7,480: Mets drop to 1 GB in wild-card with 6-1 loss to Marlins

The Mets could manufacture just one run and the Marlins scored early and kept adding runs late Friday night as Florida won 6-1 to leave the Mets two games back in the N.L. East with only two games left in the season.

With capturing the division looking highly unlikely, the Mets’ postseason hopes now lie in the wild-card race, but the out-of-town scoreboard provided little good news. The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1, giving the Brewers a one-game lead over the Mets in the wild-card standings.

Mets’ starter Mike Pelfrey got into trouble in the first inning, giving up a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez, who then stole second. Ramirez scored on a John Baker single, Jorge Cantu followed with a double and Baker scored on a Dan Uggla ground-out.

Pelfrey settled in and pitched well over the next five innings until giving up a two-out solo homer in the sixth inning to Josh Willingham.

The Mets finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the sixth after Ryan Church walked, Ramon Martinez hit a double down the left field line and Schneider grounded into a fielder’s choice that let Church cross the plate.

Bobby Parnell came in to pitch the top of the seventh but gave up a leadoff walk to Luis Gonzalez. Pinch-runner Brett Carroll stole second and scored on a Ramirez single mishandled by left fielder Daniel Murphy to make it 4-1. Pedro Feliciano came in to throw one pitch to and hit Baker on the hand during his bunt attempt before being pulled for Aaron Heilman, who loaded the bases and walked in a run. The fourth reliever – Joe Smith – was finally able to get the third out.

The Marlins added their sixth run on a walk and two singles off Brian Stokes in the seventh inning.

Pelfrey lost his no-hitter on Ramirez’s lead-off a single, marking the franchise’s 7,480th game without a no-no and the 40th time this season a Mets starter lost it right off the bat. That’s more than double the average of 19 opening-batter no-no kills per season over the previous 46 years. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for a list of the 2008 immediate breakups.)