Mets lead shrinks as Marlins, Uggla nab wild win in 10th

Marlins 8, Mets 7 (10 innings)

MIAMI (AP) -- The New York Mets twice blew a three-run lead, and they might be about to blow the NL East.

With closer Billy Wagner out because of back spasms, the Florida Marlins took advantage to rally in the ninth inning, then scored in the 10th on Dan Uggla's RBI double to beat New York 8-7 Thursday night.

The Mets' lead was cut to 1 1/2 games by second-place Philadelphia, which rallied past Washington 7-6. New York led by seven games on Sept. 12 but has lost six of their past seven.

"Things are not going our way," center fielder Carlos Beltran said. "It seems like every team comes back on us real easy."

The latest loss was filled with bad vibes for the Mets.

Minus Wagner, New York gave up three runs in the ninth that forced extra innings. Starter Tom Glavine, unbeaten since July 2, failed to hold a 3-0 lead. Right fielder Lastings Milledge was ejected after he flied out in the seventh. Reliever Aaron Heilman was hit by a ball thrown from the stands in the eighth.

"We're in a rut right now," Glavine said. "There are a lot of crazy things happening. We seemed to have a little bit of everything go wrong."

Even so, the Mets scored four times in the ninth to take a 7-4 lead, keyed by pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson's three-run double.

"After we scored four in the ninth, I was saying, `We've got this one,' " Beltran said. "But we didn't."

Florida outhit the Mets 21-9, and five hits and three runs came off Jorge Sosa (9-8), who failed in a bid for his first save of the season.

Wagner said his upper back bothered him before the game. He received treatment, but when he tried to warm up for the ninth, he was able to throw only one pitch.

"It locked up again, and I just couldn't do anything," Wagner said. "It stinks. It's my job. I should be the one out there either getting it done or not getting it done."

Wagner said his status is day to day.

Jeremy Hermida led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and Miguel Cabrera doubled. Alfredo Amezaga's grounder scored a run, and another run came home on Mike Jacobs' infield hit.

Cody Ross' fly ball landed a foot fair for a double, and the tying run scored on Matt Treanor's groundout.

Division Magic Numbers
The magic number is derived by adding one to the number of remaining games and subtracting the number of games ahead in the loss column from the second-place team. Here's where the leaders stand:
AL EAST
Red Sox	9
AL CENTRAL
Indians	3
AL WEST
Angels	1
NL EAST
Mets	9
NL CENTRAL
Cubs	9
NL WEST
D-backs	10

Hanley Ramirez led off the Florida 10th with an infield single, his 200th hit of the year. Uggla then doubled off the scoreboard and was mobbed by teammates as the dazed Mets walked off the field.

Taylor Tankersley (6-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for the Marlins, who broke a four-game losing streak. They improved to 1-5 in Miami against the Mets this year.

"For us to affect their season is huge," Jacobs said. "The way we won today, and the team we beat, make it doubly special."

Moises Alou hit a two-run double in the Mets first to extend his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest of his career and the longest in the NL this year.

But the Mets lost Milledge in the seventh, when the excitable outfielder was ejected by plate umpire Jim Joyce for arguing about balls and strikes after a flyout. Milledge went into the dugout, then came back onto the field to yell at Joyce and had to be restrained by coach Rickey Henderson.

Milledge declined to talk to reporters after the game.

The visitors had plenty of support from the crowd of 15,132. Fans chanted "Let's go Mets!" beginning in the first inning, and when David Wright doubled home a run in the third, there were chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"

But not all of the crowd favored the Mets. Heilman was warming up for the eighth inning when he was hit on the left forearm by a ball thrown from the stands.

"I didn't see it," he said. "It hit me square."

A fan was ejected.

Glavine appeared on his way to career win No. 304 when he took the mound in the fifth with a 3-0 lead. But he gave up five consecutive hits, and the Marlins hit for the cycle in the inning, including Cabrera's go-ahead, three-run homer.

Florida's Dontrelle Willis allowed three runs in six innings, and his fluke double leading off the fifth started the Marlins' first comeback.

Game notes
2B Ruben Gotay was a late replacement for Luis Castillo (knee) and made a nifty pickup to start a double play in the second. ... Castillo said he expects to play Friday. ... Willis went 2-for-2, hiking his average to .271. ... Willis needed 12 pitches to strike out the final batter he faced, Gotay. ... 2B Uggla made a backhanded stop and threw from the outfield grass to rob Alou of a hit in the sixth.