That shot of Lucas Duda entering the dugout after a solo homerun in the second inning of the game was tonight’s highlight as the Mets were defeated by the Chicago White Sox by the score of 6-3.

What a difference between the energy in last nights game compared to this one which had all the excitement of a wake.

Jeremy Hefner started and to be honest, he pitched better than what you’ll see in his pitching line. Even terry Collins said after the game that he left him in as long as he did because they weren’t really hitting him hard and he was just very unlucky tonight. Hefner allowed four earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five. One of those runs came on a leadoff home run by Alejandro De Aza.

Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox starter Jake Peavy was unstoppable and the Mets couldn’t touch him aside from the Duda homerun. He pitched into the seventh and held the Mets to just two hits after that.

The Mets almost made a game out of it in the eighth when they got the tying run to the plate, Andrew Brown and Lucas Duda struck out with two men on base. They scored a run in the ninth and again got the tying run to the plate, but this time Juan Lagares struck out to strand two runners to end the game.

The Mets begin a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night at 7:10 PM. Dillon Gee (2-4, 6.16) will be on the mound for the Mets, opposed by lefty Jeff Locke (3-1, 3.21).

This one got my attention…

Jake Peavy to the Mets

The Padres, despite their ongoing hot steak, have precious little chance of making the postseason (CoolStandings.com gives them less than a 10% chance of making it). As well, they’ve been actively shopping Peavy for months. The Mets, meanwhile, badly need help in the rotation. Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball, but behind him it’s a veritable superfund site: remove Santana’s sterling numbers from the calculus and the Mets’ rotation runs-per-nine rises to 5.50. In particular, Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding have been awful, and there’s little hope for improvement (and that’s to say nothing of the unfolding disaster that is Oliver Perez in 2009).

Peavy, obviously, gives the Mets a second ace. He’s benefited from pitching his home games in Petco Park – the most run-suppressing environment in baseball – so he’s not going to be quite as dominant elsewhere. However, Citi Field, unlike, say, U.S. Cellular Park (home of the White Sox, where Peavy was almost traded last week), plays as a neutral park in the non-DH league. That means the change in run-scoring environment won’t be quite so drastic.

Peavy, of course, must be persuaded to waive his no-trade provision. If staying in the NL (his stated preference) isn’t enough, then the Mets can agree to pick up his $22-million option for 2013. That, plus the lure of a pennant race, should be enough for Peavy. As for what the Padres can expect in return, a straight-up deal for the Mets’ top prospect, outfielder Fernando Martinez, is better than what the White Sox were offering.

I disagree with Perry who calls both Redding and Hernandez awful. Livan Hernandez is pitching better than expected as our number five starter and has had a solid May. Redding has had just two starts, one good and one bad, and he’ll be in the bullpen once Oliver Perez is activated anyway.

That said, if the Mets could get Peavy straight up for an untested Fernando Martinez, I wouldn’t even think twice about it. Bye F-Mart, we hardly knew ye…

According to a report on ESPN by Peter Gammons,

The San Diego Padres have agreed to trade staff ace Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox and are waiting for Peavy to decide if he will waive his no-trade clause, sources tell ESPN.

Peavy has a full no-trade clause and can veto the deal.

Bruce Levine of ESPN, also added that White Sox players in the deal include left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard and left-hander Aaron Poreda, a former No. 1 draft pick.

The report also mentiones that Jake Peavy actually called White Sox reliever Scott Linebrink last night for his opinion about going to Chicago and got strong feedback, according to Gammons.

“Jake called me Wednesday afternoon to ask about what it’s like here in Chicago,” said Linebrink, “I think he’s ready to move on, but I can’t tell you for sure he’s going to accept the deal. Losing 100 games, like they did last year, wears on a player. Right now, I’d say it’s 50-50 as to whether he accepts it or not. He’ll get with his family today and make a decision.”

Linebrink was Peavy’s teammate in San Diego. Peavy is owed $11 million dollars this season and is currently 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA. Peavy signed a three-year, $52 million extension, which begins in 2010.

“We’ve been told that whatever we need to get to help us win, we’re going to try to do it,” Minaya said. “[The payroll is] not unlimited. But there is the ability to increase if we need areas that need to be addressed.”

Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon concurred, saying, “Omar has the flexibility to do what he has to do to give us a winning team.”

There is speculation that starting pitchers such as Toronto’s Roy Halladay, San Diego’s Jake Peavy and Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang, and corner outfielders such as Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez, Kansas City’s Jose Guillen and Jermaine Dye of the White Sox, could become available during the season.

If so, the Mets — whose payroll is reportedly $135.7 million, the second-highest in baseball — could be in the market for at least one of those players, though Minaya indicated that there are limitations of some kind.

“You have to be realistic,” Minaya said.

Yesterday, I wrote that the Mets might be suiters for either Halladay or Peavy if one of their starters don’t emerge as a solid number two guy. I’m glad the Mets have a contingency plan in place and that the money will be there if needed.

I was kind of surprised yesterday to hear both manager Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen say they were “encouraged” by Oliver Perez’s 4 1/3-inning stint in an 8-6 loss to the Reds.

Encouraged? What it is this — extending spring? If Perez wasn’t ready to start the season, maybe they should have left him down in Port St. Lucie and brought Dillon Gee or Nelson Figueroa north for the start of the season. This whole work-in-progress thing doesn’t fly for a pitcher the Mets just signed for $36 million.For that money, a pitcher is supposed to be an asset to a rotation, not its Achilles heel.

I can’t disagree with him, but at the same time it’s a little bit too early to begin passing judgment on Perez on the strength of one start. I do blame the Mets though for knowing Perez not ready and taking him north rather than letting him remain one more week in extended spring training. Livan Hernandez should have been making that Perez start, and Perez could have gotten the call for the Saturday start giving Ollie more time to work things out.

Lennon also believes that the Mets will be big players for a starter at the trade deadline and surmises that Ben Sheets, Jake Peavy and yes, Pedro Martinez, will all be options for the Mets.