Onward, if Not Upward, for the Mets So, did you hear the one about the coming Fan Appreciation Day at Citi Field? The Mets aren't playing. But seriously, folks, the Mets do have some matchups to keep an eye on this weekend, even if they just took a 16-1 pasting from the Phillies on Thursday night before close to 40,000 empty seats. It's the battle for the basement, with Miami now in last place but just half a game behind the Mets and with a chance to move past them in a three-game series in Queens that starts Friday night. The Mets, for all their troubles, have not finished in last place since 2003. Somehow, the Mets are just 4-24 at Citi Field since the All-Star Game break and are on a pace to set a major league record for the worst home winning percentage in the second half of a season. The current record-holder is none other than the 1979 Mets, who were 6-32 at Shea Stadium in the second half for a winning percentage of .158. That team, which was 63-99 on the season, included Ed Kranepool, Lee Mazzilli, Joel Youngblood, Frank Taveras, John Stearns, Bruce Boisclair and a rookie named Jesse Orosco. The manager? Joe Torre. The Mets have now played 16 consecutive games at home in which they have scored three or fewer runs. The record is 18 games, set by the 1915 Yankees, who still played in the Polo Grounds in those days and were a fifth-place team that finished with a record of 69-83. The manager was Wild Bill Donovan; the first baseman was Wally Pipp, who hit .246 in 479 at-bats. On a more positive note for the Mets, R.A. Dickey will go for his 19th victory in Saturday's game against the Marlins as he continues his quest to win both 20 games and a Cy Young Award. Dickey has lost his last two games, both at home, both times giving up three runs in seven innings, which proved fatal since the Mets never score four.