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Mike Baxter can't remember the last time he had a catch at the wall like he did in the first inning of the Mets' 6-1 win over the Padres Friday night.

"That's probably the first time at this level," the outfielder said.

Then again, it'd be hard for any prior catch to top Friday's acrobatic snare. Baxter's fantastic grab started an inning-ending double play in the first inning that proved to be a momentum-changing play that helped galvanize the Mets to their win.

"Held them to the one run in the inning instead of a multi-run inning and I think it really lifted Dillon (Gee) and everybody else," manager Terry Collins said. "It was a tremendous play."

With runners on first and third and one out in a scoreless game, Jesus Guzman hit a deep drive to left that Baxter snared with his right arm extended before crashing into the wall. While the runner from third scored, Baxter was able to get the ball back in time to nail Yonder Alonso at first to end the inning. Gee, shaky in the first inning, didn't yield another run.

Baxter said the ball carried and he was able to get a decent break on the ball and make the big play. He also contributed by driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the third, and he later came around to score. He's hitting .352 on the year.

"For him to have a play like that and get me out of the inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."

IKE AND DUDA PITCH IN: David Wright can't be the hero every night, so when he has 0-for-3 games like he did Friday, the team needs others to step up. Friday night, that support came from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, who drove in three in the win.

"It's huge for our team," Collins said.

Davis drove in a pair of runs for the second straight day with his single in the fifth inning. Collins wondered if this is what Davis needs to get going offensively, as the team recently told him he won't be demoted to the minors despite his slow start to the year. He's 3-for-8 over the last three games and has boosted his average to .168.

"I've felt a little bit better, my swing feels a lot better," Davis said. "BP has been really good the last two days, it's just nice to contribute."

For Duda, his second-inning home run off the Subway sign in front of the second level of seats in right field snapped a span of 77 at-bats without a home run. Duda now has 23 RBIs, which is the second-most on the team behind Wright. He scored two runs in the win.

"I think for me to be a productive big leaguer I have to hit home runs," Duda said. "Just continue to battle and play the game hard."

As he's endured a rocky start to the 2012 season, Mets starter Dillon Gee has been battling himself, trying to find the right groove. He's placed self-imposed pressure, telling himself he needs good starts. It contributed to a 5.44 ERA entering Friday's start.

"Lately in those games I was up in the zone a lot and mechanically I felt out of whack," Gee said. "I wasn't in sync, my right foot didn't know what my left foot was doing, and I felt lost to be honest with you."

After battling through the first inning against the Padres on Friday, a quick chat with pitching coach Dan Warthen reinforced to Gee that he needed to slow down and focus on locating his pitches. Simple -- yet direct -- advice that helped the youngster.

Ultimately, Gee found his groove on the mound, located his pitches and delivered his second-best outing of the season as he threw seven innings of one-run ball in the Mets' 6-1 victory. He struck out a career-best nine hitters as he improved to 4-3.

It marked the first time he won back-to-back starts dating back to last June.

"That's what I want to be is a consistent guy that you know what you're getting every night out and lately I haven't been that guy," Gee said. "It really gets under my skin. That's what I want to pride myself on, going out there every five days and giving the guys a quality start and a chance to win every time out. Hopefully this is the beginning of that."

Gee started slow but improved as the game progressed. He benefited from a tremendous play from left fielder Mike Baxter in the first, as Baxter caught a ball at the wall that led to a double play to end the inning. A run scored, but Gee didn't yield another. He gave up four hits.

"For him to have a play like that and get me out of that inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."

Facing the weak-hitting Padres, Gee induced plenty of soft contact, and worked around jams.

In the fifth, he sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a fielder's choice to work his way out of two men on and no outs. In the seventh, with two on and two outs, he fanned Chris Denorfia on a fastball that just nipped the corner of the plate to end the inning with the Mets up 6-1.

"Late in the game it's almost like his sinker's better, his two-seam fastball is getting better and he's starting to locate it better and he knows he can make pitches," manager Terry Collins said. "He relaxed and says 'look, I have to make pitches to get out of this instead of throwing too hard.' He just lets his stuff work."

Since tossing a gem against Atlanta on April 16, Gee had struggled to match that outing, getting rocked several times. Friday night, he finally looked the part of that pitcher down in Atlanta, keeping it simple and finding that consistency.

"He pitched very good tonight," Collins said.

A stellar outing from Dillon Gee and an explosive night at the plate propelled the Mets to a 6-1 win over the Padres Friday night at Citi Field.

