Another night game against the Padres, another 2-1 loss.

Scott Hairston knocked a Pedro Feliciano fastball over the left field wall in the bottom of the 10th early Sunday morning for a walkoff home run that put the New York Mets back under .500.

Starter Oliver Perez didn’t go too deep in the game, but he had a much better outing than his previous 1/3-inning, 6-run performance. Perez gave up one earned run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings, with one of those hits being a home run.

The Padres’ Brian Giles broke up the no hitter in the first inning with a double to center to bump the NoNoHitters.com count up to 7,381 games. For the record, the Padres are one of just three teams other than the Mets to have never thrown a no hitter. The others are the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies.

The Padres however did become the first team to ever win four consecutive games by a score of 2-1 - one against the Cubs and three versus the Mets.

The latest “Who’s our fifth starter” rumors are pointing to Mike Pelfrey. The New York Daily News and Sports Illustrated are reporting that the New York Mets’ fifth starter will be Pelfrey, despite his less-than-stupendous spring.

The 6-foot-7, 24-year-old righthander is 5-9 with a 5.55 ERA during his short career.

Yesterday’s rumor was pointing toward Jorge Sosa, but now the word is he’ll stay put in the bullpen.

We should get a more definitive answer within the next couple of days, but there’s apparently plenty to argue about until then. Loudmouths Chris Carlin and Adam Schein debated whether Pelfrey deserves to be No. 5 on SNY:

Jorge Sosa’s strong relief work for the Mets this spring may have earned him a spot in the starting rotation.

Quoting a “person in the Mets hierarchy,” an article on the Mets’ Web site says the team is considering the 30-year-old right-hander for the final spot in a rotation that includes Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez and John Maine.

Sosa has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings of work in Florida this spring.

Either Orlando Hernandez or Mike Pelfrey was expected to fill the slot, but neither has pitched well enough this spring to earn it.

We now know who will be the Mets’ opening-day starter against the Florida Marlins.

It is, of course, our 137.5 million-dollar man, Johan Santana.

Manager Willie Randolph made the announcement today, announcing four-fifths of the Mets starting rotation. Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez and John Maine round out the squad.

No word yet on the fifth starter.

Neither Orlando Hernandez (3 innings, 4 hits, 2 walks, 5 earned runs) nor Mike Pelfrey (4 1/3 innings, 13 hits, 8 earned runs) did much to earn that spot today. Randolph says both will see some action on Friday in an exhibition against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

… a site devoted to the New York Mets’ dubious streak of having never pitched a no hitter in franchise history. The streak has now lasted:

7,320 games 46 seasons

The San Diego Padres (circa 1969), Colorado Rockies (circa 1993) and Tampa Bay Rays (circa 1998) are the only other franchises never to throw a no-no.

A Mets pitcher has never hurled a no hitter?

That’s correct. A pitcher on the mound for the New York Mets has never thrown a No-No.

Really? What about Ryan, Seaver and guys like that?

Yes, Nolan Ryan pitched seven no hitters during his Hall of Fame career, but they all came after he was traded by the Mets. And Tom Seaver finally got his sole no hitter as a Cincinnati Red during his first season away from the Mets. In fact, six former Mets pitched no hitters after leaving New York. Mike Scott (Houston Astros), Dwight Gooden (New York Yankees) David Cone (Yankees) and Hideo Nomo (Boston Red Sox) round out the list. Click here for more details.

Were there also Mets pitchers who threw no hitters prior to joining the Mets?

Yep. Don Cardwell (Chicago Cubs), Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves), Dean Chance (Minnesota Twins), Dock Ellis (Pittsburgh Pirates, while tripping on acid), John Candelaria (Pittsburgh Pirates), Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals), Al Leiter (Florida Marlins), Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers) and Hideo Nomo (Los Angeles Dodgers) all did it. Note that Nomo is the only pitcher to hurl No-Nos before and after his stint with the Mets. Click here for more details on this group’s no hitters.

OK, so why launch a Web site devoted to this?

To break the curse.

Yeah … right

I understand the skepticism, but hear me out. I am a lifelong Mets fan, but my football team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Dec. 5, 2007, I launched PointOfNoReturns.com, a site dedicated to the Bucs’ equally dubious streak of never returning a kickoff for a touchdown. Eleven days later, Michael Spurlock returned a kickoff for a touchdown, ending 31¾ years of futility. Coincidence? Who knows, but I thought a Mets no hitters site was worth a try.

So are the Mets really cursed? How did that happen?

Well it’s no surprise that the Mets didn’t throw a no hitter through most of the 1960s as they simply weren’t that good of a team. But with Ryan, Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack on the roster, the Mets surely had enough talent on the roster from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s to get it done. Some trace the curse back to Dec. 10, 1971, when the Mets traded Nolan Ryan along with pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada and outfielder Leroy Stanton to the California Angels for infielder Jim Fregosi. Ryan went on to throw seven no-nos and the Mets still have none.

Hey, back up a few sections there. Did you say that Dock Ellis pitched a no hitter while tripping on acid?

Yes, and it’s apparently not an urban legend. He thought the Pirates had a day off and decided to drop a few tabs before realizing that Pittsburgh had a doubleheader and he was scheduled to pitch Game 1. The Dallas Observer, an alternative weekly, has a comprehensive retelling of the odd feat, quoting a now drug-free Ellis. The win apparently wasn’t pretty, as Ellis walked eight and hit at least one batter.

Back to the Mets, I’m pretty sure they’ve had some one hitters, right?

Yes, 27 to date, including two taken into the ninth inning by Tom Seaver. See the full list here. Most recently, Tom Glavine in 2004 took one into the eighth against Colorado before Kit Pellow hit a double. In 2007, John Maine no-hit the Marlins for 7 2/3 innings before Paul Hoover got an infield single down the third base line, ending Maine’s quest. Maine had 14 strikeouts in the 13-0 win, but he doesn’t make the Mets’ one-hitter list as Manager Willie Randolph pulled him in the eighth.

Wow, will I ever get to see a Mets no hitter?

I sure hope so. I have high hopes that either Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana or John Maine will break the curse this year. (Note that as an Expo in 1995, Martinez threw 9 innings of no-hit ball in a game that was 0-0 after nine, but he gave up a leadoff double in the tenth. Mel Rojas replaced Martinez and the Expos won 1-0.) In the meantime, check out this YouTube video of a perfect game thrown by a New York Mets pitcher during an “MLB 2K7″ game on Xbox 360.

Is the Mets’ no hitter drought the longest in Major League Baseball history

No. Well, not yet anyway. The Mets streak has lasted 46 seasons. The Philadelphia Phillies were void of a no hitter for 57 seasons between 1907 and 1963.