METS DROP SERIES IN PUERTO RICO

A valiant Mets comeback in the ninth inning was thwarted Tuesday night, and all the fun and novelty of a three-game series in Puerto Rico is quickly wearing off for them. The Florida Marlins beat the Mets, 7-6, when Dan Uggla singled home Jorge Cantu with two outs in the ninth at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which continued to thump and sway to the rhythmic beat of Caribbean baseball. Trailing by 6-3, the Mets scored once in the seventh and twice in the ninth to tie the score in the second of the three-game San Juan series. In the bottom of the ninth, the left-hander Pedro Feliciano struck out the first two batters before Cantu stroked a double to right-center. First base was empty for the right-handed-hitting Uggla, but the Mets elected to pitch to him. Uggla singled up the middle, and when Cantu scored with a headfirst slide, the Marlins poured out of the dugout to celebrate with him. The Mets had been playing better on the road lately, entering this series having won seven of nine there. But combined with Monday’s 10-3 loss, they have lost four straight away from Citi Field and their road record has fallen to 15-22. The Marlins are taking to their new surroundings much better. San Juan, the site of Florida’s two straight wins, also proved the perfect setting to announce that Edwin Rodriguez, who became the first Puerto Rican manager in the major leagues when he was promoted from Class AAA New Orleans on June 23, would remain in his job for the rest of the season. “Before the game started, I met with our manager, Edwin, and I told him he would be our manager until the end of the year, when we’ll re-evaluate things,” the owner Jeffrey Loria told reporters. The news was not as good for Mets Manager Jerry Manuel, who watched with a pained expression as Hisanori Takahashi handed back the 3-0 lead the Mets had built in the first three innings. Pitching on a cooler and far less humid evening than the night before, Takahashi allowed six earned runs on nine hits and two walks, and he struck out four in five and two-thirds innings. He started rather impressively, setting down the first eight batters he faced, and did so with impeccable control. But he suddenly lost that control with two outs in the third inning. He allowed Marlins starter Nate Robertson to single before walking Chris Coghlan and giving up a ground single to Gaby Sanchez. Then, with catcher Rod Barajas setting up on the inside of the plate, Takahashi threw a high fastball out over the plate, and Hanley Ramirez promptly delivered it to the fans in the left-field bleachers. Takahashi appeared to lose his concentration, giving up a double to Cantu and a home run to Uggla. He then walked Cody Ross before finally getting Ronny Paulino on a ground ball to end the inning. But instead of removing Takahashi, who threw 110 pitches in all, Manuel left him in the game, effectively making him his own mop-up man. This was the second consecutive game in which Takahashi allowed six runs in fewer than six innings. Before the game, General Manager Omar Minaya said Takahashi was not auditioning for his spot in the rotation, despite his recent struggles, but he sounded less convincing than he had on recent occasions when he made similar statements. “I don’t think it has to be a situation where guys go out there and have to feel they are being evaluated,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say that we’ve seen enough quality. We believe in giving these guys an opportunity. How much that opportunity is, we don’t know. But it’s not one of those things where if he doesn’t pitch well on a specific day we’re going to make changes. You have to let these guys pitch.” Manuel certainly did that. He let Takahashi pitch and pitch some more. But the Mets got him off the hook for the loss in the ninth inning, with Josh Thole knocking in the tying run with a single up the middle. (NY Times)

METS IN PUERTO RICO TONIGHT

SPOTLIGHT ON PAGAN, RED HOT METS

A decade ago, even a casual baseball fan could name an all-star team’s worth of players from Puerto Rico: Carlos Delgado at first base; Roberto Alomar at second base; Juan Gonzalez, Ruben Sierra and Bernie Williams in the outfield; and Sandy Alomar Jr., Jorge Posada and Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate. Not anymore. Only Posada and Rodriguez remain, and the next generation of Puerto Rican stars, like Carlos Beltran and the Molina brothers, lacks a similar swagger. The pipeline of prospects from the island, once rich with potential Hall of Fame talent, has narrowed as major league teams focus on cheaper and more plentiful prospects from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. In 2009, only 3.5 percent of position players in Major League Baseball came from Puerto Rico, a 24-year low. Meanwhile, the percentage of Cuban and Venezuelan position players has nearly doubled in the last decade. An average of 27 Puerto Ricans a year were drafted and signed during the past decade, down from 35 a year during the 1990s. Ten times as many amateurs were signed from the Dominican Republic. Major League Baseball has tried to boost the popularity of the sport through the World Baseball Classic and by playing regular-season games in Puerto Rico, including this week’s series between the Mets and the Florida Marlins. Yet the games will do only so much. “If you look at opportunities for youth in Puerto Rico versus the Dominican Republic, most people would agree there are many more choices in Puerto Rico,” said Sandy Alderson, a consultant on Latin American affairs to Commissioner Bud Selig. “We’re talking about the difference between buying a ticket and going to New York or not being able to buy a ticket or qualify for a visa.” Many in baseball say that Puerto Rico’s star started fading in 1989, when Puerto Ricans were first added to the draft. The goal was to cool a bidding war for the best young players, and it succeeded. But it also forced Puerto Ricans to compete against American players — who have access to better coaches, competition and facilities. Players from the Dominican Republic are exempt from the draft and can sign with major league organizations as early as 16, when they often enter a team’s academy. Puerto Ricans, as United States citizens, must wait until their high school class graduates or they turn 18 to enter the draft. Yet Puerto Ricans have no high school leagues and are limited to amateur teams that play on weekends. As a result, players who have the wherewithal tend to leave the island and enroll in schools in the mainland United States. This migration has given major league teams another reason to focus less on Puerto Rico, making it harder for players who remain to become recognized. “There’s talent, don’t get me wrong, but when you don’t have scouts, how can you evaluate players?” said the Mets’ Alex Cora, an infielder who left Puerto Rico in 1993 to play at the University of Miami before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers three years later. “If we keep going like this, it’s going to keep going backward.” There is frequent talk in baseball circles about creating an international draft to level the playing field, but it has just been talk. Until Puerto Rico is taken out of the draft, or everyone else is included, the trends are unlikely to change. “Teams have moved on and put more money and scouting in Venezuela and the Dominican because it’s not part of the draft,” said Omar Minaya, the general manager of the Mets. “The key is that you’re getting more kids from the Dominican and Venezuela, and you have a hand in developing them.” Major League Baseball has tried to jump-start baseball in Puerto Rico. It subsidizes a baseball academy and high school in Gurabo, about 30 minutes south of San Juan. Edwin Correa, a former Texas Rangers pitcher who blew out his arm in the late 1980s, was the inspiration for the school, which opened in 2002. Major leaguers like Javier Vazquez and Delgado have lectured at the school and donated scholarships. Thus far, 71 academy graduates have been drafted and 55 have been signed. Efrain Nieves, a left-handed pitcher, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 and is now playing in Class A. Other graduates have gone to junior colleges. By contrast, the Mets’ academy in the Dominican Republic, which opened in 2005, has already produced Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia and Ruben Tejada, who have all played in the major leagues. Baseball has also pledged to support the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, said Noelia Lugo, the school’s executive director. The high school will open next year in the town of Florida with about 150 students and an English-language curriculum. Beltran has donated $2 million, about a quarter of the school’s cost, Lugo said. “It seems once kids get to this age, there are not a lot of places they can develop as wholesome athletes,” Lugo said. “Not all of them can play professionally, but we want to encourage all the kids to get an education and go to college.” College was not in Angel Pagan’s sights. Pagan, a Mets outfielder, grew up in a rough part of Puerto Rico, and his parents’ singular focus on baseball helped him buck the odds and make it to the major leagues. “Pretty much all my friends are in jail or are dead,” Pagan said. “If you crossed that line, you might have been in the same place. I’m very glad that my parents gave me the attention they gave me to be where I am right now.” (NY Times Reporting)

