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ANGUISH IN WISCONSIN

On a day where the Phillies stole the spotlight behind Roy Halladay's perfect game, the Mets woes continued as they dropped another road series, this time in Milwaukee to the Brewers. In a game that became a battle of the bullpens, Met pitching gave up eight runs on nine hits. Fernando Nieve lost his bid to remain in the rotation with a horrendus performance that began with a first inning grand slam to last night's hero, Cory Hart. Daily News: The Mets were road kill once again Saturday night as Fernando Nieve's spot start was a dud and the Met bats, though productive, couldn't keep up with the powerful Brewers. Nieve was gone after two poor innings and Corey Hart hurt the Mets with homers again as the Mets fell, 8-6, to Milwaukee in front of 37,841 at Miller Park. Hart, who won Friday night's game with a homer to abruptly end the Mets' 35-inning scoreless streak, slugged a grand slam off Nieve in the first inning and a two-run blast off Oliver Perez in the third, giving him homers in three consecutive at-bats. The Mets fell to 6-16 on the road this season, where they can't score when they pitch well and can't keep the other team from scoring too much when they do. Entering play yesterday, the Mets were tied for the fewest road wins in the majors. The consecutive losses to the Brewers have knocked the Mets (25-25) back to .500. Nieve (1-3), who was making his first start of the season after spending the first two months in the bullpen, allowed five runs, three hits and three walks. He gave up a solo homer to George Kottaras in the second inning. Perez, banished to the bullpen earlier this month, gave up three runs, three hits and two walks in two innings. Elmer Dessens threw two scoreless innings of relief. Ike Davis hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning that brought the Mets to within 7-6, but the Mets couldn't get any closer. They had several chances, but left the bases loaded in the third and fifth innings and stranded two in the second. Brewers pitchers retired the final 13 Mets. And things had started so well for the Mets when Jose Reyes led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Jason Bay's double. Nieve retired the first two hitters in the first but then gave up a double to Ryan Braun and walked two to load the bases, setting up Hart's slam. Nieve threw 46 pitches in the inning, another reason his outing was doomed. Both teams kept scoring. Angel Pagan singled to start the second, stole second and scored on a single by Reyes, but Nieve gave back the run by allowing Kottaras' homer after striking out the first two batters in the second. In the third, the Mets loaded the bases with one out and scored when Rod Barajas hit a soft grounder to short, but they could get no more. Perez replaced Nieve to start the third and gave up Hart's second home run, giving the Brewers a 7-3 lead. Davis hit a towering three-run homer to right in the fourth inning, bringing the Mets to within one run, but the Brewers blunted any momentum in their half of the inning when Rickie Weeks led off with a triple into the right-field corner and scored when Braun hit into a double play. Before the game, Jerry Manuel noted that he had three long relievers - Raul Valdes, Dessens and Perez - available for multiple innings, a fail safe the manager would eventually need because Nieve, not stretched out as a starter, would have a limit around 80 pitches. He didn't even reach that, throwing only 62, 34 for strikes. Because it was Nieve's first start, Manuel admitted he did not know what to expect and even said that since Nieve has been struggling with his secondary pitches in his relief role, there was no reason to expect his changeup and slider to be good last night. Sadly for the Mets, the manager was right. Before he was tabbed for the start, Nieve was tied for the major-league lead in appearances by a reliever with 27 and was the first Met in club history to appear in 19 of the team's first 30 games. Nieve will be back pitching out of the pen in a few days, after he has recovered from last night's outing. The Mets were hoping the man who was 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in seven starts last year could transition back into the rotation briefly with some success but it didn't work.

IGARASHI PUTS JOHAN'S SHUTOUT TO WASTE

Jerry Manuel tried to downplay the idea that Met pitchers were aware of the team's shutout streak before Friday night's game. But he did acknowledge that Johan Santana might be pondering the streak as he prepared to start against the Brewers. "Probably with a guy like Johan going, as competitive as he is, he'd think: 'I'm not going to give that up,'" Manuel said. "But if he kept it under two (runs), that'd be fine." Santana did better than that, duplicating his mates' zeroes for eight innings. But the Mets lineup couldn't solve Milwaukee righty Yovani Gallardo, and birthday boy Ryota Igarashi gave up a walk-off homer to Corey Hart in a stunning 2-0 loss in front of 32,773 at Miller Park that extinguished the Mets' five-game winning streak. "I guess it was our turn to get shut out for once," Jeff Francoeur said. "What's frustrating is we have to win games when Santana pitches." Santana's effort extended the Mets' shutout streak to 35 innings, the second-longest in team history, seven shy of the team record, set Sept. 23-38, 1969. The Mets could rue several bungled opportunities against Gallardo (5-2), who threw a complete-game eight-hitter. The Mets loaded the bases with none out in the third but did not score as Jose Reyes hit into a fielder's choice and Alex Cora bounced into a 4-6-3 double play. Three Mets struck out looking at Gallardo's 94 mph fastball over the final two innings - Reyes to end the eighth with Santana standing on second, Ike Davis with one on in the ninth and Angel Pagan to end the ninth with runners on first and second. Santana had thrown a relatively stress-free 105 pitches after eight innings, allowing just three hits and two walks. He had retired the last 11 batters he faced and allowed only one baserunner after the third and that was on Gallardo's fifth-inning single. The Brewers had only one runner reach second base against Santana - Casey McGehee, who doubled leading off the second but never budged. But Santana had hit in the eighth inning, doubling to right-center with two out after Francoeur had hit into a double play, the Mets' third of the night. That helped Manuel decide to take him out of the game, though Santana wanted to remain. "Once he had doubled and fought through the eighth, I wasn't going to (leave him in)," Manuel said. "(Prince) Fielder (the leadoff hitter in the ninth) was seeing him well, too, I thought. I didn't want him to lose that game after pitching like that." It's been tough enough for Santana - the Mets are only 6-5 when he starts, although he has been impressive, especially lately. Since getting clobbered in Philadelphia on May 2, he has a 1.69 ERA in five starts, going at least seven innings each time. He believes his changeup is as good as it's ever been. Pedro Feliciano got one out before Igarashi, who turned 31 yesterday, allowed an infield single to Ryan Braun. One out later, Hart hit his 10th homer of the season, and first career walk-off, to left field. Happy Birthday, Mr. Igarashi. It was the first home run against a Met pitcher in nine games, a span of 86 innings. "This is an important situation where obviously you can't make mistakes," Igarashi said through an interpreter. "The batter was able to take advantage of my mistake. I completely missed where I wanted to throw it." Santana admitted that "it was tough" to come out of the game. "It was a great game," he said. "It came down to one pitch at the end. The way it was going, the situation, the atmosphere, you don't want to come out." "Just one of those days where you try to do everything you can and things don't work out the way you want it," Santana added. "Give credit to Gallardo. He did a great job. He was a little better." (NY Daily News)

SHUTOUT SWEEP COMPLETE

27 ZEROS VS. PHILADELPHIA MARKS ONLY THE 3RD TIME IN BASEBALL HISTORY A FIRST PLACE TEAM HAS BEEN SHUTOUT THREE GAMES IN A ROW; METS 2 GAMES OUT OF 1ST

