Christopher Pasatieri/US Presswire

Mike Pelfrey fell to 2-6 after issuing three walks in a 7-3 loss against Florida.

NOT ALONE

By Mark Simon, ESPN Research

The Mets felt obligated to call a press conference Monday to announce Willie Randolph had not been fired as Mets manager. A little while later, the team went out and played like it has so often this season, which explains that 23-26 record. The combination of walks, hit batsmen and bad defense led to their downfall in a loss to the Marlins, a defeat which dropped the Mets 6½ games behind the division leaders.

Players have pointed out that Randolph can't pitch, hit or field for them, and that he shouldn't be held accountable for their problems. This was a franchise that was a hair away from going to the World Series in 2006 and nearly won the NL East last season, but one that has fallen apart this year.

Start spreading the boos

• Offense: .253 team batting average, a 22-point decline from 2007

Biggest Culprit: Carlos Delgado, .215 batting average, .387 slugging percentage

• Pitching: Issued 200 walks and hit an MLB-worst 27 batters in 49 games

Noteworthy: The group is on pace to shatter team records for walks and hit batsmen

• Defense: Committed 34 errors, leading to 31 unearned runs (tied with the Diamondbacks for most unearned runs allowed in the NL)

Go figure: Jose Reyes, seven errors (made 12 in 2007)

• Health: Key injuries -- Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: May 25 | May 22 | May 21 | May 20 | May 19 | May 18

FORWARD THINKING: TUESDAY

•  Red Sox at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. ET: The perfectly wild Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.40 ERA) tries to maintain his unblemished record. Matsuzaka leads the AL in walks, handing out 38 so far this year. Miguel Batista (3-6, 6.47 ERA) isn't far behind, ranking fifth in the league with 31 walks.

•  Giants at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. ET: Two of the best pitchers in the NL go up against each other. Dan Haren (5-3, 3.39 ERA) has struck out 34 batters over his past five starts while issuing just six walks. Tim Lincecum (6-1, 2.17 ERA) has only faced the D-backs twice in his career, but has 15 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA against Arizona.

• Dodgers at Cubs, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: Of the four Dodgers pitchers who have made at least 10 starts, Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 3.48 ERA) has the best ERA, though his record doesn't show it. Sean Gallagher is trying to hold onto his spot in the rotation after being hammered around by Houston (4 2/3 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs) his last time out.

• Complete list of pitching probables for Tuesday's games