GREAT DAY FOR METS

With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ike Davis launched a ball over the bullpen and onto the "Shea Bridge" pedestrian walkway in right field, and just like that, the Mets had as many home runs Sunday as they had hits against the Twins on Saturday. Davis followed up David Wright's two-run homer to left with that blast, marking the second time this season the Mets have hit back-to-back home runs, and the home team went on to beat the Twins, 6-0, in the rubber match. After being blanked by Carl Pavano the previous day, Jeff Francoeur opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the fourth inning. "[Davis] crushed that one, he's got stupid pop," Francoeur said. "I said to David, 'Mine went farther.' David said, 'Mine went out faster.' Then Ike his that one, and we both shut up." Wright's and Davis' home runs were sandwiched between a double by Jesus Feliciano, who recorded three hits in a game for the second time in four starts of filling in for Angel Pagan, and a triple by Jason Bay in a four-run frame, during which the Mets chased Twins starter Scott Baker after 4 1/3 innings. Jonathon Niese tossed six-plus scoreless innings before handing the game over to the bullpen, which preserved the Mets' 11th shutout win of the season, the most in the Majors. Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano and Bobby Parnell all pitched scoreless innings a day after the bullpen snapped its streak of 23 1/3 innings without allowing a run. "They've done a good job. With what we have now, the type of rotation that we have now, it gives us a chance to pitch those guys on a regular basis, but also in between give them a chance to rest," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Those guys throw strikes. You've got strike-throwers, and guys who are somewhat rested at the right times." Niese's recent play has provided a lift, especially with ace Johan Santana mired in one of the worst stretches of his career. The 23-year-old has now won four of his five starts since coming off the disabled list, with the only blemish a no-decision after a rain delay clearly affected his performance in a game against Detroit earlier in the week. "With the success, that brings more confidence if he feels he can repeat and pitch at this level, then hopefully we'll compete in championship fashion," Manuel said. The Mets wrapped up Interleague Play with a 13-5 record, a franchise record for most Interleague victories in a single season, and a 5-1 series record. "Sweeps are a good thing, but from here on out, we're just trying to win series," Davis said. The Mets started their last road trip by sweeping the Orioles and the Indians, which were their first road-series wins of the season. The team feels it has proved itself by playing the Yankees tough in Yankee Stadium and taking two of three from the Tigers and Twins at home, perhaps a more impressive feat than sweeping two teams sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions. "When we went to Cleveland and Baltimore, people probably said, 'They're not that good,'" Francoeur said. "But I think you have to say we're a good team right now." Buzzwords like "playoffs," "championship" and "Wild Card" filled the clubhouse after the game, showing that the team's recent play has clearly elevated what is acceptable to talk about openly. But before the Mets can accomplish any of those goals, they will have to take care of business in an increasingly competitive National League East. Sunday's win coupled with a loss by Atlanta put the Mets a half-game out of first place as they head to San Juan to take on the Marlins and then Washington for a four-game series with the Nationals. "We all think that every game is important, just because Atlanta is playing so well," Niese said. "Even for the Wild Card, we need to win every game we can."

WRIGHT, PELFREY BEAT TWINS

David Wright laced an RBI double and an opposite-field home run to propel the Mets to a 5-2 victory over the Twins at Citi Field on Friday night. It was a crisply played game between a team known for its fundamental efficiency and another that is quickly tending that way. The Mets looked very much like the Twins' contending teams of the past several seasons, moving runners along and getting clutch hits and big outs. Wright's fourth-inning double down the left-field line off Kevin Slowey scored Jose Reyes to tie the game at 1. On Ike Davis' single one batter later, Wright wisely scooted home when Denard Span's throw brought catcher Joe Mauer up the line and left home plate unguarded. Davis then scored from first on a Jason Bay double off the wall in left-center for a 3-1 advantage. After the Twins cut the lead to 3-2, Ruben Tejada doubled off the wall to lead off the fifth and sneaked in past Mauer's tag on Reyes' sacrifice fly two batters later. Wright added his home run into the nook down the right-field line leading off the sixth. It ended up being enough for Mike Pelfrey, even though it didn't often look like it would be. This wasn't vintage Pelfrey, or at least what Mets fans hope they can start calling vintage Pelfrey. But it also wasn't the Pelfrey of last season, the one prone to the big inning and self-castigation. Pelfrey's final line, in fact, looked an awful lot like that of counterpart Kevin Slowey. Each lasted six innings, each surrendered six hits, each struck out two and walked none, each allowed one home run. But unlike Slowey, Pelfrey was able to record the game's most crucial outs. It appeared the right-hander was on the ropes in the third, with runners on the corners, nobody out, and Mauer and Justin Morneau coming to the plate with the Twins already ahead 1-0. But Pelfrey bore down, striking out Mauer on a fastball up and in before inducing a 6-6-3 double-play grounder up the middle off the bat of Morneau. Pelfrey labored throughout the evening, reaching a full count eight times during the night and having four different at-bats last at least nine pitches. Pelfrey tossed 117 pitches in six innings -- two shy of a season-high -- and even his 1-2-3 sixth required 27 pitches. But it was enough for him to record his 10th win of the season and remain undefeated at Citi Field in 2010. (MLB.com)

REYES, DICKEY GUIDE METS TO SERIES WIN

STILL THE HOTTEST TEAM IN BASEBALL, METS SHUT OUT TIGERS

Before Wednesday night's game, R.A. Dickey was on a clubhouse computer looking up statistics about the Tigers. After the number he did on Detroit, people may be looking up his stats today. The righthander fired eight scoreless innings at one of the American League's most formidable lineups as the Mets prevailed, 5-0, before 35,045 in Flushing. Dickey won his sixth straight six start and is now 6-0 with a 2.33 ERA. Jose Reyes went 3-for-4, coming a double short of hitting for the cycle. He tripled to lead off the first and got stranded. He singled in the third and scored on David Wright's double for a 1-0 lead. He homered in the fifth to make it 2-0. The Mets have won 14 of 17 and continue to prove their legitimacy. Six victories off lowly Baltimore and Cleveland helped their won-loss record and confidence, but back-to-back wins against a strong team such as Detroit say a lot more. The win did not come without its moment of concern however. In the seventh inning, when the Mets scored three times to break the game open, Jesus Feliciano came in to pinch-hit for Angel Pagan, who Jerry Manuel says had spasms in his side and expects him to miss just one day. Feliciano grounded out to second with the bases loaded, bringing in the Mets' third run with his first career RBI. Dickey has been a godsend to a rotation that looked in dire straits with Jon Niese out injured and Oliver Perez and John Maine underachieving as the Mets never expected. The guy has done nothing but win and eat up innings. He has gone at least six innings in each of his seven starts since the Mets brought him up from Triple-A Buffalo on May 19. Six of the starts have been quality starts. His six straight wins are a career best. The eight-inning effort Wednesday night stands out as the best in the group this season. He gave up four hits, issued two walks, struck out four and retired the last 13 batters he faced. Frankie Rodriguez worked a scoreless ninth to finish the game. While there were plenty of baserunners on against Dickey in the first four innings, the biggest jam he faced was in the first. He walked Ramon Santiago and gave up a single to Magglio Ordoñez with one out. He loaded the bases on a two-out walk to Brennan Boesch. But he escaped by getting Carlos Guillen to ground out to second base. In the third inning he gave up a leadoff single to Johnny Damon, who stole second and took third on a sacrifice by Santiago. Dickey escaped by getting Ordoñez and Miguel Cabrera to ground out. A fourth-inning single was the last baserunner he allowed. Reyes is batting a blistering .372 since May 20 and the Mets are 28-7 - an .800 winning percentage - when he scores a run. It was the 165th time that Reyes scored a run and drove in a run and the club is 99 games over .500, 132-33, in those contests. After Feliciano's RBI groundout made it 3-0, Wright walked to load the bases. Ike Davis plated two insurance runs with a single to right field, but the rally ended when Wright was thrown out trying to go to third. It wasn't a save situation for Rodriguez, but Manuel is trying to use him with regularity to keep him at his sharpest. (NY Daily News)