Shortly after completing one of baseball's rarer achievements, Mike Pelfrey was told that the only other time the Mets shut out the same team in a three-game series came back in 1969, when Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan and two others took the mound. "Those guys aren't bad, are they?" Pelfrey said. And what of Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi? "Comparable," Pelfrey said, rolling his eyes. Yet this week -- if only for a week -- they were. Pelfrey capped the improbable run Thursday night, pitching seven scoreless innings to lead the Mets to a 3-0 victory and a series sweep of the Phillies at Citi Field. Pedro Feliciano pitched the eighth; Francisco Rodriguez closed things with a scoreless ninth. The Mets have not allowed a run since the ninth inning Sunday against the Yankees. They became the first team to pitch a three-game shutout since the Twins blanked the Royals for three games in 2004. And they became the first Mets team to do it since that group of Miracle workers took the mound for the first three games after clinching the division title in 1969. "It was the most amazing series I've ever been a part of," right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. "The pitching staff was awesome." Pelfrey, on this night, played the role of Seaver, as he continues to develop into something resembling an ace. Using a sharp splitter to combat his lack of fastball command, Pelfrey struck out five, induced three double plays and held Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth to a collective 0-for-10. Against the same team that tagged him for six runs earlier this month in Philadelphia, Pelfrey was something just short of dominant. Afterward, manager Jerry Manuel noted that "he feels good about being Mike Pelfrey." And the Mets feel good, too. Jose Reyes contributed to all three runs off Phillies starter Cole Hamels, singling and scoring on Jason Bay's double in the first before doubling home two runs of his own in the seventh. And by that time, the Mets were playing some bizarre version of baseball hot potato. Nobody wanted to be the one to give it up. But against the Phillies -- a so-called American League offense, the highest possible honor for an NL team -- somebody had to. Didn't they? "You're always looking at some point for them to explode," Manuel said of the Phillies. "They've got so much power." But they would not and could not use it. "I've never seen anything like that," Reyes said. "Against that kind of team? Shut them out for three straight games? That's unbelievable." When Angel Pagan made a diving catch in the seventh, capping Pelfrey's night and extending the scoreless-innings streak to 25, the thousands who sat through a one-hour, 55-minute rain delay began buzzing. When Feliciano struck out Placido Polanco to make it 26 and counting, the noise increased. And when Rodriguez finally fanned Werth for the 27th out and the 27th scoreless inning, Citi Field grew as loud as it has been all year. "Awesome night," Rodriguez said. Unlike in 1969, when the Mets needed just five pitchers to shut out the Phillies over three games in Philadelphia, the Mets needed nine this time. Back then, Seaver and Koosman pitched complete games, and Ryan threw three innings in relief of Gary Gentry. This time, it was Dickey and Takahashi and Pelfrey and smoke and mirrors. And it worked. "To keep this team from scoring in three games, that's huge," Manuel said. "That speaks volumes for the entire pitching staff. They did a tremendous job." Or as David Wright wryly noted: "Three shutouts is good, isn't it?" Yes, very good indeed. And so the Phillies left Citi Field early Friday morning with their pride a little wounded. Three games against the Mets were not supposed to end like this. But they did still hold the trump card. "No matter how you want to spin it, we're still in first place and we've got a real good ballclub," Werth said. That, of course, is the rub. By any standard, the Mets outdid themselves this week, finishing 5-1 against the two teams that played in last year's World Series. They cannot keep up this pace. No team can. But then, they were also supposed to be umpteen games out of first place right now. They are instead just two games removed, with Johan Santana slated to pitch Friday in Milwaukee. And they have learned the formula for success. "It's tough to lose a game," Pelfrey said, grinning, "when you don't give up a run." (MLB)

ALL EYES ON BIG PELF

The struggle to find the missing bats for Philadelphia won't get easier facing Mets right-hander Mike Pelfrey, who is 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA this season. Pelfrey gave up six runs in four innings at Citizens Bank Park earlier this year. Tonight will perhaps be the biggest test of Pelfrey's season. He might be 4-0 at home, but 0-1 against Philadelphia is clearly his only weak spot. He would love to give them the sweep tonight. Trying to keep the Mets pitching 18 consecutive scoreless inning streak alive, Big Pelf will hit the mound for a 7:10 affair.

JOSE REYES: RUNNING THE SHOW

Jose Reyes is batting .473 over his last 4 games and .290 over his last 10. While he has stolen just three bases over that stretch, he has struck out just once and reached base in 50% of his at-bats against the Yankees and Phillies. He has also made some stunning plays in the outfield and picked up his first home run of the season last night.

METS TAKE SERIES FROM PHILLIES

TAKAHASHI & REYES HIGHLIGHT ANOTHER SHUTOUT

Now the Mets are winning again, beating good teams, even shutting them out. The Phillies fell for the second consecutive time, this one by 5-0 before 33,223 pleasantly surprised witnesses Wednesday night at Citi Field. On Tuesday, the Mets beat the Phillies, the defending National League champions, 8-0. The Mets have won four in a row and five of their last six. They are one game over .500 and within three games of the first-place Phillies in the National League East. The Phillies were shut out for the third time in four games and have scored three runs in 38 innings. The Stanley Cup finalist Flyers have outscored the Phillies, 23-14, over each team’s last seven games. The Mets are doing it in large part with second-line starting pitchers. Hisanori Takahashi, a Japanese veteran who was signed before the season to a minor-league contact, threw six shutout innings to raise his record to 4-1. The night before it was R. A. Dickey, a 35-year-old knuckleballer called up from the minor leagues, who threw six shutout innings. On Saturday in Milwaukee, the Mets plan to give Fernando Nieve his first start of the season after 27 relief appearances, the most recent a clean ninth inning Wednesday night. Who would have thought that injuries to starters Jon Niese and John Maine and the banishment to the bullpen of Oliver Perez would result in the sudden dominance of the starting rotation? The hitters have helped. One of them on Wednesday was catcher Rod Barajas, who drove in three runs but finished with a sore right wrist after blocking a low pitch. Barajas felt unwanted in spring training before signing a free-agent contract. “Now’s the time,” he said. “I have the opportunity. I have the stage.” Another catalyst Wednesday was Jose Reyes, who continued his first torrid stretch of the season with a home run and an R.B.I. single. “I feel good,” Reyes said. “I feel like me.” Reyes also made a running catch in short center with his back to the plate in the fifth inning and ended the game with his arm raised, leaping to spear a line drive, an exclamation point on a hot night. Reyes missed most of last season with leg injuries, but has sparked a group that struggled through early-season streaks that seemed to endanger the job security of Manager Jerry Manuel. “We’re having a blast, we believe in ourselves,” Barajas said. “We’re a very talented club. This is a team to be reckoned with.” His right arm was wrapped in ice. “It’s really sore,” he said. “I don’t want to rest.” He has 27 R.B.I., second on the team to David Wright. The Phillies, who held a clubhouse meeting after the game to discuss their malaise, were unable to reckon with Takahashi, who mixed changeups and curves with occasional fastballs. In the game’s most emotional moment, Takahashi allowed Phillies to reach first and third with one out in the sixth before striking out Ryan Howard and retiring Jayson Werth on a fly ball to right field. Before his final pitches, Takahashi took deep breaths, wiped perspiration from his brow and listened to the roar of the standing fans. “I just wanted to take time and relax and think,” he said through his interpreter. When he reached the dugout, Manuel gave him a little hug. “As usual, he just said, ‘Good job,’ ” Takahashi said. “I could take a deep breath.” He lowered his earned run average to 2.13. Reyes said, “It’s fun to play behind Taki.” Barajas added: “He works both sides of the plate. He changes speed.” The Mets stole four bases and seem to have embraced the small ball that can be effective in a big park like Citi Field. In Tuesday’s game, Reyes stole two and had three hits. In the last six games, he is 11 for 28. “The power’s going to come for sure,” Reyes said. “I’m getting my confidence in my legs back.” Last season, Reyes played in only 36 games, the fewest of his seven-year career, because of knee and hamstring injuries. He was sidelined in spring training this year with a thyroid condition. Jason Bay, the left fielder who arrived as a free agent, noted what Mets fans have long known about Reyes. “He’s a game-changer,” Bay said. “He changes the whole dynamic of our offense. When he’s going well, we look like a completely different team.” Barajas added, “He causes havoc.” (NY Times)

