Mets falling out of playoff contention, lose to Marlins 6-1

Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza might want to borrow some ear plugs from Bobby Bonilla for that Shea farewell Sunday. It could be a venomous atmosphere at the postgame sendoff to the stadium if Johan Santana and Oliver Perez can't save the Mets' season with starts on short rest.

For a second straight year, Florida arrived in Flushing for a season-ending series aiming to knock out the Mets. This time the Fish handed the not-so-Amazin's a 6-1 series-opening loss Friday night that dropped the Mets a game behind the Brewers in the wild-card race and to the brink of elimination. If the Mets lose with Santana on the mound and Milwaukee beats Chicago Saturday, they will have penned a second straight collapse. The Mets (88-72) also fell two games behind the division-leading Phillies with two games remaining, reducing Philadelphia's magic number to one. Continue