PHOTOS FROM THE 14-RUN GAME

METS SURVIVE STORM, SCORE FOURTEEN TIMES IN ROUT

On the same day the Mets announced that Carlos Beltran will be starting a rehab assignment, a concrete step toward the outfielder's comeback from knee surgery, Angel Pagan added more proof he deserves to stay in the lineup somehow when Beltran returns. Pagan, who has been starting in center field most of the season in Beltran's absence, tripled in the Mets' first run on their biggest scoring night in nearly two years and finished with four hits, four RBI and three runs in a 14-6 victory over the Tigers and their ace, Justin Verlander, at Citi Field. The four hits matched Pagan's career high. The Mets' outburst is the most runs the they have scored in a game since they beat the Yankees, 15-6, on June 27, 2008 at Yankee Stadium. After three innings Tuesday night, they were ahead, 10-0. Ike Davis knocked in three runs and David Wright and Jason Bay had two RBI apiece for the Mets, who ended a brief two-game skid in front of 32,363 at Citi Field. Wright and Jose Reyes also scored three runs each. Jon Niese fell one out short of recording his fourth straight victory, allowing six runs in 42/3 innings. Verlander (8-5), who did not return after a 58-minute rain delay, allowed five runs in two-plus innings. Niese did not allow a hit in the first three innings, so Met fans hungry for the team's first no-hitter could start dreaming again. But the Mets' big third inning, which was interrupted by the rain delay, may have helped sap Niese's stuff. The Mets scored eight times in the third, the most runs they've scored in one frame since tallying eight times last Aug. 18 against the Braves. Before the rain delay, Verlander walked Wright, gave up a single to Davis and an RBI double to Jason Bay, which lifted the Met lead to 3-0. After the rain, which was so heavy it sent fans racing for cover, Verlander did not return, having already thrown 61 pitches and sitting for so long. He was replaced by Jay Sborz, who was called up earlier in the day to replace the demoted Rick Porcello and was making his major-league debut. It did not go well. Sborz hit Rod Barajas to load the bases then hit Jeff Francoeur to force in the fourth run. After Ruben Tejada knocked in another run with a fielder's choice, Niese struck out and then Sborz allowed three consecutive singles to push the Met lead to 8-0 and end the his evening. Lefty Brad Thomas came in and gave up a two-run double to Davis and then walked two consecutive hitters to load the bases before retiring Francoeur on a fly to left. The Mets sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning and had six hits - two of them doubles - and two hit batsmen and two walks. Six hits in a single inning is the Mets' season high, done five different times. There was a price of sorts to pay, though. The Mets stuck with Niese and it was apparent quickly the delay turned him into a different pitcher. Including the Mets' big inning, he went about 90 minutes between pitches. The Tigers were 0-for-9 with two walks and a hit batsman against him in the first three innings, but after the delay, Niese faced 14 batters and got only five outs. He walked one batter, hit another and allowed seven hits, including three doubles and a tremendous home run to Brennan Boesch that landed in the Tigers bullpen near the 415-feet sign in center. Niese had won all three of his previous starts since coming off the disabled list, including a one-hit shutout of the Padres, and the Mets seemed to be leaving him in to make it through the five innings necessary to qualify for a victory. But he could not make it. He allowed four runs in the fifth inning and was pulled after walking Brandon Inge to load the bases with two out. Fernando Nieve allowed one inherited runner to score, but struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn - who had batted twice in the inning - to end the frame with the Mets ahead, 11-6. The Mets added three more runs in the sixth, starting when Reyes reached on a wild pitch after striking out. Pagan singled for his fourth hit, Wright followed with an RBI double, Davis hit an RBI single and Bay a sac fly.

METS ARE DOING JUST FINE

PLAYING FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED

How could you blame Mets fans for irrational theories? Three season-ending heartbreaks and the thorough embarrassment of 2009 could scramble the senses of even the wisest fans. But the silliest idea for fixing the Mets is to blow up a core that, supposedly, has fundamental flaws. Maybe the Mets will make the playoffs this year, maybe not. But let us recognize, for good, that the foundation of Jose Reyes and David Wright is part of the solution, not part of the problem. They showed that again on Friday in the Bronx, where the Mets dumped the Yankees, 4-0. Wright doubled and scored in the first inning, and Reyes did the same in the eighth. Then he singled in the Mets’ final run in the ninth. Wright also made the game’s critical defensive play, bare-handing a chopper by Jorge Posada with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth. He fired to first for the out, finishing Hisanori Takahashi’s night, then whirled and pumped his fist. These are fun days to be a Met, despite their usual batch of crises. The Mets have already cut their opening day center fielder and first baseman. Two members of their original starting rotation are afterthoughts on the disabled list. The team is carrying nine rookies on its 25-man roster, three more than any other team. Yet after Friday’s victory, the Mets remain just a half-game out of first place in the National League East, winners of eight in a row. They cannot stay this hot, especially with more tough competition coming next week when Detroit and Minnesota visit Citi Field. But their success so far is largely because of Reyes and Wright. Wright is tied with Troy Glaus of Atlanta for the league lead in runs batted in, with 53. When he knocks in Reyes, the Mets almost never lose. They are 26-6 this season when Reyes scores; since 2005, they are 274-110 when that happens. Reyes is giving Wright lots of chances to drive him in these days. In his past 10 games, Reyes is 19 for 44 (.432) with 10 runs scored. “When he’s at the top of the order and playing the way he is, he’s the ultimate igniter,” Wright said. “We’re a lot more explosive and energetic when he can create havoc.” Wright and his teammates have said some version of that for years, perhaps relying too much on a player who joined the Mets the day before his 20th birthday, in 2003. Reyes has grown up in the major league glare, and the growing pains have made him streaky, a tough player to rely on as a leader. But that may be changing. Reyes is 27 now, and Manager Jerry Manuel said his maturity has stood out this season. Manuel said it shows itself most on defense. “You don’t see the at-bats go to the field,” he said. “Early in his career, we always said, ‘If Jose gets a hit his first time up, we’re going to have a good shortstop tonight.’ But this year he started off slow with the bat, and he’s just really, really played a good shortstop.” Manuel has also let Reyes be himself by abandoning the 20-game experiment of batting him third. Reyes hit .207 in that role. Since leaving it on May 15, he is hitting .331. “As soon as I went back to leadoff, it clicked for me,” Reyes said Friday, adding later: “That’s my house there. I feel confident there. I’ve been hitting leadoff almost all my life in the big leagues. I know what I have to do there to get the team going.” Reyes and Wright cannot do it alone, of course. The Mets owe much of their revival to consistent starting pitching, which Wright said has allowed the hitters to relax because they are not trying to win slugfests every night. Manuel has also hit on an effective batting order with the left-handed Ike Davis slotted cleanup, between Wright and Jason Bay. “Lineup-wise, it’s been a total team effort,” infielder Alex Cora said. “When they split David and Jason, with Ike in the middle, that was a huge move for us. Now it’s a little bit harder to go through those three; sometimes they start matching up early. That was big.” Role players have made important contributions, much more than last season, when the Mets lost almost every significant player — and several reserves — to injury. Reyes never played after May and Wright lost his power stroke. It was all an aberration, it seems now — miserable and painful, to be sure, but only a blip in a stretch of six Mets seasons in which five have been competitive. If nothing else, the Mets are contenders again, which is generally what they have been since Reyes and Wright established themselves as dependable building blocks, the foundation of something good.