ANALYSIS OF A TURNAROUND IN PROGRESS

In an 11-day stretch, the Mets dumped Oliver Perez from the rotation, sent Jonathon Niese to the disabled list, had chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon fly to Atlanta to huddle with his subordinates, agitated David Wright by sitting him against his will, and pulled John Maine after five pitches in Washington, which led pitching coach Dan Warthen to call the right-hander a "habitual liar" with respect to his health. Oh, and closer Francisco Rodriguez and bullpen coach Randy Niemann had a heated exchange during Sunday's rubber-game win against the Yankees. Yet after Tuesday's 8-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets moved back to .500 and within four games of first place. So you wonder this: How is it possible for the feeling of Armageddon and legitimate contention to coexist? "All year, a lot of people looked at this homestand as big for us, especially with what we've gone through the last couple of weeks," said right-fielder Jeff Francoeur, who had two RBIs Tuesday night. "And we were able to get off to a 3-1 start against two teams that went to the World Series last year." Said left-fielder Jason Bay: "Maybe we can get our own TV show at some point. There's never a dull moment -- put it that way. I think that's a testament that we are still playing baseball. I mean, there are a lot of distractions. And it happens on every team. We're just kind of fighting through it and winning baseball games, especially at home. We've played very well at home." The Mets' victory was their most lopsided shutout win against Philadelphia since beating the Phillies 8-0 on April 20, 1986, at Shea Stadium. That day, just like on this one, the Mets' right fielder had two hits and two RBIs. Then, it was Darryl Strawberry, who re-entered the headlines this week when Mets players reportedly complained to PR head Jay Horwitz about Strawberry's outspokenness while addressing the team in Washington last week. On Tuesday, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and Cuban defector Raul Valdes, who both began the season with Triple-A Buffalo, combined on the shutout. Dickey's outing gives the Mets three solid starts from fill-in members of the rotation during the tumult -- two now from Dickey, plus one from Wednesday's scheduled starter against the Phillies, Hisanori Takahashi. (Adam Rubin)

WRIGHT MR. INCONSISTENT

David Wright is hitting .205 in his last 10 games, recording more than one hit in only 20% of the games. While picking up 11 RBIs, he has struck out an alarming 14 times in 39 at-bats. In 8 of the games, he struck out at least once and in five he has struck out two or more times. Wright did not strike out in Game 1 against the Phillies, and his average remained at a lame .261 with a 1-for-4 performance that consisted of a very lucky poorly defended double and no walks or RBIs. With just 8 home runs, many are asking where the all-star has gone. Why in the world is he fading away and more importantly, as a core to the Mets offense in these crucial games (particularly against the Phils), when will he improve?

MORE ON DICKEY'S START...

While there is no getting around the fact that he gave up seven hits, the bottom line remains that he kept Philadelphia scoreless. But what's most impressive about the knuckleballer is that he pitched six solid shutout innings with 103 pitches. He also struck out 7 and brought his ERA down to 1.50. It's not inappropriate to point out that the Phillies struggle particularly dramatically against knuckleballers, but it was not just Dickey's pitching that contributed to his effort. His fielding yielded a 1-2-3 double play in the bottom of the 2nd that put a stop to a Philadelphia rally and led to the Phils failure to score with the bases loaded and nobody out. Dickey will surley see another start and perhaps solidify his position in a Mets rotation desperate to find a #3 starter to match the dominance of Pelfrey and Santana.

DICKEY SHUTS OUT PHILLIES

METS GET THE BIG HITS WHILE PHILLY FAILS MONUMENTALLY IN THE CLUTCH
When the Mets’ six-game homestand began last Friday, it had all the makings of a last stand. They had just returned from a disastrous 2-6 trip. They were in last place in the National League East. Three starting pitchers had dropped out of the rotation because of injury or ineffectiveness. Manager Jerry Manuel, already in the hot seat, was facing persistent questions about his handling of the club. He would have been under even more pressure had his team faltered against its biggest rivals, the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, in front of big crowds filled with frustrated fans at Citi Field. But the Mets may be playing themselves back into relevance and, for now, preserving Manuel’s job. Despite some nail-biting dramatics by the bullpen, the Mets took two of three games against the Yankees over the weekend. On Tuesday, they faced the Phillies at home for the first time this season and showed, at least for one night, that their rivalry still matters. The Mets thumped the Phillies, 8-0. They improved their record to .500 (23-23) and pulled to four games behind the Phillies in the N.L. East. In recent years, games between the Mets and the Phillies have included plenty of tension and controversy. Tuesday’s intrigue included an unusual pair of starting pitchers who threw so slowly they tested the patience of the stadium’s radar gun. R. A. Dickey, a knuckleballer who is missing a ligament in his throwing arm, took the mound for the Mets. Dickey began the year in the minor leagues and was making only his second start for the Mets. He was the second consecutive knuckleballer to face Philadelphia, the first time that has happened to the Phillies since 1983, when they faced Phil and Joe Niekro in back-to-back games. On Sunday in Philadelphia, Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox shut down the Phillies, who lost, 8-3. Dickey threw six scoreless innings. He kept Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and other Phillies who often find a way to hurt the Mets off track. Dickey struck out seven batters, including pinch hitter Greg Dobbs in the sixth inning. That strikeout brought the boisterous crowd of 33,026 to its feet. Dickey, whose pitches danced to the plate between 72 and 77 miles per hour, is the type of player who could become a folk hero in Flushing. He scattered seven hits — all singles — and walked three to record his first victory of the season. He worked in and out of trouble in the second and third innings and survived a scary moment when a line drive hit by Ryan Howard bounced off his left elbow. Dickey had X-rays taken during the game. They were negative, and he resumed pitching with no apparent discomfort. The Phillies started Jamie Moyer, who at 47 is the oldest player in the major leagues this season. Only a handful of his pitches topped 80 m.p.h., and many of his changeups looked more like soft tosses at 68 m.p.h. The Mets did not hit Moyer particularly hard, but they hit him often and in key spots. The Mets scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and they added three more runs in the eighth against Nelson Figueroa, a former Met. Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs each, and Chris Carter added a pinch-hit single to drive in Francoeur. Raul Valdes, who threw three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season, also hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning. Bay started the scoring with a groundout that chased Jose Reyes home in the first inning. Bay added a single in the fifth to score Reyes again. Francoeur snapped a 12-at-bat hitless streak with a run-scoring single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score David Wright. Manuel, who has often been at a loss to explain the Mets’ recent offensive problems, had to have been happy with what he saw from Reyes, who had three hits, two stolen bases and three runs scored. In recent days, Manuel has faced questions about his leadership of the team, particularly his handling of the starter John Maine’s shoulder injury and his use (or overuse) of the bullpen. That has only increased speculation that he might be fired if the team did not rebound. Manuel has insisted that he has not worried about his employment prospects and is doing his best to motivate his team. “I don’t see it as something that affects the team,” Manuel said, speaking of the questions about his status. “I’m good, I’m good.” Darryl Strawberry echoed Manuel’s stay-the-course message in Washington last week. He told the players they were better than they were performing and needed to do a better job. The players took him at his word. “It’s not like he came in and lectured the whole clubhouse,” Francoeur said. “He just wanted to let us know we need to pick it up a little bit, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that.” (NY Times)

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METS FINALLY WIN A RUBBER GAME

The Mets are 22-23, and while they’re still in last place, they’re now five games behind the Phillies for the lead in the National League East. They have played 45 games and 15 series, and last night, the Mets won their first rubber game of the 2010 season. (Mets Blog)

FRANCOUER STRUGGLING BIG TIME
During this weekend’s Subway Series, Jeff Francoeur went 0 for 10 with three strikeouts, and reached base just once on a walk during last night’s 6-4 win. Francoeur is just 4 for his last 33 at the plate, and is hitting just .132 in the month of May. Dating back to his 0 for 7 showing during the 20 inning, 2-1 win over the Cardinals on April 17, Francoeur is just 16 for his last 116 at the plate, a .138 average, with two home runs and 16 RBI with just four walks and 25 strikeouts. (Mets Blog)

SANTANA AND BAY SHOW YANKS WHO OWNS NY
Jason Bay homered twice off an ineffective CC Sabathia, and the New York Mets held off the slumping New York Yankees 6-4 on Sunday night behind Johan Santana’s stellar pitching. Shut down nearly all night by Santana, the Yankees rallied for three runs in the ninth inning before Francisco Rodriguez struck out Alex Rodriguez on a 3-2 breaking ball with runners at the corners to end it. Alex Cora, a late addition to the lineup, got the offense started with a two-run single in a four-run second inning and the Mets took two of three at home in Citi Field for their first Subway Series victory since a rain-shortened two-game sweep at old Yankee Stadium in May 2008. Santana (4-2) was sharp from the start in a marquee matchup with Sabathia (4-3), earning his first win in five outings since April 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time Cy Young Award winner yielded one run in 7 2-3 innings.

