Anthony Witrado | Special to ESPNNewYork.com 10y

Rapid Reaction: Athletics 6, Mets 2

OAKLAND -- A glorious double down the left-field line in the seventh inning.

That hit delivered by Wilmer Flores will be a lost memory by the time October rolls around, especially since it came in a ho-hum 6-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. But it kept the New York Mets from standing alone in the record books as the only team since 1900 to record four or fewer hits in six consecutive games in a single season. Flores’ knock was the fifth of the game for the Mets, halting that streak Tuesday night.

The offense seemed poised to put a stop to all this ineptitude early, tagging Oakland lefty Scott Kazmir for three hits in the first couple of innings. Then Kazmir settled in and allowed just one hit, albeit a home run to Travis d'Arnaud, over the next four frames before Ryan Cook replaced him and gave up the RBI double to Flores.

Stay hot: d’Arnaud got a game off from squatting behind the plate, but it didn’t cool his recent hot streak. d’Arnaud, as a designated hitter, homered to the opposite field in the fourth inning -- quite the impressive feat when you’re standing on a playing surface that's about 20 feet below sea level -- to give him six extra-base hits, including four homers, in his last 12 games. He has seven home runs since being recalled from the minors on June 24.

Golly, Gee: Dillon Gee has been ineffective since the All-Star break, to say the least. With Tuesday’s loss he fell to 0-5 with a 5.71 ERA in the second part of the season, and his five straight losing decisions extend a career high. The team has lost six of his seven starts since the break.

Stranding alone: The Mets' bullpen stranded one runner Tuesday and has now stranded 130 of 163 inherited runners for an MLB-leading rate of 80 percent.

What’s next: The Mets face another Oakland All-Star pitcher, right-hander Jeff Samardzija (5-9, 2.96 ERA), on Wednesday at 3:35 p.m. ET. Samardzija is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts at O.Co. Coliseum. Opposing him is Zack Wheeler, who has a five-game winning streak. Wheeler has a 2.09 ERA (12 earned runs in 51 2/3 innings) during that stretch that dates back to July 6.

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