sunday it was the same old story as Pedro Martinez saved the day and made the Mets look like a major league franchise again. The Ace still hasn't had a start where he's allowed zero runs this year, but he had another one-run gem to earn his tenth win of the season and lower his ERA to 2.72. He lasted seven innings and struck out nine batters, allowing just five singles and one walk. Roberto Hernandez and Braden Looper each pitched a scoreless inning of relief and, perhaps inspired by Pedro, struck out two batters a piece. Looper allowed one hit while Hernandez was perfect.

Carlos Beltran got back into the act of hitting home runs on the days Pedro starts, hitting his tenth of the season in the first inning to drive in Reyes, who had led off the game with one of his four singles. Reyes also stole his twenty-sixth base of the season. Cameron had a double and a single, as did Cairo, who also stole his eighth base of the season. Castro started for the second time in this series and hit another double.

So the Mets close out the first half with a win to wind up perfectly even and in last place, eight games back of the division leaders. Beltran and Mike Piazza will represent the Mets in the National League's starting lineup at the All-Star Game, with Martinez having chosen not to go since he wouldn't be able to pitch. Once the break is over, the Mets will have one last chance to assert themselves in the divisional and Wild Card races, as they take on the Braves at home in a four game series.  ¶ joe | 9:23 PM |