PELFREY, WRIGHT & BAY EARN WIN

METS TAKE GAME 2 AND EVEN SERIES WITH YANKS
Baseball people are conditioned to say that every game is important, regardless of the opponent, the circumstances, or juncture of the schedule. But sometimes their actions suggest that some games may be more important than others. The night after the Mets called a team meeting to stress the urgency of winning immediately (and frequently), their manager, Jerry Manuel, on Saturday called on his closer, Francisco Rodriguez, to record the final five outs of what became a 5-3 victory against the Yankees at Citi Field. The Yankees lost for the fifth time in seven games, but, in second place in the American League East, with one of the best records in baseball, they face no dire consequences. As losses mount for the last-place Mets, so will speculation that jobs are in danger, which was why Saturday’s game may have been a little more important for them. Rodriguez, like most closers, is used almost exclusively as a one-inning pitcher, but he avoided major damage in the eighth inning, then struck out Francisco Cervelli with runners on first and third in the ninth to preserve only the Mets’ third win in 11 games. “It’s big,” said Mike Pelfrey, who allowed one run over six innings to improve to 6-1. “Especially because it’s May, and we’ve got to get on track.” It was Rodriguez’s second save of at least five outs this season, but only his third since 2005, and it upheld another strong start from Pelfrey, who was buoyed by some superb relief work from Jenrry Mejia, who stifled Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira to end the seventh, and an encouraging showing by David Wright, who entered the game hitting .121 with 14 strikeouts since May 12, but drove in two runs off Yankees starter Phil Hughes. Of the four runs Hughes allowed, all scored with two outs, and three came on rallies that began with two outs and no one on base. “Bad pitches, ultimately,” Hughes said. “I don’t think there’s any mental thing or anything behind it. I just haven’t been executing pitches the way I need to with two outs.” If the Mets’ rotation were a musical act, it might be called Johan, Mike and the Auditions. It probably would not play a lot of gigs, and this group may not win a bunch of games, either. The Mets could benefit from one of their rotation hopefuls — Raul Valdes, R. A. Dickey or Hisanori Takahashi, who fired six strong innings against the Yankees Friday — emerging as a capable option, but they can take comfort at least in knowing what to expect every time they start their ace, Johan Santana, or Pelfrey. Pelfrey and Hughes last opposed each other in 2006, as prized prospects soaring through Class AA. Pelfrey went on to make his debut for the Mets that summer, Hughes arrived a year later, and it took until this season for them to reveal the full scope of their talents. Hughes, armed with a nasty cutter, had won his first five decisions, which minimized the fallout from Javier Vazquez’s early struggles. Pelfrey, much to the Mets’ delight, has finally matured into a rotation pillar, revealing both the stuff and the smarts to thrive. Case in point: his superb outing last Monday in Atlanta, when he compartmentalized all the hoopla surrounding a surprise visit from the team’s chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon, to guide the Mets to victory. Pelfrey’s trusty sinker, the key to his success, induced six grounders among the first seven balls put into play Saturday, and through five innings only five balls — two singles, three fly outs — had even reached the outfield. By the time the Yankees finally reached third base for the first time, with two outs in the fifth, Pelfrey turned to another pitch — his four-seam fastball — and zipped it past Brett Gardner to quell the rally. “His fastball was deceptive,” said Randy Winn, who in the sixth overran an Angel Pagan fly ball that led to the Mets’ fourth run. “You look up at the radar gun and you expect the fastball to be a certain speed, but when I got in the box, it had a little bit of extra life.” Even as their pitching has stumbled — hardly anyone has been immune, from Andy Pettitte to A. J. Burnett to, yes, even Mariano Rivera — scoring rarely presents a problem for the Yankees, who, injuries and all, still battered Boston and Tampa Bay pitching for 29 runs over four games last week. Teixeira has hardly contributed, adding 2 hits in his last 26 at-bats and going hitless in his last eight at-bats with runners in scoring position. He struck out in the sixth looking at three pitches. “I can’t get any worse right now,” Teixeira said. Then came the seventh, when Mejia allowed the first two batters to reach base before retiring the teeth of the Yankees’ order, including striking out Teixeira on a pitch that dived like a changeup — a 97-mile-per-hour changeup. In the eighth, Pedro Feliciano and Fernando Nieve combined to allow one run and load the bases, at which point Manuel said it “became a little muddled for me.” He added, “I figured, what am I going to do now?” In came Rodriguez, who got Derek Jeter and Gardner to ground out. After striking out Cervelli to end the game, Rodriguez thumped his chest and pointed to the sky, one win — an important win — on the Mets’ ledger. “I show up at the ballpark and expect to win,” Pelfrey said. “I think the club is starting to feel the same thing.”

FUNNY ROOKIE CARTOON

HES PROVEN SOMETHING BIG TIME

TAKAHASHI SHUTS OUT YANKEES & LEAVES BIG MARK

From the moment he decided to come to the United States last year, Hisanori Takahashi knew he could do what he did Friday night. It may have been a surprise to some, but Takahashi was always confident that he had the talent, the know-how and the guts to be a starter in Major League Baseball. He proved that Friday with six shutout innings against the Yankees, making their intimidating hitters look awkward and frustrated at times with his six pitches coming in at various speeds, angles and locations. “I think I performed well because I threw 100 pitches and did not allow a run,” he said through his interpreter, Yoichi Terada. Takahashi was given the chance to start when Jon Niese was injured Sunday in Florida. Having waited two months for the opportunity, he wasn’t going to waste it, even if the Mets wasted his fine outing by failing to give him run support. The Yankees scored twice in the seventh inning off reliever Elmer Dessens and beat the Mets, 2-1. But after the game, Mets Manager Jerry Manuel indicated that Takahashi had earned a regular spot in the rotation, and he could pitch again Wednesday against the Phillies. That would be another difficult challenge. But he will have Friday’s game to savor for a long time. “What better way to get your feet wet in your first big-league start than to face the Yankees in the subway series,” Jason Bay said. “He was unbelievable. He did a great job of changing speeds. He’s a veteran guy who knows how to pitch. That’s not an easy team to keep off the scoreboard, and he did a phenomenal job.” Because he was a starter for almost his entire 10-year career in Japan, Takahashi is more comfortable in that role. He seized the moment and used the game to showcase his ability to control a game. But he wasn’t sure about the routine for a starting pitcher in the United States, so he had Terada find out. He was told he could arrive at the park at any time, even 6:30 p.m. But he arrived at 4 p.m., did a light workout, ate a rice bowl prepared by Terada, sat in front of his locker for a while, then had a meeting with catcher Rod Barajas to go over the Yankee hitters. Once the game started, it belonged to him and the Yankees’ starter, Javier Vazquez, who was even better, allowing only one hit in six innings. Takahashi seemed to relish every aspect of the challenge and the opportunity. He bounced and skipped off the mound after the final out each inning, and made sure to great teammates who had made fine defensive plays as they walked off the field. His pitches — all six varieties — were often too, slow or had too much movement, or were in the wrong area for most of the Yankees, including Derek Jeter, who struck out twice; once looking and once swinging. Most impressive was the way Takahashi escaped two jams with runners at second and third and fewer than two outs. Another exciting escape came in the sixth inning. After getting two quick outs, Takahashi gave up a double to Alex Rodriguez, bringing Robinson Cano to the plate. Cano doubled in the fourth inning, and Takahashi could have walked him. Instead he went after him, striking Cano out on a 3-2 changeup, his 101st and final pitch. Dessens entered the game and gave up two hits and two runs, but one of them was unearned thanks to Alex Cora’s throwing error. The Mets promoted Dessens from Class AAA Buffalo because the bullpen was depleted after Thursday’s game, in which Raul Valdes pitched five innings in relief of John Maine. Manuel defended his decision to use Dessens, fresh off a plane from Buffalo, in part because Valdes and Jenrry Mejia were not available. But Manuel also said he thought that Dessens had pitched well and wasn’t to blame for the runs. “We made one mistake and it cost us,” he said, referring to the error. Dessens could stay in the big leagues for a while because the Mets are considering sending Jenrry Mejia down to stretch out as a starter at Buffalo. The move will probably be made Sunday. when the Mets hope to activate Ryota Igarashi from the disabled list. Igarashi pitched one scoreless inning for Buffalo as part of his rehabilitation assignment, allowing one walk. The Mets must decide what they will do with the day off Monday because they could skip a starter and have a temporary rotation of Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, R. A. Dickey and Takahashi before Niese comes off the disabled list at the end of the month.

