-It’s still hard to believe what’s happened to the Mets. Even facing the prospect of being out of first for the first time since May 15 couldn’t inspire Willie Randolph’s stumbling club to pull out a win against the hapless Marlins. Instead, they dropped yet another at Shea falling 7-4 Friday night.

Coupled with the Phillies’ 6-0 shutout thanks to a brilliant 13 strikeout performance from ace Cole Hamels, the Amazin’s now trail the Phils by a game with just two games left this weekend as they now try to save their season.

How bad are things for the Mets? They’re now 0-5 on the final homestand which could be shattering the hearts of many fans in Queens who have sat and stared in disbelief at what’s transpired since Sept. 12 when their team was comfortably in front of Philly by seven games with a second consecutive division within sight.

If you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz, then you should be very familiar with Judy Garland’s infamous Dorothy character where she clicks her heels together in red slippers and says, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to the Mets who have now dropped their last eight at Shea during this epic collapse which has seen them lose 11 of 15.

“I think it’s embarrassing,” Met third baseman David Wright said after being unable to step on third for an unusual 5-2-5 double play in the second which cost his team a run. “It’s pretty pathetic that we have this division within our grasp with seven home games and we can’t find a way to win one of them. It’s a bad feeling.“
After being shutdown by Boston reject Joel Pineiro a night prior, this time the Mets allowed BJ Kim to somehow get through five innings and pickup a win for the Marlins. They did get all four of their runs (3 ER) off the journeyman but it wasn’t enough due to a lack of control from Oliver Perez.

The unpredictable southpaw who was so clutch against the very same team last weekend going eight strong for his 15th victory was dreadful when his team needed another big outing. Instead, he got off to a bad start giving up a first inning two-run home run to Jeremy Hermida which gave Florida the lead for good silencing the Shea supporters who turned out and supported their team unlike the previous night where you could hear a pin drop.

Even though the Mets got back in it and sliced it back to one thanks to a monstrous two-run shot from Carlos Beltran off the scoreboard, Perez just couldn’t get it together in the fourth, giving back the two runs thanks to a two out bases loaded two-run single by Miguel Cabrera which snuck under Jose Reyes’ glove. It ended Perez’ night as he exited to boos.
An inning prior with his team trailing 2-1, he forced in two runs with the bases loaded by hitting consecutive batters.

His final line: 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 HP, 4 K’s

In sharp contrast last weekend, he didn’t walk a batter giving up two runs (1 ER) while fanning eight.

Guess that’s how it goes when things are unraveling. Adding further insult to injury was light hitting Florida backstop Matt Treanor taking Orlando Hernandez deep to put the Marlins up four.

It was too much for the Mets to overcome as they only got a Wright fifth inning RBI ground out for the final margin as they were shutdown the final four frames by four Marlins relievers including ex-Met farmhand Matt Lindstrom, who escaped a first and third jam by getting Moises Alou swinging on a nasty heater downstairs to fan the side in the seventh.

It was the only serious threat the Mets had as they even couldn’t do anything with a leadoff hit from Reyes in their last licks as Florida closer Kevin Gregg got Luis Castillo, Wright and Beltran without any problem sending the fans home quietly.
“It’s hard to believe but it’s the reality,” a disappointed Beltran expressed in the loser’s locker room. “We haven’t been able to play the game the way we want to.“
Meanwhile, the Phillies had built a six-run lead on the Nationals in front of screaming and towel waving fans at Citizens Bank Park as they won their 12th in the last 15 to move into first.
The usual suspects were at it as the trio of MVP candidates Jimmy Rollins (two-run single), Chase Utley (RBI double) and Ryan Howard (two-run home run) drove in five of the six runs with Hamels knocking in the other to go along with his remarkable start in which he blew away 13 Nats in the first eight on 116 pitches.

Not too shabby for a 22 year-old who at one point fanned 10 of 13 striking out the side twice.

So, with wildcard leader San Diego winning 6-3 in Milwaukee to take a two-game lead over both the Mets and Rockies (lost 4-2 to Diamondbacks) with two days left to decrease its Magic No. to 1, the big question is is New York finished?

It will all depend on how John Maine and the offense performs later today. Only difference is now, they need help to get in. The Phillies and Padres must cooperate for that to happen.
-Kudos to Lou Piniella on getting the ship turned around at Wrigley. With a 6-0 shutout in Cincinnati, the fiery skipper got the Cubs back to October for the first time since Steve Bartman in 2003. No. Unlike most Cub fans, we don’t blame the poor fan for what transpired. It’s old news.

The Cubs couldn’t have won the NL Central without Alfonso Soriano (leadoff home run) having a big final month slugging 13 of his team leading 32 homers. The big money free agent who went 40/40 last year in the nation’s capital finally paid off after having a disappointing start to his Cub career.

They also got a big performance from ace Carlos Zambrano, who tossed seven scoreless to earn his 18th win. If they’re to make this a memorable postseason in Chicago, the good Zambrano must show up like last night.

Derrek Lee also hit his 22nd home run and the resurgent Jacques Jones doubled in two more as the Cubs clinched the division thanks to the win along with Milwaukee’s home defeat to San Diego.

If a Cub fan is looking for reasons why this team turned it around coming from eight and a half out in mid-June to make the postseason, look at Jones’ second half:

.319, 22 extra base hits, 45 RBI’s

Note: The average should have gone up based on Jones’ three hits last night.

We’re fairly certain a stat-sessed Stanford student is chopping at the bit here.