TAKAHASHI SHUTS DOWN YANKEES

Hisanori Takahashi outpitched Javier Vazquez in their second low-scoring duel this season and the New York Mets extended their winning streak to eight games with a 4-0 victory over the suddenly slumping New York Yankees on Friday night. With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Francisco Rodriguez struck out Derek Jeter and retired Nick Swisher on a foulout to end it. David Wright scored in the first with a nifty slide and made a key defensive play at third base. Angel Pagan added a two-run double in the eighth and the Mets opened the second Subway Series of the year with their third consecutive victory over the defending World Series champs.

WRIGHT A YANKEE KILLER

In 125 at-bats against the Yankees, David Wright has picked up 26 RBIs, seven home runs and nine doubles. He has scored 23 times and walked six. He has a a .568 slugging percentage and .328 batting average against the Bombers with a .417 batting average at Yankee Stadium. In the Bronx, David has a .462 on base percentage but has yet to hit a home run.

AN EXCEPTIONAL RUN

There is a sense among a small but vocal faction of Mets fans that the team’s recent foray into the dregs of the American League ought to be recognized with an asterisk or an explanation. These are the people who e-mail columnists and telephone radio stations to express something that borders on embarrassment for what the Mets have done this past week in Baltimore and Cleveland. One example, from a reader in Manhattan whose name I’ll delete for his own good: “I want to believe as much as any other Mets fan. But how can you possibly get excited winning all these games against lousy teams? I’m worried about what’ll happen when they have to start playing the varsity. Like this weekend, when we have to play the Yankees. I fear that’ll be ugly.” OK. A couple of things upfront here: Yes, the Mets’ schedule gets a bit dicier than this stress-free tour of the AL’s basement that concluded with last night’s 6-4 win over the Indians. Their next nine games are against the Yankees, Twins and Tigers, all over .500, all in or near first place. And, yes: There’s no doubt the Yankees might drill holes in the Mets’ balloon this weekend. They’re good enough to do it. Especially at home. Especially after dropping two out of three in the first installment of the Subway Series last month. But the idea that the Mets have fattened up at the expense of tomato cans is wrong, and would seem to be another way for scarred, scared Mets fans to build a layer of defense for what so many of them always fear is the imminent dropping of a second shoe. Would you like to know what the Mets’ record was against sub-.500 teams before they landed in Baltimore a week ago? It was 11-14. Their record against teams with winning records, as of this very moment? It’s 21-14. You don’t hear near as much hand-wringing coming out of Yankees fans, do you? The Yankees are 20-5 against teams with losing records. After last night’s 7-1 loss to the Phillies, they are only 21-20 against teams that were over .500. Should we ask for a recount? Should we treat the Yankees the way the NCAA Tournament committee treats its membership, penalizing them for a weak strength of schedule? Don’t be ridiculous. You play who you play. That applies to both New York teams, and the fact is that for only the second time since the advent of interleague play, both the Mets and the Yankees are as close to first place as they are as they head into an inter-borough battle. The Yankees remain in a flat-footed tie atop the AL East with Tampa Bay while the Mets are still just a half-game behind the Braves in the NL East. The only other time both teams entered a series against each other with both teams so close to first place was four years ago, at Shea Stadium, the Mets entering the series beginning May 19 with a two-game lead on the Phillies while the Yankees were a half-game back of the Red Sox. The Mets took two of three, so they departed a game further up and the Yankees left a game further back. It is in many ways remarkable that we find ourselves where we find ourselves, a few days shy of summer, both teams having found identities that have endeared them to both teams. The Yankees win as often as they do with hardly a peep out of Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira; the Mets have blazed back into relevance despite that early 4-8 start, despite sitting at 20-23 after the first game of the last Subway Series. The next morning the Mets woke up seven games behind the Phillies; they have gained 10 full games on them in the standings since. And they have gained something else, too: equal footing, for now, on the city’s grandest summer stage. We have ahead of us this weekend what we always yearn for in a baseball summer: rarefied air and equal-opportunity intrigue. And whoever saw that coming a month ago?

FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE BRONX: GAME 1

METS 9-1 vs. AL GOING INTO FINAL WEEKEND OF SUBWAY SERIES
In danger of losing his rotation spot once John Maine returns from the disabled list, Takahashi enjoyed his first solid outing in three starts last weekend in Baltimore. Allowing one run on six hits in seven innings, Takahashi won for the second time since joining the rotation last month. His next start will provide a far greater challenge, however. Not only will Takahashi have to face the mighty Yankees, but he must do so having faced them just four weeks earlier. That may make things difficult for the 35-year-old rookie, who relies on deception. Vazquez continued his resurgence on Saturday against the Astros, holding them to three runs on six hits in seven innings to pick up his fifth win in six outings and push him over .500 for the first time this season. Vazquez struck out six and didn't walk a batter all game. Since missing a turn in the rotation in early May, Vazquez is 5-2 with a 2.93 ERA and .181 opposing batting average. One of those wins came against the Mets, who he limited to an Angel Pagan single in six innings before leaving with a bruised right index finger. Vazquez is 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA in 24 career starts against the Mets.
Further Series Analysis: The Mets are hot and the Yankees are waiting for them. When Round 2 of the Subway Series hits the Bronx on Friday night, the home team will be facing a reborn club from Queens, and it should make for typical crosstown drama. For the Mets, it will be a case of trying to keep a good thing going. The team has swept two straight road series and has won seven in a row overall. And on Friday, manager Jerry Manuel will hand the ball to lefty Hisanori Takahashi, and hope that he doesn't falter after pitching six scoreless frames against the Yankees and striking out five in his first career start on May 21. "I don't know if he needs to change up," Manuel said. "Obviously when you see a guy the next time around, you hope offensively you make some adjustments. But I think Takahashi is clever, instinctive enough so if you make an adjustment, he has other things he can go to to try to keep you off-stride. "That will be kind of the challenge for both him and the Yankees, really: who makes the adjustments and where he ends up after that." For the Yankees, it's about dealing with a Mets team that hadn't hit its stride the last time the clubs met, but is clicking in a big way right now. "I know they've won [seven] games in a row on the road, but I haven't really watched a lot of video on them or seen a lot of their games because we're usually playing at the same time," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Obviously, they have players that are hot. I think I read today that David Wright is leading the National League in RBIs. He's been hot. We'll worry about that tomorrow, but I know they're playing well. "I still think the competitive nature is there because it's New York vs. New York. Maybe it will be more. I imagine it will feel different because we're at home. That's going to feel different. It seems to be an excitement that the city really loves no matter where the two teams are. It could be more [exciting] just because they're playing well and we've been playing well." Yankees: A loaded question With the bases loaded, the Yankees lead the Major Leagues in batting average (.429, 36-for-84), grand slams (six), RBIs (99) and walks (11). ... According to the Elias Sports Bureau, catcher Jorge Posada, who hit grand slams in consecutive games on Saturday and Sunday, became the first Yankee to hit grand slams in consecutive games since Bill Dickey did it Aug. 3-4, 1937. ... Mark Teixeira will greet graduating seniors from the Harlem RBI program prior to Friday's game. Mets: Interleague intensity The Mets have hit 10 home runs against American League teams this year and 248 all-time during Interleague Play, the second-most among National League clubs to Philadelphia (258). The Mets have a .301 batting average (100-for-324) and a 3.00 ERA (81 innings, 27 earned runs) in Interleague action this year. ... First baseman Ike Davis ranks in the top 10 among Major League rookies in average (.266), runs (33), doubles (13), home runs (eight), RBIs (25) and walks (24). Worth noting Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Thursday that second baseman Luis Castillo will not return when he is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend, noting that his second baseman is "just not ready yet." Castillo, on the disabled list since June 2 after enduring issues with both feet, has been working out in Port St. Lucie, Fla., hitting and taking ground balls, but otherwise staying off his feet as much as possible. ... Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano owns the outright Major League lead in batting average (.372). He leads all Major League second basemen in RBIs (49) and is tied for first with 14 home runs. He has reached safely in 60 of 66 games in 2010, and over his last 28 games since May 17, he's batting .425 (51-for-120) with 12 doubles, five homers and 26 RBIs. He currently has an active 10-game hitting streak. (MLB.com)

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OH BABY!

ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE

ANOTHER SWEEP & NY EXTENDS WINNING STREAK
METS REMAIN HOTTEST TEAM IN BASEBALL, BY FAR

The hottest team in baseball won again on Thursday, sweeping the Indians with a 6-4 victory. Recognize these Mets? "We're doing a lot of good things right," manager Jerry Manuel said after his Mets won their seventh straight game and their 11th in 12 tries. "We feel good about the way we're playing. And I think that's important." This one was a victory, plain and simple. The Mets converted R.A. Dickey's quality start and Jose Reyes' three-hit, two-run performance into that much, allowing the Indians to draw close but never even.
Now the Mets are certifiably rolling, with one of their most difficult stretches of the season -- 10 straight against the Yankees, Tigers and Twins -- looming back in New York. Friday, for these Mets, cannot come soon enough. "Right now, we can play with anybody," Reyes said. "Right now, we're playing very good." Among the streaking Mets, Reyes is perhaps playing better than anyone. Thursday, with a three-inch gash in his right index finger, he turned in one of his best performances yet. Singling in the first inning, Reyes was nearly picked off second base on Jake Westbrook's snap turn-and-throw. As he tried to tag Reyes, Indians second baseman Luis Valbuena dropped the ball and stepped on his right hand, spiking open a large gash. Reyes, of course, stayed in the game, and scored. Then he doubled in the fourth inning. Then he scored again. Then he tripled and drove in a run in the eighth. Batting .211 as recently as May 21, Reyes is now up to .270, with all three of his homers, and eight of his 17 stolen bases, coming since that time. And the Mets are playing .806 ball when he scores a run. Further evidence that Reyes is back to his old self: In the eighth inning, he ranged to his right and threw off his back foot to nab Jhonny Peralta on a grounder to short, before making a leaping catch of Shelley Duncan's liner. "That's the player that we know we have in Jose," Manuel said. "Jose is arguably one of the best shortstops in the game. Tonight was a night that you saw the real Jose Reyes." It was a night in which the Mets also saw a different Dickey. Unable to find a consistent release point with his knuckleball, Dickey accepted the advice of pitching coach Dan Warthen, who told him to stick with the harder, low-80s knuckleball that he seemed better able to command and control. For his final two innings, Dickey did just that, retiring the final six batters he faced -- three of them on strikeouts. And Dickey did something else remarkable at Progressive Field, becoming the first pitcher in Mets history to win at least five games without a loss in his first six starts with the team. "But I'm much more interested in how we fare collectively," Dickey said. He's in luck -- the Mets are faring well. Remarkably well, actually. Rapping out six hits, the Mets scored three runs off Westbrook in the first, before tacking on two more in the fourth. Ike Davis contributed to both rallies, punching RBI singles to opposite directions. Angel Pagan singled and scored in the first, crossing home plate for the fourth straight game. Even Henry Blanco singled home a run off Westbrook -- a potential trade target -- in the first. The Mets then exercised their new end-game formula: Elmer Dessens for the eighth, Francisco Rodriguez for the ninth. Though the Indians drew within one run on Travis Hafner's RBI groundout against Pedro Feliciano in the seventh inning, Reyes tacked on an insurance run with his triple in the eighth. And Dessens and Rodriguez ensured that it would remain a two-run game. Now the Mets are rolling, heading into the Bronx with only one noticeable flaw: they have yet to prove that they can consistently win against the best teams in baseball. This week, however, will afford them the chance. And the Mets plan to embrace it. "We're seeing now the team that we want to see," Pagan said. "The last couple weeks," David Wright said, "it's been fun to just watch this lineup go." After Thursday's game had ended, designated hitter Chris Carter grabbed a plate of food and slid between Wright and Davis on a clubhouse couch. "Six in a row? Seven?" Carter said, grabbing a forkful and turning to Wright. "Feelin' good right now."

PAGAN GUIDES METS TO ANOTHER SERIES WIN

NEW YORK HAS WON 17 OF 21

Angel Pagan drove in three runs with three hits to help the New York Mets stretch their winning streak to six games by beating the Cleveland Indians 8-4 Wednesday night. All nine batters in the Mets' starting lineup had a hit. New York has won 10 of 11 and is a major league-best 17-5 since May 21 to move from last place in the NL East to challenging for first place. Jonathon Niese (4-3) won his third straight start, extending the Mets' string of strong pitching during their streak. New York starters are 16-3 with a 2.61 ERA over 27 games since May 17. The left-hander, coming off a one-hit shutout of San Diego on Thursday for his first complete game, gave up three runs and eight hits over seven innings. In three starts in June, Niese is 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA. In his last three starts before going on the disabled list from May 17 to June 4 with a strained right hamstring, he was 0-1 with an 8.76 ERA. New York tied a season high with seven doubles, two by Ike Davis. Following a 7-4 loss Tuesday in which Cleveland infielders failed to make some routine plays during a five-run Mets rally, the Indians outfield didn't distinguish itself in New York's five-run third. The Mets strung together six straight one-out hits, including four consecutive doubles off Mitch Talbot (7-5). Ruben Tejada singled and took third on a single to right by Jose Reyes. Pagan began the carousel of doubles with a line drive to left, scoring Tejada for a 1-0 lead. David Wright then doubled over the head of leftfielder Shelley Duncan, the ball landing on the warning track as the speedy Reyes and Pagan easily scored. Next, Ike Davis drove a ball to left and Duncan turned left, then right, before lunging and missing it as Wright scored. ad_icon Jason Bay doubled home Davis to make it 5-0 with a drive to left-center, just out of the reach of diving center fielder Austin Kearns. Duncan's two-out, two-run homer on a full count in the bottom half made it 5-2. Jason Donald doubled and scored on a two-out single by Indians rookie Carlos Santana in the fifth. Santana was thrown out trying for a double. Jeff Francoeur had an RBI double and Pagan a two-run single in the sixth to put the Mets ahead 8-3. Talbot gave up eight runs and 13 hits over 5 2-3 innings. NOTES: Bay left in the sixth with a left thigh bruise. The Mets' LF tripped over the first-base bag beating out a second-inning single. ... The Mets have scored 34 runs (6.8 per game) during a five-game road winning streak. They averaged 4.1 in their first 26 road games, going 8-18. ... Indians OF Trevor Crowe sat out with a sore right knee. He fouled a ball of it Saturday night. ... Cleveland pitchers Justin Masterson, David Huff and Hector Ambriz put on an impressive home-run display during batting practice, but manager Manny Acta expects to give the bunt sign to his hurlers a lot during an upcoming nine-game stretch in NL ballparks. "The better you are bunting, swinging the bat and running the bases, that's going to stop the manager from taking you out of the game," Acta said. "If I know a guy isn't capable of bunting, that's probably going to shorten his outing." ... New York improved to 24-6 when Reyes scores a run. (Washington Post)

