"Jason Bay came to the plate in the ninth inning last night with an opportunity to win some fans over -- and perhaps regain some confidence.

The Mets, down by four runs, had the bases loaded when Bay stepped in. He lifted a sacrifice fly to center, but that was the extent of the last-ditch rally in a 4-1 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field.

"Whether you're having struggles or not, those are the times you want get out there," said Bay, who is mired in a 3-for-32 slide. "I put a good swing on it. I just hit it to the wrong spot of the ballpark."

Bay has reverted back to the ugly form that sent him to the bench last month. The sacrifice fly was his first RBI since July 5, and his average has plummeted back down to .232. Manager Terry Collins had thought about giving Bay another night off, but decided against it."