THE OVERPAIED DISSAPOINTMENT

DAVID WRIGHT TOPS BLAME BOARD

A huge moment in Game 1 of the Subway Series felt like a huge moment in the Mets' season, maybe because every day feels like life and death for this ballclub and their manager at the moment. So here was David Wright, the face of the franchise whose troubles at the plate are at the center of all the Met drama, stepping in against Mariano Rivera, a base hit away from tying the game in the ninth inning and changing the course of this game, and perhaps the season. After all, if this weekend turns into an embarrassment for the Mets, Jerry Manuel could very well pay for it with his job. Yes, with his team trailing the Yankees 2-1 at the time, this was a chance for Wright to do so many things, for himself and his ballclub, but if you have been watching the Mets this season, you knew better. Wright, for whatever reason, is a lost soul at the plate these days. Two innings earlier he had taken a 3-2 fastball from Joba Chamberlain for strike three in another huge spot, with two runners on base. It was his second strikeout of the night and, incredibly, his 57th of the season, and at the time it seemed all too symbolic of the state of the Mets. Yet he had a chance to redeem himself in the ninth with Rivera looking vulnerable, having surrendered booming doubles to Jason Bay and Ike Davis. Only this time Wright grounded out to second base on the first pitch, and that was that. You hate to think the worst, but you got the feeling Wright just wanted to make contact early in the count, so he wouldn't be put in the position of striking out to end the game. Wright said it was a matter of not wanting to fall behind Rivera. "He's got such great stuff, you want to try to hit the first good one you see," he said. "I got a pitch and just grounded out." Whatever. On a night when Hisanori Takahashi should have inspired the Mets with six shutout innings in his first start in the majors, they sent their fans home from Citi Field with a 2-1 loss, once again thinking the worst about this team. The Mets lost in part because of a crucial error by Alex Cora at second base, but even as their pitching has become a crisis point for them, it is the repeated failures of Wright and the other Mets' hitters to deliver when it counts that has made it so exasperating for their fans. On this night, in fact, they managed all of one hit in six innings against Javy Vazquez, making him look more like an ace than a bust, making you wonder how bad it might get the next two days against Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia. That's why embarrassment is still in play for the weekend. That's why, with the Phillies following the Yankees into Citi Field on Tuesday, Manuel's job status could well hang in the balance. This was a day when Manuel actually won a battle of sorts, as the Mets put John Maine on the disabled list with shoulder weakness despite his protests that he was fine and dandy, validating the manager's decision to pull him after five pitches against the Nationals on Thursday. Unfortunately for Manuel, it's almost certainly one more reasoso n he eventually will lose the war and get fired before too long. It's not his fault that the Mets don't have enough pitching, the way things are going, to be serious contenders across a 162-game season. Everyone in the world could see the Mets were kidding themselves during the winter by refusing to reinforce their starting rotation, and now it's coming back to haunt them. Of Maine and Oliver Perez, the Mets surely were going to need at least one to have a big comeback season if they wanted to contend, and now the odds are stacked against both. And while Takahashi pitched brilliantly Friday night, it's hard to imagine the Mets surviving for long with him, R.A. Dickey and Raul Valdez forming three-fifths of the rotation. The blame for that falls mostly on ownership's unwillingness to spend for a free agent such as Joel Pineiro, but at some point it is the manager who is going to pay. Wright's latest failures at the plate might have just pushed up the expiration date. (NY Daily News)

WRIGHT FAILS IN CLUTCH & METS FALL IN THRILLING SUBWAY SERIES PITCHERS DUEL

In need of a good performance to convince a skeptical world that he is capable of pitching well for the Yankees in New York, Javier Vazquez produced a command performance Friday night, and it was within the city limits, too. The fact that it came against an offense struggling desperately to find its way does not tarnish the accomplishment. In his best outing of the season, Vazquez outdueled Hisanori Takahashi, who was making his first major league start, and held the Mets to one hit over six innings to lead the Yankees to a 2-1 victory in the first game of the Subway Series before a crowd of 41,382 at Citi Field. While the Yankees ended a three-game losing streak, the Mets lost for the eighth time in 10 games, which certainly will not ease the pressure on Manager Jerry Manuel, whose job status is cast into further doubt with each passing loss. There was speculation that a sweep at the hands of the Yankees could determine his fate, but before the game General Manager Omar Minaya indicated the three games against the Yankees were not necessarily the litmus test for the embattled manager. “The Subway Series has nothing to do with Jerry,” Minaya said. What could end up costing him his job is his team’s continuing inability to find a consistent offensive groove. Mets batters managed only two harmless hits Friday until the ninth inning, when Jason Bay and Ike Davis hit consecutive doubles off Mariano Rivera to score the team’s only run of the game. But Rivera recovered by getting David Wright to ground out to second base on the first pitch to end the game and earn his eighth save. Vazquez was dominant in his best outing of the season, which in turn built off a quality performance in his last start against the Tigers. He limited the Mets to one hit as he allowed only three base runners and faced just one batter over the minimum. The Mets had pounded out 15 hits and 10 runs a day earlier against the Washington Nationals. Vazquez left the game after he bruised his right index finger while dropping down a sacrifice bunt in the top of the seventh. X-rays were negative and Vazquez said he would make his next start, which would not necessarily have been good news two weeks ago. “The last three times he went out, he’s thrown well,” said Joe Girardi, the Yankees’ manager. “It looks like he’s getting his stuff back and locating.” While the Yankees may have found the Vazquez they were hoping for at the beginning of the season, the Mets appear to have found a replacement for Oliver Perez in Takahashi. As good as Vazquez was, Takahashi stayed close with him. He allowed five hits in six scoreless innings and more than once made the Yankees look confused. After the game, Manuel all but promised that Takahashi would be in the rotation, although the Mets’ manager has been known to change his mind. “Yeah,” Manuel said about Takahashi’s staying in the rotation. “I would have to say that. He pitched extremely well.” But when the Mets turned to Elmer Dessens, who was called up earlier in the day to replace John Maine after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, the Yankees pounced, scoring both of their runs. A throwing error by Alex Cora eliminated the possibility of a double play in the seventh inning, allowing Kevin Russo the opportunity to knock in both runs with a double into the right-field corner. Russo also collected his first major league hit earlier in the game. “Both are great,” said Russo, an infielder by trade who started in left field Friday. “But it’s good to get that first hit out of the way. It’s just fun to play. I’m comfortable wherever I play as long as I’m playing baseball.” Vazquez gave up two walks while striking out six, and required only 70 pitches to do it. Those are impressive numbers, even against the offensively challenged Mets. He came into the game with an 8.01 earned run average, still looking to prove his viability to skeptical Yankee fans. He set down nine of the first 10 batters he faced and 12 of the first 14 before he gave up a hit on Angel Pagan’s bloop over Derek Jeter at shortstop in the fifth. The left-handed Takahashi came close to matching Vazquez with guile and creativity. Thrust into the starting rotation because of the hamstring injury to Jon Niese, Takahasi is perhaps more comfortable as a starter after spending almost all of his 10-year career with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants in that role. He did not appear to be fazed by the circumstances, allowing five hits and walking one while striking out five, including Jeter twice and Robinson Cano once. Most important, he made the important pitch whenever it was most needed. He did not figure in the decision, but he lowered his E.R.A. to 2.53. Takahashi said that, although he had faced Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in an exhibition game in Japan six years ago, he had done most of his scouting of the team on television in Japan, where Yankee games were regularly broadcast during the Hideki Matsui years. “But it was kind of scary watching them face to face,” he said through his interpreter. “So I didn’t watch their faces.” (NY Times)

