NEW YORK - Before the Mets headed north from spring training, Sean Green left behind the No. 48 jersey he'd worn all spring and asked for another number, any number.
He hadn't asked for No. 48 when he was traded to the Mets and when he learned that Aaron Heilman had worn it, he decided to avoid any unnecessary comparisons. But no matter what number he disguised himself in, there he was at Citi Field Tuesday night in a very Heilman-like situation. As he made his way to the dugout, the boos loudly cascaded down from every corner of the stadium, echoing in his ears, a sound familiar to Heilman during his time as the beleaguered bullpen arm of the Mets and now unleashed upon Green.
Green became the goat Tuesday, giving up four runs in the seventh inning, spoiling a solid performance by Livan Hernandez and sending the Mets to a 7-4 loss to the Marlins.
Prior to Tuesday, Green had allowed just one run at Citi Field in six outings, so maybe the home fans weren't exactly giving him much rope ? or maybe they still are sensitive to the damage the bullpen wreaked upon the franchise in recent years.
This certainly felt like old times for the Mets . And if Green had been good at home, he did give up seven hits and five runs in two innings against St. Louis on Thursday.
But the boos he received were all for his inning of work Tuesday. He walked the first batter he faced, No. 8 hitter Alfredo Amezaga, and after getting pinch-hitter Russ Gload, he gave up a single to Emilio Bonifacio and a run-scoring groundout to Cameron Maybin to tie the game at 4.
He then got himself in more trouble, walking John Baker to bring up Jorge Cantu, who unloaded on a 1-1 pitch for a three-run homer.
Hernandez pitched into the sixth inning, allowing three hits before giving way to the bullpen.
After a leadoff bunt single by Maybin and a fielder's choice, Hernandez was done for the night and Bobby Parnell came into the game.
Parnell gave up a single to Cantu and with runners on first and second and one out, Jeremy Hermida hit a grounder to third that took a high hop, bouncing off Wright's chest and trickling onto the outfield grass. Jose Reyes raced over and picked it up with his bare hand, whipping a one-hopper home. But John Baker slid in just ahead of the tag to cut the lead to 4-3.
Parnell avoided further damage, getting Dan Uggla to fly to center and striking out Cody Ross looking.
The Mets jumped out to an early lead with Gary Sheffield, inserted in the cleanup spot for the second straight day with Carlos Delgado sidelined, providing the muscle.
Honored before the game for his 500th home run ? a blow that the Mets have milked for nearly two weeks ? Sheffield drove a ball to the wall in left-center and raced around the bases for a two-run triple, his first triple since 2007.
The triple by the 40-year-old Sheffield might be an indicator of how Citi Field is playing. It was the eighth triple that the Mets have hit here this season with just six home runs ? and among the players with triples are not only Sheffield, but also Delgado and Omir Santos.
Of course, that might just say something about the Mets since the opposition has belted 11 homers and hit just one triple at Citi Field.
Sheffield was stranded at third when David Wright struck out looking on three pitches and after a walk to Ryan Church, Ricky Nolasco got Fernando Tatis to ground out to end the inning.
Wright, after striking out in his first two at-bats, gave the Mets a 4-2 lead with an RBI single in the fifth inning.
But the Marlins scored once in the sixth before breaking the game open in the seventh.
E-mail: popper@northjersey.com
