Braves swept away by Mets

New York — Coming soon to a town near you, it’s the Braves’ 2008 Finding New Ways to Lose Tour.

A throwing error by an emergency first baseman and a ninth-inning fly ball lost in the lights let in the tying and winning runs to give the New York Mets a 5-4 victory and a series sweep of the Braves on Thursday night at Shea Stadium.

The Braves extended their own mind-boggling record to 27 consecutive losses in road games decided by one run, a streak that has lasted more than a year.

Omar Infante lost Carlos Delgado’s fly to left field with one out in the ninth inning, turning a possible double play into a game-ending RBI single for Delgado’s fifth hit of the night.

“The first time I saw the ball it was coming down,” said Infante, a utility player who has started 17 games in left field. “I feel bad. I couldn’t see it.”

David Wright scored from second after the ball caromed off the glove of Infante, who slipped backward as he tried to catch it.

“It’s a double play [if he makes the catch], because we get Wright at second,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves have lost 10 of 11 games, including five in a row. “He had taken off and was halfway home. Can’t fault [Infante], though.

“Lost it in the lights.”

Reliever Vladimir Nunez had given up a double by Wright and intentionally walked Carlos Beltran to bring up Delgado. It was also Delgado who hit the ground ball that first baseman Martin Prado turned into a throwing error in the seventh inning to let in the tying run.

Delgado’s only other five-hit game came with Toronto in 1998.

The fielding mistakes cost Mike Hampton a shot at his third win. The left-hander pitched six innings and was charged with eight hits, three runs and one walk. He threw 100 pitches and left with a 4-3 lead in his sixth start since coming off the disabled list.

Pedro Martinez gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings for the Mets, who have won nine of their past 10 games and lead the National League East by 2 1/2 games over Philadelphia.

The fourth-place Braves fell to a season-high 15 games out of first and a saeason-high 16 games under .500 (56-72). They’ve lost 19 of their past 26.

“Lose a ball in the lights, lose a ballgame,” Cox said. “A little flip to first base, lose a ballgame. Neither was an easy play.”

The Braves trailed 3-1 before Brian McCann hit a two-run, two-out double in the sixth inning. Yunel Escobar had doubled and Chipper Jones walked before McCann delivered his first extra-base hit in 10 games.

Infante followed with a bloop single for a 4-3 lead.

The Mets pulled even again in the seventh with an unearned run after Prado’s error on a toss to Will Ohman as the reliever was covering the bag on Delgado’s two-out grounder.

There were runners on first and second, and Nick Evans scored on the play to make the score 4-4. Reliever Jeff Bennett had started the inning, faced four batters, and gave up a double and a walk before turning it over to Ohman.

Prado was pressed into first-base duty at the last minute. First baseman Casey Kotchman is away on bereavement leave to be with his sick mother, and backup Greg Norton was scratched with a sore left arm after a play Wednesday.

It was Prado’s first start at first base and only the second time he played it in a major-league game.

David Wright put New York ahead with leadoff homer in the fifth inning, his 25th of the season. He’s hit 18 of his 122 career homers against the Braves, and Philadelphia (15) is the only other team he’s hit more than 11 against.