MAINE AND MANUEL FIGHT, METS WIN

To summarize John Maine's season is to recall a gallery of tortured moments: scowls and grimaces during games, even vomiting between innings on a hot afternoon in Port St. Lucie. Thursday night, Maine added deep anger over his manager's decision to lift him after five pitches, and Friday he will trudge to a doctor's office. It has been a cursed year for the 29-year-old, whose exit after one batter Thursday night darkened a much-needed victory for the Mets. Though the Mets defeated Washington, 10-7, as David Wright returned from his one-game exile with four RBI, and they finished a regrettable road trip with two wins and six losses, their already broken rotation suffered yet another loss. Following the game - more than three hours after his exit - the pitcher remained angry. "He said, 'I want to protect you,'" Maine said of Jerry Manuel. "Then why don't you ask me how I feel?" Maine shrugged when asked what he thought Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen saw that convinced them to pull him after one batter. "I guess they didn't see 95 (miles per hour)," he said, his face crunched into a tight scowl. "I mean, it was a little slower, but it was the third batter (actually first) of the game. I mean, cut me a little slack, you know? The last couple pitches, I started getting back to normal. The first couple pitches, whatever." According to a team spokesman, Maine will see a physician Friday in New York. The team did not name a specific physical issue. Maine's troubles Thursday night began during his pregame bullpen session. Warthen noticed that the righthander's velocity was lower than usual, but the righthander convinced him he could start the game. In the bottom of the first, Maine threw five pitches in walking Nyjer Morgan, all between 82-25 miles per hour. Warthen and Jerry Manuel then visited the mound as Maine leaned forward with hands on his legs, and Manuel soon signaled for Raul Valdes before abruptly departing the field. Maine and Manuel, who did not speak on the field, argued in the dugout. "When you throw your first pitch and you ... see a guy warming up in the bullpen, it's a lose-lose situation," Maine said. "He wanted to pitch," Manuel said. "We got in a heated exchange about that and I tried to tell him I was trying to protect his best interests." Said Maine: "I didn't get a chance (to make a case to remain in the game). I think that's what I'm most upset about. They said they saw something so they were taking me out. I'm a little hurt by that." He continued: "I don't have enough clout. I don't have enough star power to say anything ... I would like an explanation. Me throwing 85 miles an hour, I don't think is a good explanation for me to be taken out of the game." Manuel and Warthen said they were protecting Maine. "I applaud the fact that he wanted to compete," the manager said. "I think he would have hurt himself trying to pitch at that velocity." Maine was unaware that he was scheduled to visit a doctor Friday until reporters informed him. "I don't need to go to a doctor," he said. "I have felt pain for two years, but I don't care about that. I wanted to pitch, the bottom line. ... I feel something all the time. We're pitchers. ... I'm telling them everything that is going on. They know everything that is going on with me." Warthen was not convinced. "Something has got to be feeling bad," he said. "John is a habitual liar in a lot of ways, as far as his own health. He is a competitor and a warrior, and he wants to go out and pitch, but we have to be smart enough to see that he isn't right, that the ball isn't coming out of his hand correctly." If Maine is indeed injured, the Mets will have lost three of their five starters on the trip: Oliver Perez because of ineffectiveness, Jon Niese to a hamstring injury and now Maine. (NY Daily News)

MINOR INJURY FOR MAINE

After just five pitches, Mets right-hander John Maine was removed from Thursday's start against the Nationals for precautionary reasons because of diminished velocity. According to a team spokesman, pitching coach Dan Warthen noticed during pregame warmups that Maine's velocity was down. When his velocity had not improved during the game, and when Maine appeared to have altered his delivery, the right-hander was pulled. Maine will be examined by a physician Friday, spokesman Jay Horwitz said, and his status will be reevaluated at that time. Maine, who was 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA in eight starts, walked leadoff hitter Nyjer Morgan on five pitches and was removed before Adam Kennedy batted. Maine was replaced by Raul Valdes. The Mets had taken a 3-0 lead on David Wright's bases-loaded double in the top of the first. Acquired in a trade with the Orioles in January 2006, Maine has made three trips to the disabled list with right shoulder problems since joining the Mets. He was on the DL from June 12-Sept. 13, 2009, with right shoulder fatigue. Maine appeared upset at being removed from the game.

PEGAN'S INCREDIBLE NIGHT OVERSHADOWED

The Mets saw Angel Pagan hit an inside-the-park homer and start a triple play on Wednesday. They also got a solid six-inning start from knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in his debut. But the club again couldn't generate much offense, getting only five hits as Washington used a three-run seventh inning to pull out a 5-3 victory before 19,384 at Nationals Park. The loss was the Mets' ninth in the last 11 games, and they fell to 5-13 in May, after going 14-9 in April. Offense continues to be the team's biggest problem. New York (19-22) came into the game with a .240 batting average, ranked 13th in the National League. The Mets went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six on base. Those difficulties continue to mystify manager Jerry Manuel. "We are really, really struggling right now in that area," Manuel said. "I thought, watching our batting practice and stuff, today would be a good day for us to break out. I saw some real good signs. But it didn't happen." Nationals starter Livan Hernandez gave up two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 sharp innings. He only gave up Pagan's homer in the fourth and a Jeff Francoeur sacrifice fly in the sixth. Fernando Tatis started at third base in place of David Wright, who had the night off, and got a solo homer in the ninth off closer Matt Capps. But the Mets couldn't do much more. "Livo was pretty good and ... we hit a couple of balls hard, had a man in scoring position and didn't get it done," Manuel said. "I thought once we turned that triple play, things would turn our way, but to no avail." The lack of offense also wasted Dickey's good effort in his first start with the Mets. Before the game, Manuel said he wasn't sure about what would happen when Dickey's turn came up next. Afterward, Manuel said there's no question he'll consider the right-hander for that spot. Dickey gave up two runs on five hits in six innings. He said 85 percent of his pitches were knucklers, and the ball was jumping around the strike zone. "I felt good," Dickey said. "I had a pretty good one. I knew I had a pretty good knuckleball because they weren't really covering it well. They were hitting pieces of it." New York took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Pagan started his busy night with an inside-the-park homer. He lined a shot to deep center that eluded Nyjer Morgan and bounced toward left field. Pagan kept running and beat catcher Ivan Rodriguez's tag for his second career inside-the-park shot. The Nationals (21-20) scored twice off Dickey in the third, one run coming when Pagan made a great diving catch on a Roger Bernadina sacrifice fly. But Pagan started the team's first triple play in seven years by racing in to catch a sinking fly ball from Cristian Guzman with two on and none out in the fifth. Pagan's throw to try to double up Hernandez at second flew past the base, and catcher Henry Blanco raced in to get it near the mound. Blanco then threw to shortstop Jose Reyes at second to double up Hernandez, and Reyes finished the triple play by firing to Ike Davis at first to nail Morgan. "I knew we could have had the triple play," Pagan said. "I threw it to Reyes, maybe a little too high for him, but we got it done." Pagan became the first player since 1955 to hit an inside-the-park homer and start a triple play in the same game. Ted Kazanski of Philadelphia did it on Sept. 25 of that year. Francoeur tied it for the Mets in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but the Nationals broke it open in the seventh. They began the rally against Raul Valdes (1-1), and snapped the tie at 2 when pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy got a sacrifice fly off Fernando Nieve. Guzman later added an RBI triple, and Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single made it 5-2. Tatis got his solo shot in the ninth off Capps, but the Mets couldn't do any more. Drew Storen (1-0) got his first Major League victory for Washington in his first appearance at Nationals Park. (MLB.com)

