NEW YORK — A fly ball that rattles out of a glove. A pitch down Broadway to a popgun hitter. A hanging curve in the ninth.

Any little mistake is enough to doom the San Francisco Giants this season, and you didn’t need a jeweler’s loupe to spot their flaws in a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday.
Jeremy Affeldt made the most indelible mistake, flipping a curve that Daniel Murphy lined for a game-ending single. Right fielder Nate Schierholtz appeared to clutch the ball for a split-second and his on-target throw was an instant too late to stop Jeff Francoeur, who scored from second base.
It was an emotional victory for the Mets, who were coming off a tense loss in which David Wright, their last healthy star, was hospitalized overnight after getting hit on the helmet by a 94 mph fastball from Matt Cain. Wright was released Sunday morning and rested at home with post-concussion symptoms. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list and might miss the rest of the season.
The Mets threw their retaliatory beanball and purpose pitches Saturday, but had to wait another 24 hours to get real retribution. And the Giants lost another one-run game in which their bats couldn’t dig the team out of a shallow grave.
“It’s kind of the way our season has been going,” said Randy Winn, who hit a tying double in the eighth inning after spending the previous two games on the bench. “We can’t afford to make a whole lot of mistakes defensively or on the basepaths. We need to play good baseball consistently.”
Playoff teams usually own several blueprints to win. The Giants have one sheet in their tube: Pitch really well, catch the ball, and by all means, don’t dare fall behind.
They lost a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning after Fred Lewis, getting an infrequent start, failed to catch Angel Pagan’s drive to left-center field. Lewis had a long run to the ball, but it hit the pocket of his glove before clanking out.
It had to be a lonely feeling when Lewis watched the next drive go over his head and into the left field seats for a two-run home run. It had to be embarrassing for left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, too, because it was Luis Castillo who took him deep.
Castillo hadn’t hit a home run since May 30 of last year, a span of 475 at-bats — the longest powerless stretch in the major leagues.
The 400-foot shot was one of just four hits Sanchez allowed in seven innings. Beginning with his no-hitter July 10, Sanchez has held opponents to a .164 average — the lowest in the majors over that span.
“Anybody can hit home runs,” said Sanchez, who expects to be ridiculed in kangaroo court for allowing the blast. “A 3-1 count, everybody is looking fastball.”
Lewis said Pagan’s ball jarred loose as his elbow hit the ground, although replays appeared to show he dropped it long before any contact with the turf. It was one more botched play in his highly erratic season.
Affeldt, by contrast, has been as close to perfect as anyone in a Giants uniform. His 28-inning scoreless streak, which lasted from May 7 to July 28, is the longest by a Giants reliever in four decades.
But every 162-game season includes a few gopher holes, and Affeldt has entered his first rough patch. He couldn’t bail out Sergio Romo after Francoeur hit an infield dribbler and advanced on a sacrifice.
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said he considered intentionally walking Murphy, a left-handed hitter, to set up the double play for catcher Omir Santos.
“But I’ve got a power arm down there — one of the best lefties,” Bochy said. “I’m going with the matchups.”
Affeldt had a 2-2 count and appeared to have Murphy dominated with his fastball, but didn’t second-guess the final pitch.
“I threw a strike that was hittable instead of one that wasn’t hittable,” Affeldt said. “There’s no secret to what happened.”