METS FINALLY BACK UP JOHAN

METS TOP TRIBE AND WIN 9TH OF LAST 10

The warnings have been there all season, those ominous statistics underlying Johan Santana's nifty earned-run average. The Mets ace has not yet discovered his Cy Young self, although he has often found a way to compete. Tuesday night, his strategy was an unfamiliar one: receive ample run support. Before the 7-6 win over Cleveland - the Mets' fourth consecutive victory on this road trip and fifth straight overall - Santana ranked 106th among National League starters in run support, receiving 4.45 runs per game. But on this night, a two-run homer by Ike Davis, three runs batted in by David Wright and three Cleveland errors salvaged the pitcher's seven-inning, four-run performance. "It was time we gave him the opportunity to kind of relax on the mound," said Jerry Manuel. "Not every pitch was a crucial pitch for him." For weeks, Santana's issues have been clear, despite his impressive efforts to succeed in spite of them. His ERA was under 3.00 until Tuesday night. Entering the game, Santana had walked three batters per nine innings, his worst ratio since he became a full-time starter for Minnesota in 2004. The 31-year-old had been averaging 6.1 strikeouts per nine innings, nearly 30% fewer than his career average of nine. Entering Tuesday night, his strikeout to walk ratio in 2010 was 2.07, way down from his career mark of 3.57. Pitching coach Dan Warthen believes that Santana's issues are a result of injuries in 2009, which culminated in season-ending elbow surgery Sept. 1. "Last year he had a bunch of little nagging things," Warthen said. "And because he's the athlete that he is, he found a way to compete, and I think he made some mechanical changes to do that. This year has been about trying to get him back to where he was early last year." After his previous start, a loss to San Diego, Santana retreated to the video room with Warthen, and the two studied his pitching motion. According to Warthen, they "felt the arm was in the right slot, but we didn't feel that he was loading the same way that he has in the past." Translation: Santana has developed a bad habit of rotating his midsection too early in his windup, causing his arm to lag. That has made his fastball cut out of the strike zone, and affected the sharpness of his changeup. Before the game, Warthen said that he saw evidence of improvement in Santana's most recent bullpen session. Tuesday night demonstrated that Santana had not overcome his bad mechanical habits. Given a 1-0 lead, he allowed three runs in the second, and one in the fourth. "I was just trying to stay focused, and hope those guys scored some runs - and they did," Santana said. "Any time you have a chance to score some runs and win a game like this, it's good." His performance shifted dramatically after the fourth inning, when he did not allow another run. Davis' homer keyed a five-run fifth, and Santana, as Manuel put it, "got on a roll late." Although Francisco Rodriguez allowed a two-run homer in the ninth, Santana was able to leave with a win for the first time since May 23. Before that, his last favorable decision came April 27. Two wins in nine starts, the result of paltry run support and a diminished repertoire. Tuesday night was far from a masterpiece, but Santana was relieved by the result. "It's nice to get a win," he said, exhaling. "Finally."

WRIGHT LEADS OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION AT CAMDEN YARDS

PELF IMPROVES TO 9-1 AS NY PICKS UP 1ST ROAD SWEEP SINCE 08'
Jason Bay rediscovered his lost swing, David Wright flashed his old power stroke in dominating fashion and the New York Mets recorded their first road sweep of the year. An 11-4 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday gave the Mets eight wins in nine games, put them seven games over .500 and provided a sense of relief that a team that once seemed incapable of winning on the road had turned a critical corner. It's huge for us. It's well-documented, our record at home," said Bay, who busted out of a 1-for-24 slump with a four-hit afternoon that included a home run. "We know how well we've played, and at some point you've got to start winning some games on the road or you can't make up any ground." For that to happen, the Mets need to mix together effective starting pitching, get sufficient production from Bay and get some power from Wright. That -- and more -- happened at Camden Yards as New York pounded out a season-high 18 hits. "The offense kind of carried us today," manager Jerry Manuel said. "The offense pretty much took over the game." And right from the start. Wright hit his first of two-run homers and Chris Carter added a three-run blast in the first inning off Orioles right-hander Kevin Millwood (0-8), whose name keeps coming up as a possible trade target should the Mets decide to add a veteran starting pitcher. Millwood lasted 5 1/3 innings, yielding eight runs on 11 hits. Bay also homered as New York improved to 5-1 in Interleague Play this year. The Mets hadn't swept a three-game road series since beating the Milwaukee Brewers from Sept. 1-3, 2008. Trying to figure out why he couldn't buy a hit, Bay decided to employ a swing encompassing less movement -- no back-and-forth with his hands while he awaited a pitch, no swaying of his hips in the batter's box -- and got the results he desired. Or so he thought. "I felt a lot different today, but when I watched on video, I looked exactly the same. I mean, identical," Bay said after going 4-for-4 to pump his average to .284. Still, Bay thought the work with hitting coach Howard Johnson had finally paid dividends. "It's been a constant battle. In the batting cage ... trying this, that, trying to find that one thing that helps you feel comfortable. Today is one of those days when it clicked," Bay said. Wright, who dropped from 33 home runs in 2008 to 10 in the Mets' inaugural season at Citi Field last year, proved he can still power up. He followed his first-inning homer with a sixth-inning two-run blast off reliever Mark Hendrickson. Wright now has 12 homers in 63 games, two more than all of last season -- not that he was ever concerned by what many perceived as a power outage. "If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: It doesn't matter to me," Wright said. "I've hit 30 in a season, I've hit 20 in a season, I've hit 10 in a season. It makes no bit of difference as long as I'm driving in runs and being productive at the plate. The home run thing, it didn't matter to me when I hit 10 last year and it doesn't matter to me now that I have more than 10 this year." What the team-wide offensive outburst -- every starting field player had at least a hit -- achieved was taking some of the pressure off right-hander Mike Pelfrey, who won his fifth straight decision on a humid day with temperatures hovering in the low 90s. "Pelfrey obviously didn't have his good stuff today, so it was good to go out there and pick him up," Wright said. "At the same time, it kind of shows the maturity Pelfrey has found this year ... to go out there and not have his best stuff -- kind of be erratic and labor out there and still find a way to pick up the quality start." The Mets rocked Millwood for six hits in the first inning, grabbing a 5-0 lead before Millwood could get the second out. Jose Reyes led off with an infield single and was wiped out on Angel Pagan's fielder's choice before Wright blasted his 11th homer to left-center. Ike Davis then singled, Bay drew a walk and Carter crushed a 1-1 slider into the center-field stands. That was ample support for Pelfrey (9-1), who allowed three runs -- matching the total he'd surrendered in his previous four starts -- on nine hits. He walked three and struck out one. Pelfrey didn't buckle when Baltimore scored three runs in the first two innings, and Pelfrey stranded eight Orioles. "I didn't have a feel for anything. Everything was up, everything was flat," said Pelfrey. "I can't live up there. I felt like they were racing for the bat rack. They were hitting some shots -- whew! Luckily, today was a good day to put up some runs. I'll definitely take it. The offense picked me up." Bay homered with one out in the fifth, his fourth of the season and first since a two-homer game against the Yankees at Citi Field on May 23, breaking a dry spell of 66 at-bats. Wright's sixth-inning homer gave him his 14th career two-homer game. After an off-day Monday, the Mets head to Cleveland for three games and then complete an all-Interleague road trip with a trio at Yankee Stadium next weekend. "It's a positive step for us," Bay said. "The road trip isn't over yet, but you can't overlook it. It's a positive start." (MLB.com)

