Pedro Martinez had never pitched a no-hitter, and the Mets had never thrown one. For seven-and-one-third innings in Los Angeles on Sunday, Martinez looked ready to put himself and the Mets in the history books. Then, in the kind of cruel twist of fate that is the Mets? specialty, the Dodgers? Antonio Perez smashed a deep drive to the wall in center field. It was the kind of ball that would?ve required a spectacular grab, the kind often made by the Mets? regular center fielder, Carlos Beltran. But Beltran was in the dugout, nursing a broken bone in his face, still recovering from The Collision, as it?s come to be known, with Mike Cameron last Thursday in San Diego. Instead of the sleek Beltran racing over to prepare for a collision with the outfield wall, the Mets had 39 year-old Gerald Williams, a recent call-up from AAA Norfolk, trying to hunt down Perez?s shot and preserve Pedro?s no-hitter. Williams ran over in time, but as he got to the wall, he hesitated, and the ball hit the padding a second before he did. It was a fine effort, but it fell just short ? as the Mets have all season when playing on the road, where their record is 23-35. Perez wound up with a triple, the no-hitter was gone, and with it, Pedro?s margin for error. Perhaps pitching over-carefully with a 1-0 lead, he grooved a fastball to Jayson Werth, who belted it into the pavilion seats in left center field, giving the Dodgers a stunning 2-1 victory, as demoralizing a defeat as the Mets have experienced all season. Still reeling from the loss of two-thirds of their starting outfield, the Mets arrived in Los Angeles determined to show that they could survive. Friday night, Cameron?s replacement, Victor Diaz hit two home runs, but the Mets blew a 6-3 lead and lost 7-6 on a walk-off home run by Dioner Navarro. Saturday, Williams had a home run in a 5-1 victory that showcased the Mets at their best: opportunistic base-running by Jose Reyes, brilliant pitching by Jae Seo, and sound, fundamental baseball in the field. Sunday's game could?ve sent the Mets home with a 3-3 split of their West Coast trip, and given them two of three in L.A. After two sub-par performances in a row, coming off his shortest stint of the season in San Diego, Pedro came out sharp. Though he didn?t have the velocity on his fastball, rarely breaking 88 mph, he kept the Dodgers off-balance with a dazzling changeup and expert location. After giving up a walk to Milton Bradley in the first inning, Pedro retired 20 consecutive batters until the fateful 8th. What had begun as a magical Sunday afternoon turned into the usual hall of mirrors, with the Mets having no one to blame but themselves. Overeager to get runs with a diminished lineup, they took themselves out of several opportunities. Miguel Cairo was thrown out trying to steal second with David Wright at bat; Wright and Cliff Floyd followed with singles, but the rally died. Williams was doubled off second on a failed sac bunt by Martinez. In the 9th inning, with Marlon Anderson on third and one out, Diaz got ahead 3-0 in the count, then took a check swing on a 3-2 pitch and grounded to an drawn-in Perez at second base. Anderson elected to come home, and was easily thrown out. At 59-58, one game above the .500 mark they?ve returned so faithfully to 24 times this season, the Mets have shown everything they?re capable of. Optimists can point to their 36-24 home record, and the fact that they?re only 4 games back of wild-card leader Houston, but there are three teams ahead of them, and the schedule ? which includes a potentially murderous trip to Florida, Atlanta, and St. Louis in early September ? is not on their side. All season long, the Mets have talked about how they?re better than their record shows, how they?ve yet to play up to their potential, how they can?t afford to keep sliding back after they put a win streak together. With 45 games remaining in what promises to be a frantic finish to the post-season, time has run out. Mike Piazza will not be in a Mets uniform next season; Mike Cameron?who?s out at least 4-6 weeks after facial surgery-- may have also played his last game as a Met. There?s no time for sentiment or second-guessing. The future ? the nucleus of Beltran, Jose Reyes, and Wright ? needs to get it together. These last six weeks will go a long way toward showing what the Mets, and their rookie manager, are made of.