WRIGHT THROWS BRAVES A WIN

The Mets are edging toward uncomfortable territory, with sizeable question marks popping into their rotation this Wednesday and Friday. It was imperative that they win this week with their best pitchers on the hill. They'll have to settle for one out of two. Johan Santana did his part, firing seven solid innings, but the Mets fell on David Wright's throwing error in the ninth, dropping a 3-2 game to the Braves. On for a rare second inning of work, Pedro Feliciano allowed a leadoff single to Brian McCann, before giving way to Jenrry Mejia. Though Yunel Escobar was attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Mejia then walked him on six pitches, before serving up a high chopper to third base. Wright made a nice play to field the ball, but fired wide of first base and out of the reach of Ike Davis, allowing pinch-runner Brent Clevlen to score the winning run. Former Braves player Jeff Francoeur, slated to hit eighth until catcher Rod Barajas was a late scratch with a stomach virus, tied the game with a solo home run off Kris Medlen in the fifth. Davis homered earlier in the inning for the only other run off Medlen, who lasted 6 1/3 innings. Santana's seven innings included two runs on five hits, with two walks and four strikeouts. He gave way to a pinch-hitter in the eighth after throwing 104 pitches. (MLB.com)

PEREZ SENT TO PEN

Jerry Manuel hinted strongly at the decision Friday night, and announced it Saturday: Beleaguered starter Oliver Perez is now a member of the Mets' bullpen. Manuel did not announce who would start in Perez's place on Wednesday in Washington, though Perez did say, "(Hisanori) Takahashi is pitching better than me." But asked if Manuel had informed him that Takahashi has taken his place, Perez said, "I don't know. "I don't like going to the bullpen, but I think this is better for the team," he said. Manuel hoped that in a shorter relief role, Perez would once again be able to throw his fastball in the 90s. "In going out there for an inning, he might let it go," Manuel said. "And when doing that, he might develop arm strength." Perez said he was not asked to go to the minor leagues - such a move would require his consent - but he would not be willing to do so. "I don't want to go there," he said. "I want to get better here." Manuel said a demotion to Triple-A was discussed internally, but never proposed to Perez. He added that several Triple-A Buffalo pitchers were candidates to replace Perez, though he declined to name them. After Perez, 28, allowed seven runs in 31/3 innings Friday night - the second consecutive start in which the lefty failed to get out of the fourth inning - the coaching staff sounded resigned about Perez's chances of improving. Perez is 0-3 with a 5.94 ERA. He is in the second season of a three-year, $36 million contract, and the Mets still hope to salvage some value for their significant investment. More troubling than Perez's numbers is the pitcher's diminished velocity. Perez has always been know for untapped potential, but his upside no longer seems as promising. He had knee surgery last season and has yet to rediscover the fastball that allowed him to strike out 239 batters as a Pirate in 2004. With a flat and slow fastball, Perez allowed four home runs Friday night. Perez insisted Saturday that he was healthy. "I feel fine," he said. The pitcher shook his head when asked if a move to the bullpen would help him by removing pressure. "No, I don't got pressure," he said. "I'm thinking about the team, I'm not thinking about me."

PELFREY PUTS END TO MISERY

Several hours of drama unfolded Monday at Turner Field, complete with tension, anxiety, intrigue and stress. Then the game started. That, too, provided entertaining theater. With COO Jeff Wilpon and general manager Omar Minaya in attendance, Mike Pelfrey and the Mets gave manager Jerry Manuel a timely 3-2 victory over the Braves. "All we can take care of is what we do on the field," catcher Rod Barajas said. "We haven't been playing great baseball. We needed to go out there today and figure out a way to win. Whether it was a close game or a blowout, we needed to go out there and stop what was going on." Little credit could go to the manager on this day, however, because his starting pitcher took all the strategy out of the game. By the time Pelfrey departed with two outs in the eighth, the winning formula was clear: Pedro Feliciano for one out, Francisco Rodriguez for the save. Those aspects of the game proved most difficult, with Feliciano loading the bases in the eighth and Rodriguez putting the tying run in scoring position in the ninth. But both pitchers wriggled out of their respective jams, easing the pressure -- real or imagined -- off Manuel. In the midst of a four-game sweep in Miami last weekend, Wilpon and Minaya altered their travel schedules to include an impromptu visit to Turner Field. There, they met with Manuel for roughly 90 minutes Monday in the visiting manager's office, discussing what Wilpon and Manuel described only as "baseball." Their visit, however, contained all the subtlety of a ticking time bomb. Manuel's job is no longer safe, as Wilpon later intimated with his comments. And Minaya's may not be, either. "I wouldn't be here if I felt good about everything going on," Wilpon said. On Manuel's watch, the Mets had committed such atrocities as a 15-game streak in which no Mets starting pitcher had earned a win -- the team's longest such streak in 18 years. Pelfrey put an end to it Monday, keeping his pitch count low thanks in large part to three double plays. Like most Mets, he also did his best to separate himself from the pregame drama -- "it's out of my pay grade," Pelfrey cracked. But there was no denying an extra sense of anxiety, if not urgency, for the visiting team at Turner Field. "Maybe it's unsettling for some people," outfielder Jason Bay said. "It's definitely newsworthy. I understand that." Still, what could the Mets do? Their only roles in this drama involved gloves and bats. Starting in right field in place of the slumping Jeff Francoeur, Chris Carter used his lumber to the best of his ability, doubling and scoring on Barajas' two-run double off Derek Lowe in the second, then driving in what became the winning run with a groundout in the sixth. Carter, one of the newest Mets, has only known Manuel for months. But the manager must be glad for his presence. Thanks to Carter, Barajas and especially Pelfrey, the Mets snapped their losing streak at five. "Hopefully we can get back on the track and play good baseball for a period of time," Manuel said. Most of the Mets did so on Monday. Again, what else could they do? "If we're on a 10-game winning streak, I can't go out there and take the day off," Pelfrey said. "You always try to go out there and put up zeros and compete. Whether things are going back or things or going good, you've got to go out there and win. That's the bottom line." Barajas drew similar conclusions. "Regardless of who's here and what people are saying," the catcher said, "the bottom line is you've got to get your job done." On Monday night, they did. And they have their ace, Johan Santana, prepared to start the final game of this two-game series on Tuesday. Wilpon and Minaya will be in attendance for that one, too. But if the Mets keep winning, they'll be all but invisible. "Obviously things didn't go too well the last five or six games," Bay said. "I guess what's done is done." (MLB.com)

METS SWEPT IN MIAMI

NIGHTMARE FOUR GAME SWEEP COMPLETED AS METS LOSE 8TH OF LAST 11 GAMES

An injury, some poor defensive play and a loss all combined to make Sunday afternoon look like a brief review of last year’s horrors for the Mets. The Florida Marlins defeated the Mets, 10-8, to complete a four-game sweep and send the Mets to their fifth straight loss. But the loss was only part of the misery as the Mets lost starting pitcher Jon Niese, who left the game with an injured hamstring. His status for his next start, and perhaps more after that, was uncertain. Niese left the game in the third inning with an aggravated right proximal hamstring. He was fielding a bunt by Gaby Sanchez near the third-base line, and after he pivoted and threw the ball wildly toward first base, he bent over and grabbed the back of his leg. He remained in the game and threw one more pitch to Hanley Ramirez, but then bent over again in obvious discomfort. After a brief visit to the mound by the training staff, Niese was removed from the game and replaced by Hisanori Takahashi. Niese will return to New York for further medical evaluations Monday, but it would be surprising if he is able to make his next scheduled start Friday against the Yankees at Citi Field. Last year, in a season full of injuries, Niese had surgery to repair a torn hamstring tendon in his right leg. He had to be carried off the field last August after the injury; Sunday he was able to walk off on his own and he did not appear to be limping much. Still, the Mets will have to find another replacement starter, and that could be Takahashi, the left-handed relief pitcher from Japan. The Mets are already looking for a starter for Wednesday’s game against the Nationals in Washington after Oliver Perez was demoted. The left-handed reliever Raul Valdes is the leading candidate to make that start if the Mets do not promote a minor leaguer. As for Takahashi, he did not throw particularly well Sunday, allowing two runs in three innings, but more important he threw 59 pitches, which almost certainly eliminates him from consideration for Wednesday’s start. Niese gave up five runs, but only one of them was earned because of his throwing error and another by David Wright that combined to account for four unearned runs as the Mets fell behind, 7-0, after five innings. They scratched their way back to 7-6, but in the bottom of the seventh Chris Coghlan hit a three-run pinch hit home run off Fernando Nieve to extend the Marlins’ lead. The recent call-up Chris Carter batted cleanup and had a run batted in for the Mets, and Wright and Alex Cora each knocked in two runs as the Mets scored eight runs for the first time since they beat the Nationals, 8-6, on May 11, the date of their last victory. Jason Bay hit third for the first time since last year when he was with the Red Sox. He collected two hits, including a triple in the ninth inning.

