Dodgers 5, Mets 0 Maine Loses Focus, and Maybe a Postseason Edge John Dunn for The New York Times Jose Reyes strikes out to end the 3rd inning. The Mets were shutout by Hong-Chih Kuo and three Dodger relievers. By BEN SHPIGEL Published: September 9, 2006 Of all the decisions that Mets Manager Willie Randolph must make in the coming weeks, the trickiest may be whether to place John Maine on the postseason roster. Can Maine, the Mets’ most consistent pitcher the past seven weeks, unseat Steve Trachsel, the unlikeliest 14-game winner in baseball, for the No. 4 starter’s job? If not, can he make a transition to the bullpen? John Maine could not bring himself to watch Nomar Garciaparra circle the bases last night after a bases-empty home run in the fifth inning. In the Mets’ 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night at Shea Stadium, Maine offered evidence that Randolph should reflect on his entire body of work. In Maine’s words, he pitched “terrible, just terrible.” In a stretch of six batters in the fifth inning, Maine allowed two home runs — and nearly a third — gave up a walk and allowed a single. He did not pitch the sixth. "I made mistakes," Maine said. "They hit them hard." By that point, the Mets were being systematically dismantled by the 25-year-old Taiwanese left-hander, Hong-Chih Kuo, who has had two reconstructive elbow surgeries. He was 0-4 with a 5.34 earned run average in 23 relief appearances this season before making his first major league start last night. Perhaps inspired by Taiwanese Night at Shea — purely coincidental, of course — Kuo threw six scoreless innings. He did not allow a hit until David Wright’s leadoff single in the fifth and permitted three hits over all. The Mets mustered one hit against three Dodgers relievers to keep their number for clinching the National League East at seven. If the wild-card standings hold so that the Mets play San Diego in the first round, they will probably keep 11 pitchers on the postseason roster. The Padres do not have a powerful offense, and both teams play in stadiums widely viewed as pitchers’ parks, reducing the importance of carrying another reliever. Assuming that Trachsel would start Game 4, if necessary, in the division series, the Mets would almost certainly carry relievers Billy Wagner, Pedro Feliciano, Chad Bradford, Aaron Heilman and Guillermo Mota, and two of these three pitchers: Darren Oliver, Roberto Hern?ndez and Maine. Oliver is intriguing because he is left-handed. Before the game, Randolph said that he wanted to ease Oliver, who has pitched mostly in long relief this season, into other situations to prepare him for possible postseason duty. Oliver pitched the sixth inning last night and allowed one run on two hits. Since he was acquired from Pittsburgh at the trading deadline, Hern?ndez has solidified the team’s middle relief, allowing five runs in 13 1/3 innings. He throws harder than anyone except Wagner and Mota and could be vital in the seventh. The Mets may also be reluctant to leave out Hern?ndez considering they surrendered Xavier Nady, a power-hitting right-handed hitter, to get him. Then there is Maine. He is the only starting pitcher who throws harder than 91 miles an hour, and his deceptive delivery and late-moving fastball have turned him into one of this season’s most pleasant surprises for the Mets. He stops losing streaks, extends winning streaks and, most important, keeps his team in striking distance. Before last night, the Mets had won Maine’s past eight starts. “That’s not in my mind,” Maine said when asked if he wondered whether he was being evaluated for the postseason. “Guys in my situation, all of us are.” Maine may have additional value if the Mets are dubious of Trachsel. But Maine is still a rookie, and in every game, it seems, he has a lapse in concentration. Paul Lo Duca said Maine told him that he was not sharp in the bullpen and, in fact, Maine said he has not felt well in his last three starts. He has had particular difficulty throwing his slider and his changeup. Without those pitches last night, Maine was forced to throw fastballs up in the zone. Maine has allowed 14 home runs in 73 innings this season, and in their third trip through the order, even a gap-hitting team like the Dodgers, who entered the game with the fewest home runs in the league, was able to capitalize. The Dodgers scored two unearned runs against Maine in the first, ending the Mets’ 25-inning scoreless streak, when he threw 36 pitches. But then the Dodgers turned impatient. Of the next 11 hitters, five put the first pitch in play. But only one had a hit, allowing Maine to breeze through the next three innings on 28 pitches. But Rafael Furcal drilled a low fastball over the center-field fence to lead off the fifth. After Kenny Lofton lined out, Maine left pitches up to Nomar Garciaparra and J. D. Drew. Garciaparra blasted a hanging slider into the picnic seats in left-center to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0. Drew bashed the next pitch to deep right-center, but Carlos Beltr?n timed his leap perfectly and reached over the fence to save a home run. Maine said of the homers: “Both weren’t in a good spot for a pitcher. But for a hitter, they could not have been better.” INSIDE PITCH Willie Randolph said Dave Williams, Oliver P?rez and Tom Glavine would start in the three-game series in Florida that begins Monday. Williams is to face An?bal S?nchez, who threw a no-hitter Wednesday night. -- 我的可愛女兒們 http://0rz.net/321AC --

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