OBSTRUCTED VIEW: Mets manager Terry Collins and Jose Reyes argue with umpire Jerry Layne after the shortstop was called for obstruction in the first inning last night, allowing the Pirates’ Jose Tabata to avoid being put out at third. Tabata later scored the first run in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 victory. (AP)
PITTSBURGH — Another chance to reach .500 and another flat performance for the Mets.
Not that an even record wins you a prize, but from a self-esteem perspective, the Mets wouldn’t mind scaling that first hurdle in what they hope will be a summer filled with playoff talk.
Last night, they tried to take that step — for the second time in three days — only to watch their lineup go stale in a 3-1 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.
“The main thing is we’ve been playing better since the [bad] start,” Mike Pelfrey said after the Mets finished with a split of the four-game series. “We’re better than a .500 team, and eventually it will show in the end.”
Paul Maholm (3-7) frustrated the Mets with an assortment of slop. The left-hander allowed only three hits over seven shutout innings before the Pirates bullpen hung on, with some help from rookie Lucas Duda’s base running blunder in the eighth inning.
The Mets (32-34) got a run in the eighth, but their chance to tie the game was spoiled when Duda ran to second base on Jose Tabata’s shoe-string catch of Jose Reyes’ shot to left. Ruben Tejada tagged up at third and scored, but Duda didn’t realize the ball had been caught, and was easily doubled off first.
“I thought [Tabata] trapped it, and obviously I was wrong,” Duda said. “It was my fault. I should have gone halfway instead of going all the way.”
Pelfrey (3-5) gave the Mets a chance by allowing two earned runs over seven innings for his second straight good start since getting shelled by the Pirates two weeks ago at Citi Field — a game in which the Mets rallied from a seven-run deficit to win 9-8.
Mets starting pitchers have gone nine straight games since then without allowing more than three earned runs.
“I got outpitched,” Pelfrey said. “Maholm on the other side, he was great and you have to tip your cap to him.”
Manny Acosta loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth before Tim Byrdak walked Neil Walker to give the Pirates their final run.
Pelfrey had retired 11 straight batters until Brandon Wood cleared the left field-fence leading off the fifth, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The homer was the 12th allowed by Pelfrey this season, matching his total for all of 2010.
Reyes was hit with an obstruction call in the first inning, helping the Pirates take a 1-0 lead. Tabata appeared out at third base on Angel Pagan’s throw, following Xavier Paul’s single to center, but Reyes was ruled to have blocked Tabata rounding second. Tabata was awarded third and scored on Walker’s ensuing single.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Reyes said of the obstruction call. “The guy didn’t even touch me. I didn’t even make contact with the guy.”
But it did appear to Pelfrey that Reyes forced Tabata to change his path running to third base.
“I told Josie in the dugout I thought it was the right call,” Pelfrey said. “It looked like [Tabata] had to take a step in to get to third, so I thought it was the right call.”
The Mets had a chance to break through in the fifth, but with Pelfrey at the plate attempting to sacrifice bunt, Daniel Murphy was caught off second base and tagged out. Pelfrey was then retired for the final out, wasting consecutive singles by Murphy and Tejada.
“The one thing you can’t do is get off that bag so far that if you bunt through it you’re in no man’s land,” manager Terry Collins said. “You see it at this level, once a week.”