DOES IT GET ANY WORSE?

Eight turned out to be enough for the Marlins on Saturday night. Cameron Maybin matched a career high with three RBIs, and Nate Robertson scratched out 5 2/3 innings to guide the Marlins to a 7-5 win over the Mets in front of 26,007 at Sun Life Stadium. For the first time this season, Florida has won three consecutive games. It took the Marlins eight chances to finally reach the mark, and they clinched the four-game series against the Mets by taking the first three. "This is the start of something right here," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We swung the bats. We haven't been firing on all cylinders. But we've been swinging it now. Maybin had a big game." The Marlins (19-18) are now over .500 for the first time since they were 13-12 on May 2. They are in position for a four-game sweep with Ricky Nolasco facing Jonathan Niese on Sunday afternoon. "Winning three games against a division rival that was ahead of you, it's big," said Robertson, who gave up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits. "We've done really well against our division this year. That's one thing that this team has done, play well against your division. That's what you have to do to have a chance to win at the end." Florida is now 5-1 against New York and 10-5 in National League East play. Robertson (4-3) beat the Mets for the second time this season. The left-hander credited some stellar defensive plays, which included right fielder Cody Ross throwing out Ike Davis at the plate in the second inning. In the ninth inning, left fielder Chris Coghlan tossed out Rod Barajas trying to stretch a single into a double to lead off the frame in a three-run game. "It was dumb baserunning," Barajas said. "Being down three runs, you stay at first. I know that, I've been taught that, I've seen guys make those mistakes, and I'm like, 'What are you thinking?' There's no excuse for it. It was just bad." Barajas' out proved costly. While Leo Nunez logged his eighth save in 10 tries, the Marlins' closer allowed a two-out double to Jose Reyes and an RBI single to Luis Castillo, which made it a two-run game. The game ended when Angel Pagan chopped a groundout to first baseman Jorge Cantu. The run allowed was just the second in 16 1/3 innings by Nunez on the season. "He's human," Gonzalez said. The Marlins grabbed an early three-run lead off John Maine, who walked five in five innings. After watching the three-run lead slip away, Florida pushed across three runs in the fifth to grab a 6-3 advantage. Hanley Ramirez doubled and took third on Jeff Francoeur's throwing error. Cantu, back in the lineup after getting his first day off, laced an RBI double to left-center. Ross delivered a run-scoring single to right, and Maybin lifted a sacrifice fly to center. The three-RBI night for Maybin matched his career best. The other time he drove in three runs was also against the Mets on Sept. 26, 2009. In the sixth inning, the Marlins tacked on another run. Gaby Sanchez doubled with two outs and scored on Ramirez's RBI single. In six games against the Mets this year, Sanchez has five doubles. Maine (1-3) got off to a wild start, walking the first three batters he faced on 12 consecutive balls. Dan Uggla walked with the bases loaded, opening the scoring. And Maybin's two-run single to center gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead. Maine threw 40 pitches in the first inning. "He walked the bases loaded and I was just trying to capitalize on that," Maybin said. "It was a situation where we had one run, and we needed to get more than that. It was nice to be able to get that hit. "I think that would have been a momentum swing their way, if we were only able to get one run. It was huge. It was definitely huge." New York countered with a run in the second on David Wright's monstrous home run to center field. Davis doubled, and with one out, Barajas singled to right. Davis tried to score, but Ross made a strong one-hop throw. Catcher Brett Hayes, making his first Major League start, fielded the ball up the third-base line and made a nice swipe tag. "He put a heck of a tag on [Davis]," Robertson said. "He had to make a big out. Those are big-time plays."

METS FALLING APART

Oliver Perez went into Friday night’s start against the Marlins knowing a lot was at stake for him. If he had another poor performance, there would be no further mitigating reasons to explain it away. The weather, which others had used to account for Perez’s previous bad outings, would not be a factor. It was warm and humid at Sun Life Stadium, where Perez has been successful, and his surgically repaired knee has not been a problem all year, he said. So the only remaining explanation for this terrible performance was simply that he was bad, and getting worse. In his shoddiest start of the season — which already includes several awful outings — Perez allowed seven runs and nine hits in three and a third innings. It puts more pressure on the Mets to remove Perez from the pitching rotation, something they are loath to do because of his hefty contract. But this was the second consecutive start in which Perez walked off the mound with only one out in the fourth inning, and the direct result was the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Marlins, their third defeat in a row. There is only so much more Manager Jerry Manuel can tolerate before Perez’s job status is called into question again, so he said he would talk to Perez and the pitching coach Dan Warthen on Saturday. “We’ll sit down with the people involved and discuss it and make a decision,” Manuel said. Manuel also seems prepared to make another important decision involving Jose Reyes and the batting order. He said he was considering moving Reyes, who went 0 for 4 and is hitting .215, back to the leadoff spot, and the move could come as soon as Saturday. That would be a welcome change for Reyes. “The way I am hitting right now, it seems like it would not be too bad to get back to leadoff and see what happens,” Reyes said. Other changes could be coming with the middle of the Mets’ order, including David Wright, Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur, who went a combined 1 for 10. But Manuel said that with the Marlins starting the left-hander Nate Robertson on Saturday, those changes may have to wait until Sunday. Manuel said he was not pleased after seeing the middle of the order struggle again while the Marlins pounded the beleaguered Perez for four home runs, including three in the fourth. “That’s not a good combination at all,” he said. Dan Uggla hit two of the home runs. His first was a three-run shot in the third inning, and his second capped the home run barrage in the fourth. Chris Coghlan hit his first home run of the season leading off the inning, and Gaby Sanchez followed with another homer as the Marlins went back-to-back for the first time this season. The Mets fell to 18-18 and were at the .500 mark for the first time since they were 9-9 on April 24. It was the first time a Mets pitcher had given up three home runs in an inning since John Maine did it June 12, 2007, at Dodger Stadium. It was not until after Sanchez’s home run, when the score was already 6-0, that the Mets finally scrambled a reliever in the bullpen, suggesting Manuel was giving Perez one last chance to resurrect himself. But Perez’s fastball, which used to hit 94 or 95 miles per hour, is down to 89 or 90 m.p.h., and it is unclear why. “We’re all working very hard to make him a usable pitcher at this time,” Warthen said. It was the fourth time Perez had given up four home runs in a game, but the first as a Met. The last time was when he pitched for the Pirates on Sept. 15, 2004, at Wrigley field in Chicago, another sign that Perez seems to be going backward. With the loss his record fell to 0-3 and his earned run average rose to 5.94, more than a run higher than it was going into the game. He seemed almost oblivious to the fact that his spot in the rotation was in jeopardy. “It happens to everybody in the big leagues at some point,” Perez said, adding: “I just have to keep it up. I have to keep working. I know I haven’t given my team a chance to win. I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to quit.” Although Perez has not been effective, he is in the second year of a three-year, $36 million contract, which means any decision to demote him would have to be approved at the highest level of the organization. If the Mets do make the move, they could bring up a minor leaguer like Pat Misch or the knuckleball pitcher R. A. Dickey, or give the reliever Hisanori Takahashi a chance to start. (NY Times)