ATLANTA — The commissioner’s office should lodge a complaint against the Mets for impersonating a major league baseball team.
Nothing quite says “bush league” like Daniel Murphy getting nailed attempting to steal third base with nobody out and the Mets trailing by three runs in the sixth inning. It happened last night in the nightcap of a doubleheader the Mets were vehemently opposed to playing. But their complaint to the commissioner’s office had about as much chance of succeeding as Murphy stealing third.
The Mets should have hoisted a Seven and Seven to celebrate. Their losing streak reached seven games — the franchise’s longest in seven years — with defeats of 4-2 and 4-0 to the Braves at Turner Field.
“We’re not as bad as we’re playing right now,” David Wright said after the Mets lost for the ninth and 10th times in 11 games. “Hopefully this is an eye-opening little streak for us.”
The losing streak is the Mets’ longest since the Art Howe era. They dropped 11 straight games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2004, sealing Howe’s fate — he was fired later in the month. Manager Terry Collins doesn’t have to worry about an April firing, but needs to find something — anything — to reverse the club’s fortunes.
The low point came when Murphy doubled leading off the sixth against Jair Jurrjens and then got thrown out trying to steal third.
“We used to call that an error of enthusiasm,” said Collins, who scolded Murphy in the tunnel.
Murphy had a different explanation.
“It was an awful play,” Murphy said. “There was nothing that could be going through my mind to justify that. Bad play. I put a good swing on a ball to start the inning off the right way with a guy who is throwing the rock pretty well, and I killed it. I’ve got to do better than that.”
Murphy’s double was one of just two hits by the Mets in the nightcap. Mike Pelfrey (0-2) had a fourth straight lethargic start by surrendering four earned runs on 11 hits over five innings.
“Another rough night,” Pelfrey said. “I definitely have to be better.”
The Mets’ Game 1 loss wasn’t quite as ugly. The Braves scored their four runs on solo homers and then clung to the lead as Wright (who went 0-for-7 with three strikeouts in the twinbill) and Brad Emaus, among others, squandered late scoring chances.
“I felt like I kept my team close enough, but today [Derek] Lowe was better,” first-game starter D.J. Carrasco said after allowing three earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. “I felt like I pounded the zone and they beat me, what else can you do? I tip my cap to them.”
Alex Gonzalez hit two solo homers against Carrasco and Chipper Jones had another. Freddie Freeman later homered against Pat Misch.
Jones’ homer, with two outs in the first, was the 45th of his career against the Mets. Jones is tied with Hank Aaron for the fourth most homers against the Mets. Only Willie Stargell (60), Mike Schmidt (49) and Willie McCovey (48) have more.
Maybe the biggest wasted opportunity of Game 1 for the Mets came in the seventh, when Scott Linebrink retired Wright, after Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan drew two-out walks.
The Mets got an RBI fielder’s choice from Reyes in the fifth, but Pagan hit into a double play to kill the rally. Willie Harris’ RBI double an inning later pulled the Mets within 3-2, but Harris was left stranded at third when Lowe (2-2) retired Emaus.