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

WITH CROWD OF METS FANS IN BLATIMORE, NEW YORK WINS FIRST ROAD SERIES OF THE SEASON
David Wright, Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas were lounging in the clubhouse before Saturday’s game here when Wright noted that it had been almost a year since the Mets had won consecutive games on the road. The players laughed at the absurdity of the streak, which had reached 56 games dating to last July 25-26, and Francoeur later related that Barajas jokingly declared, in a coarse way, just how pitiful the Mets were that year. Reporters might never have learned about the conversation had the Mets not finally erased the ignominy of the streak by beating the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of this three-game series here Friday night, then following it up with a 3-1 victory Saturday. Those two results also ensured that they would win their first series on the road this season after going 0-7-2 in their previous nine series, and allowed Francoeur to reveal their discussion to illustrate how surprising the length of the streak was to the Mets and how confident they are feeling now. “It’s embarrassing, it really is,” Francoeur said. “It’s something that we as a team can laugh about because we’re playing well and we know what kind of a team we have this year. But it shows just how bad things were last year, and how bad we’ve been on the road this year. It’s almost hard to think that that’s actually possible, but it was.” With the victory, which was due in large part to the excellent pitching of Hisanori Takahashi, the Mets improved to 34-28 and are now a season-high six games over .500. Jose Reyes started off the game with his 15th career leadoff home run, extending his team record, and Francoeur added a solo home run in the eighth. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 13th save. Later, after Francoeur told reporters the story of the players’ conversation, Barajas, the Mets’ invaluable addition this year, was asked about it. He threw up his hands, pointing out that he was merely commenting on how difficult 2009 was for the Mets. Then he went into a different part of the clubhouse to have another chat with Francoeur. Moments later, Francoeur, the gregarious right fielder, emerged from the clubhouse and announced with a smile that Barajas had never in fact used bad language and that whatever he said should not be used on either back or front pages of tabloid newspapers. It was all good-natured fun, something that had not been in abundance on the road for most of the season. Also in a cheerful mood was Takahashi, who might have extended the length of his stay in the pitching rotation after two suspect outings. Manager Jerry Manuel said one concern about Takahashi was his ability to fool batters who had faced him once or twice already in a game, and he had no trouble doing that. Takahashi said through an interpreter: “It’s the same pitches. But they anticipate what’s coming, but I think that way too, so I change my mind. They think the sinker is coming, but I pitch the fastball inside.” Takahashi’s status in the rotation remains in doubt if and when John Maine returns from the disabled list, but after he allowed only one run, six hits and one walk in seven innings, it appeared he had regained his command. He gave up a run in the first inning, then never allowed a runner to reach third base, improving to 5-2 with a 3.48 earned run average. It was a reassuring sight, not only for the Mets, but also for the thousands of their fans who filled Camden Yards and cheered their team. But even if the atmosphere suggested a home game, it was still a road victory, and a significant one, too. “There’s no doubt about it,” Manuel said. “It’s been a big issue, a big story. To put that in the rearview mirror and keep playing it’s probably a confidence boost for the guys in the clubhouse, that they can win road games. That’s always huge.” (NY Times)

THE IKE DAVIS DOMINANCE

Ike Davis had flung his helmet airborne midway down the third-base line, and the rookie first baseman was preparing to high-jump into a mosh pit of teammates gathered around home plate. But as Davis approached the mass of celebrating players after his 11th-inning walk-off homer lifted the Mets to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, his teammates calmed him down. They feared a repeat of Kendry Morales' freak celebration injury after a similar blast on May 21 in Anaheim that resulted in a broken leg. Angel Pagan, Ike Davis Angel Pagan delivered a pie to Davis' face following the dramatic home run. "I was going to jump really high, but I saw all my teammates like going, 'No, no, no, no, no.' So I gave like a fun little hop," said Davis, who homered on right-hander Edward Mujica's 1-1 split-finger fastball to lead off the bottom of the 11th. Said shortstop Jose Reyes, who had pulled the Mets even at 1 with an instant replay-awarded homer in the seventh: "He didn't jump. He just took it easy there. We didn't want him to get hurt in that situation." Before the blast, the 23-year-old Davis had been in a rut at the plate, despite a 4-for-4 performance on Saturday against the Florida Marlins. Yet it took him only 45 career games to deliver the first walk-off homer of his Mets career. For the record, the last Met to deliver a walk-off earlier in his career was Craig Brazell, who did it in his 17th game in 2004, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Brazell's long ball handed the Chicago Cubs a critical late-season defeat that put their postseason chances on life support. "It was awesome, especially to win a game with one swing," Davis said. "Walk-offs are amazing. I think that's really like my first true walk-off in my life. So that was pretty sweet. Considering I've been going through a little rough patch here and not making contact, it made it even better." Said starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey, who had limited the Padres to one run in nine innings: "It's the first one for him, but it's not going to be the last. That's definitely for sure." After the home run, Angel Pagan greeted Davis with a ritual pie to the face. Davis had experienced that once before, when his teammates used shaving cream after his major league debut. "It was burning, and it was in my throat, and I couldn't breathe," Davis recalled. This time, Davis quickly -- and gratifyingly -- learned his teammates had used whipped cream, not shaving cream, to make the impromptu pie. "As soon as they hit me, I said, 'Oh, god,' because it got all the way back in my throat again," Davis said. "[Then] I went: 'Oh, that's pretty good.'" (ESPN)

DAVIS HEROIC AS METS TRUMP PADRES

The instant replay was conclusive: Ike Davis’ ball didn’t hit the Throgs Neck Bridge, it merely grazed Long Island Sound. The rookie first baseman saved the only no-doubter of last night for when it counted most — the bottom of the 11th inning against Padres reliever Edward Mujica — allowing the Mets to celebrate their fourth straight victory and ninth in a row at home, 2-1 at Citi Field. An inning after Angel Pagan just missed a game-ending homer, and after Jose Reyes was awarded a home run in the seventh on instant replay, Davis hammered a 1-1 splitter roughly 450 feet into the right-field upper deck to end it. BOX SCORE “To win a game with one swing, walk-offs are amazing,” Davis said. “I think that’s the first true walk-off of my life.” It meant Mike Pelfrey’s nine-inning gem, in which he pitched eight scoreless after surrendering an RBI double to Adrian Gonzalez in the first, wasn’t in vain. Pagan made the night memorable for Davis by issuing a towel filled with whipped cream to the first baseman’s face, moments after the Mets celebrated at home plate. “[Davis] made me look bad,” Pagan said, noting that he had received the same pitch from Mujica an inning earlier, but came up just short. Pagan got a triple on that 10th-inning rocket to right field, but after later viewing the replay was convinced he might have actually cleared the fence — the ball hit a fan’s arm near the orange line atop the wall. Umpires huddled, but the discussion was over whether Pagan should have been awarded a ground-rule double or allowed to stay at third. Pagan got the triple, but never scored. “It was not going to be a home run because it was below the fence,” umpiring crew chief Tim Welke told The Post. Reyes gave the Mets a jolt with a replay-aided home run in the seventh to make it 1-1. Reyes swatted a 1-0 pitch from Clayton Richard toward the top of the left-field fence and stopped at second with an apparent double after third-base umpire Mike DiMuro ruled the ball in play. But after a brief meeting, three umpires disappeared from the field to examine the replay, which conclusively showed Reyes’ shot hitting above the orange line atop the fence before rebounding onto the field. “I [thought] I got it, but in Citi Field you never know,” Reyes said. Davis took the pressure off everybody with his seventh homer in 158 at-bats. “The bigger the situation, the bigger the man — that’s what Ike brings,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “When you have that type of poise you kind of live for those moments and have your best at-bats in those moments.” Gonzalez’s RBI double in the first gave the Padres a 1-0 lead, but Pelfrey slammed the door, allowing only three hits over the next eight innings. Pelfrey had last pitched nine innings on Aug. 25, 2008, against the Astros. Richard tiptoed around trouble until allowing Reyes’ blast in the seventh. The lefty allowed consecutive singles to Jeff Francoeur and Ruben Tejada in the second before retiring Pelfrey to end the inning. In the fourth, Rod Barajas doubled with two outs and was left stranded. An inning later, Jason Bay struck out with runners on the corners to kill a scoring threat. “These are the types of games we’re going to have to win against this type of team,” Francoeur said. “When you’re playing at home you feel good about getting that last shot.” (NY Post)

