NEW YORK -- Other than John Smoltz, nobody on the Braves roster understands the intensity of a pennant chase as well as Chipper Jones. Thus, there was certainly reason to take notice Tuesday night, when Jones proclaimed the final two games of this week's three-game series against the Mets would be a war.

Unfortunately for the Braves, Wednesday night's battle at Shea Stadium would be one of the few that they've lost against the Mets this year. It was also the one the provide more late-inning frustration than any other they've fought this year.

While Rafael Soriano's prolonged long-ball generosity supplied the difference in this 4-3 loss to the Mets, the most discouraging development of the evening for the Braves came in the ninth, when All-Star closer Billy Wagner managed to escape a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation.

"I don't know if it makes sense, but I would have rather lost 10-0," said Smoltz, who was handed a no-decision after allowing two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. "This is a tough one to lose, especially when you've got one of the best closers in the game and bases loaded."

When Wagner issued a five-pitch walk to pinch-hitter Chris Woodward to load the bases in the ninth, the Braves seemingly were in position to forget about the fact that Soriano had surrendered a go-ahead solo homer to Moises Alou on an 0-2 pitch in the eighth inning.

But as quickly as he got himself in trouble, Wagner was able to escape this disastrous situation unscathed. In a span of six pitches, the All-Star closer induced a Jeff Francoeur fielder's choice that resulted in an out at the plate and then finished things off by getting Andruw Jones to ground into a game-ending double play.

"I'll take bases loaded and no outs against Sandy Koufax," said Braves manager Bobby Cox, whose team lost for just the fourth time in 11 games against the Mets this year. "You've got a chance, at least."

With a second consecutive win to begin this series, the Braves would have had more than a chance to reclaim the National League East crown from the Mets. But now, after squandering a two-run sixth-inning lead and watching Soriano surrender his fifth homer in 13 post All-Star break appearances, they find themselves once again facing a 4 1/2-game deficit in the division race.

"It's hard to swallow," said Chipper Jones, who was one of the many Braves who could taste the sweetness that a 2 1/2 -game division deficit would have brought. "We had it won, plain and simple. We just didn't close it out."

Without much surprise, it actually took the Braves a while to get things started against Mets starter Orlando Hernandez, who'd surrendered just two earned runs in his previous 26 innings against them. Through the first five innings, their only hit came courtesy of Brian McCann's fifth-inning leadoff single.

But after Kelly Johnson followed Willie Harris' two-out sixth-inning walk with a single, Chipper Jones made things interesting with a go-ahead two-run double. He'd score one batter later on a Mark Teixeira RBI single that gave Smoltz a 3-1 lead and the ability to forget that the Mets scored a first-inning unearned run with the aid of an errant pickoff attempt.

"El Duque, for me, is as tough as a pitcher as we've faced all year," Cox said of the deceptive right-hander, who allowed three earned runs and four hits in seven innings.

Smoltz, who says he wasn't affected after tweaking his back in the sixth inning, exited after surrendering singles to two of the first three batters he faced in the seventh. Left-handed reliever Ron Mahay entered and promptly loaded the bases with a walk. One weak flyout later, he surrendered a game-tying, broken-bat two-run single to Luis Castillo.

"Mahay is going to look like the goat maybe, but he can't throw the ball much better than he did," Cox said.

Other than the 0-2 pitch he left over the plate for Alou to send over the left-field wall, Soriano also couldn't have realized better results. But this is beginning to be a disturbing trend for the once-reliable right-handed reliever, who has suffered two losses and blown three save opportunities in his past 13 appearances.

"We know who we have to beat to get back on top of this division," Jones said. "It's the Mets. We've played well against them throughout the year and played well again tonight. We just didn't have enough in the tank."

When Chipper Jones and Teixeira began the ninth with consecutive singles off Wagner, it certainly seemed like this was going to be yet another night that the Braves frustrated the Mets. But until these two teams meet for Thursday afternoon's series finale, there will be only one group wondering, "What might have been?"

"These are tough games, because they're a split-second away from changing the tone of the interviews, you know?" Smoltz said. "Baseball is cruel, and this was a cruel game."