NEW YORK _ If the Mets really are sellers at the trade deadline, as assistant general manager John Ricco said they may be before Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, then the series finale at Citi Field might have been a showcase of what the Mets have to offer.
Zack Wheeler's value is high, but Jeurys Familia's may not be.
Wheeler had his best outing of the year and just when it looked like the offense had pieced together enough for him to work with, a combination of curious bullpen management and ineffective relief pitching cost the Mets in the ninth inning.
The Pirates plated four, with three charged to Familia (3-4), handed their Mets a 5-3 loss, their eighth in nine games.
One day after recording a five-out save, Familia struggled to find the strike zone, working himself into a first-and-third jam by putting the first two runners on. With the rain picking up, Gregory Polanco singled through the right side to drive in Elias Diaz and make the score 3-2 and Familia found himself with runners on the corners once again.
Jordy Mercer walked and the Mets brought in Anthony Swarzak to stop the bleeding, but a line-drive single by David Freese scored two and a one-out, sacrifice fly by Josh Bell brought in another one and left Mets fans booing their own team off the field.
Wheeler hasn't been the recipient of much offense this season but the Mets took two runs off Ivan Nova in the third inning to give him a 2-0 lead. Wilmer Flores' solo home run in the eighth inning, his sixth of the season, gave the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Felipe Vasquez earned the win (3-2).
Wheeler scattered five hits over seven shutout innings and has now pitched at least six innings of 11 of his 15 starts this season. He struck out seven and walked one in just his second scoreless performance this season.
He also had an impressive performance at the plate, if you count two perfectly placed sacrifice bunts as impressive. His third-inning bunt proved successful, putting Rosario in position to score easily on Bautista's two-out double.
He did not receive a decision.
After Gsellman gave up a run in the eighth inning, Peterson, the Mets' 27-year-old rookie, came in and easily retired Josh Harrison and Colin Moran. The right-hander hasn't given up a hit to a right-hander yet this season.