RED-HOT FRENCHY & MANUEL'S METS WIN 8TH CONSECUTIVE AT HOME & COMPLETE HUGE SWEEP
HUGE CROWD WITNESSES CLASSIC COMEBACK

Of all the strategic decisions a manager makes over the course of a game, whether calling for a pitching change, switching a defensive alignment or ordering an unexpected dash on the basepaths, there are also the less-nuanced motivational tools to employ. For Jerry Manuel, who has operated all season under the public scrutiny regarding his job security, pushing his players’ emotional buttons may be his greatest strength. In the Mets’ 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins on Sunday, Manuel’s positive outlook was cited as one of the reasons for a triumph that extended their home winning streak to eight games. Manuel has faced some withering criticism this season, but he has also provided some evidence of a job well done, and players were quick to note how Sunday offered a strong case. With the Mets trailing by 5-0 in the sixth inning, Manuel refused to allow his players the luxury of conceding the game, even though they had overcome that large a deficit only once this season. And even though they had only eight outs left, Manuel remained vocally enthusiastic in the dugout. Apparently, it had an effect. “I give Jerry credit on that one,” Jeff Francoeur said, “because he was in the dugout cheering us on: ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ ” Francoeur was one of the players who responded. He continued his hot streak, hitting a three-run homer with one out in the seventh inning that tied the game at 6-6 and saved starter Hisanori Takahashi from taking the loss after he had allowed five runs in five and a third innings. Francoeur went 2 for 4 and raised his batting average to .268 from a low of .211 on May 23. He has hit in 10 straight games, going 18 for 36. Francoeur credited the hitting instructor Howard Johnson and Manuel for their assistance with his swing. But other players, too, have noted how Manuel, despite the pressure he has worked under this season, has never changed his upbeat approach. Whether it is the unusual step of calling the entire team into his office back in May to urge it to stick together, or cheering on his players in the dugout, his upbeat vibe has taken root, especially at home, where the Mets are 22-9. “He’s by far the most positive guy I’ve ever played for,” the first-year Met Jason Bay said, “and I don’t care if you’re playing Little League or major league baseball, positivity goes a long way. It tends to be contagious. That’s no slight to anybody else. That’s just, given the market, the uncertainties, the ups and downs we’ve gone through. “He’s never wavered on his stance of being positive and standing behind guys. I know it’s easy to get caught up in certain things, but he hasn’t. He’s really been the same guy to us, from spring training until now, and I understand how difficult that is and I respect that.” Manuel also had success Sunday making in-game decisions. With the score at 6-6 with two outs in the eighth and a Marlins runner at second, Manuel chose to intentionally walk Hanley Ramirez, then bring in the left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano to face the left-handed-hitting Chris Coghlan. While by no means a radical maneuver, the move was significant because it worked. Feliciano struck out Coghlan to end the inning, and Manuel’s explanation for the move was as simple and effective as the move itself. “Feliciano is our guy,” he said. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, with the speedy Angel Pagan on first base and Bay batting with no outs, Manuel had Pagan running on a 3-2 pitch. Bay had already struck out 55 times, so the possibility of a strikeout-thrown out double play was a distinct possibility. But Manuel noted that Bay had just fouled off a fastball, also on a 3-2 pitch, and correctly predicted that the next pitch would be a breaking ball. So even if Bay struck out, the chances were high that Pagan would still land safely at second. Bay ended up grounding a single to left field, sending Pagan to third with no outs. Marlins Manager Fredi Gonzalez decided to leave his infield back against Ike Davis, meaning it would be nearly impossible to throw home on a ground ball and get the lead runner. The Marlins turned the double play, but the decisive run scored. Gonzalez chose a defense that did not work, and Manuel chose an offensive play that did. “That’s the stuff we have to do to win ballgames,” Francoeur said. That, and hitting three-run homers. (NY Times)

WHITE GUYS GET THE JOB DONE

NIESE, FRANCOUER, DAVIS & WRIGHT PLAY BIGGEST ROLE IN SEVENTH STRAIGHT HOME VICTORY FOR AMAZINS'

In a team with more countries represented than any other and a record amount of Latino players in particular, it was the white guys who got the job done in front of a packed house in Flushing. The Mets on Saturday witnessed a tale of two left-handers: a veteran being run out of town for being too hittable, and his young replacement, whom few on the Florida Marlins seemed to be able to hit. Nothing could have been clearer at Citi Field than the way the careers of the 23-year-old Jon Niese and the 28-year-old Oliver Perez are going in different directions. On the day that Perez packed his bags for a stint on the disabled list — and an uncertain future beyond that — Niese returned from the D.L. and gave his team something to look forward to, and the Mets rolled to a 6-1 win over the Marlins. Niese, who was activated from the 15-day D.L. on Saturday after injuring his hamstring last month, allowed one run on six hits in seven innings while striking out six and walking one. He threw an economical 90 pitches. Niese was assisted by a Mets offense that wasted no time providing him with a cushion, scoring five runs on seven hits before forcing Marlins starter Nate Robertson from the game in the fifth inning. A pair of leadoff doubles — by Ike Davis in the second and Angel Pagan in the third — led to multi-run innings, capped by a towering two-run home run by David Wright that tucked inside the left-field foul pole. Wright and Davis had been struggling. For Wright, the struggles have been season-long and unshakable; for Davis, they have been more recent, with his batting average falling from .272 to .248 over the last week. But they had breakout games Saturday. Davis had a career-high four hits in four at-bats, including two doubles, and also drove in one run and scored three more. Wright, who went 2 for 3 with a walk, drove in three runs. It was Wright’s first hit, his home run in the third, that excited the crowd at Citi Field more than anything else. For the fans, it was an unusual sight. The home run was Wright’s 10th of the year, but only his second at home. His other home run at Citi Field also came against the Marlins, but two months ago, in his first at-bat of the season on April 5. The stress-free victory was a welcome distraction from the off-the-field drama that had drawn the most interest heading into the game: the team’s stand-off with Perez, the embattled starter who was banished from the starting rotation — and then all but banished from pitching at all — but who refused to accept a minor-league assignment, as was his contractual right as a veteran. But on Saturday, the Mets and Perez finally found a mutually agreeable solution, if a bit of a dubious one. Within hours of the Mets’ needing to make a roster move to make room for Niese, Perez was put on the 15-day disabled list with knee tendinitis. Perez, who was removed from the rotation after a disastrous May 14 start in Florida, where he gave up seven runs and nine hits, including four home runs, complained of pain in his knee Friday, the Mets said. He had a magnetic imaging resonance test Friday night and was expected to travel to Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Saturday to begin rehabilitation. Soon after, he will begin what was presumed to be the real purpose of the trip: finding a solution to his pitching woes. Teams are not allowed to place players on the disabled list without a legitimate medical reason, so Major League Baseball could investigate the circumstances of this case. The Mets must submit documentation, which is usually a report from a physician and sometimes a copy of tests performed. It is highly unusual for the league office to reverse a move to the disabled list. Often, especially in cases with tenuous circumstances, teams confer with the commissioner’s office before making the move in order to ensure they can do it. Manager Jerry Manuel said Perez had not complained of discomfort before Friday, when he ran into Perez while making his rounds in the training room. “He said, ‘My knee is bothering me,’ ” Manuel said. “And I asked, ‘When did this start?’ He said after the three innings that he had in San Diego. And that was that.” Manuel acknowledged that the timing of Perez’s injury would raise suspicions, but he defended the legitimacy of the injury, even going so far as to coin a new word. “In my years that I have been here, the Wilpons, Saul Katz, Omar Minaya, they have had similar situations where they could have used what I would say would be a less integrious option,” Manuel said. “But they never chose that.” (NY Times)