GEE ON POINT: Gee tossed his second-best game of the year, holding the Padres to one run on four hits. While the Padres offense is rather punchless, Gee pitched exactly the way he needed to against that type of lineup, inducing plenty of weak contact. He set a career-high with nine strikeouts, the last one ending the seventh.

Since being shelled against Milwaukee 10 days ago, Gee has won both of his starts, the first time this season he's won back-to-back outings. Being able to consistently pitch well on consecutive outings will be key for Gee as he develops as a young pitcher. He's now 5-4.

OFFENSE ON ATTACK: The Mets' lineup continues to get the job done as it tallied six runs Friday night. It's a gritty group, relying on timely singles and doubles to tack on some runs. Outside of a few games here and there, the Mets have been able to score about three to four runs each game, which gives the team a good shot at winning. Five different players were able to drive in runs, including Lucas Duda belting his fifth homer of the year.

IKE WITH A PAIR: After the Mets made it clear they would not demote Ike Davis, the first baseman has responded with a pair of RBIs in each of the last two games. For the struggling first baseman, back-to-back games with RBIs could help get him going.

DIPPING: David Wright went 0-for-3 with a walk and saw his average dip down to .397. He entered the night batting .405 the top average in the majors.

WHAT'S NEXT: Johan Santana (1-2, 3.24 ERA) will try to pick up his second win when he opposes lefty Clatyon Richard (2-5, 4.63 ERA) at 1:10 p.m.

Chris Young threw a solid 6 1/3 innings for Single-A St. Lucie Friday night. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, striking out one in his third start. Young is working his way back to the Mets and the team plans for him to fill the spot once held by Mike Pelfrey.

After the conclusion of Thursday night's Triple-A Buffalo game, pitcher Jack Egbert was told to make sure he had his phone nearby, as he could be line for a promotion. About an hour later, Bisons manager Wally Backman was on the line, telling Egbert to pack his bags for Flushing.

The Mets purchased Egbert's contract before Friday night's game against the Padres. The team had claimed the right-hander off waivers in 2009, but he missed all of 2010 with Tommy John surgery and had to work his way back to the majors.

"It's awesome," Egbert said. "Obviously I had a good opportunity a couple of years ago when they claimed me. Getting hurt at the end of spring was disappointing and having a year off was tough, but I tried to keep a good attitude. I did pretty well did toward the end of last year and this year started out pretty well. It's really nice they had me in mind."

Egbert, a Staten Island native who attended Rutgers, has only appeared in two MLB games in his career, both with the White Sox in 2009. The Mets claimed him that year off waivers, but the surgery nearly halted his career. He was 2-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 17 games for the Bisons this season.

"As time goes by, I think it was toward the end of February, and I still didn't have a job, you kind of think one setback and it might not happen," Egbert said about the battle back from the surgery. "Luckily the Mets gave me another opportunity and my rehab has gone as scheduled."

The 29-year-old said he can do whatever the team asks of him out of the bullpen, whether that be one inning of relief or serving as the long reliever. Manager Terry Collins called Egbert a multiple-innings pitcher with a good sinker. He can pitch two innings Friday, if needed.

Egbert's excited to be able to pitch close to where he grew up and said his friends and family have been texting him over the past 24 hours.

"I grew up here and I know how involved the fans are and really New York sports in general," Egbert said. "It's just a whole another level. To grow up around that and then get away from it and come back, it's exciting for me."

Mets manager Terry Collins said he believes Jeremy Hefner will make another start as the team searches for stability in the rotation spot once filled by Mike Pelfrey. The team has turned to three different pitchers as it waits for Chris Young to return to the majors.

Hefner gave up six runs and nine hits Thursday night in his first start. He's scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Philadelphia.

The manager said a combination of Hefner pitching well at times and a desire not to mess with the roster have earned Hefner another start. Hefner is 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in three games.

"We just figured to give him another shot because right now you have to start rearranging the roster again," Collins said. "You have to start taking guys off and each time you try and bring a guy up who's not on the roster you take a chance on losing somebody. We're trying to avoid that if we can."

After Hefner's next start, his spot in the rotation may go to veteran Miguel Batista. Collins said the team would "wait and see," but added that the hope is that Batista is "well enough," meaning he's back from the disabled list and feeling fine. Batista has been on the disabled list since May 20 with a lower back strain.

Several different pitchers have tried to fill the open spot in the rotation and struggled overall, failing to give the team length. The bullpen had to throw 5 1/3 innings in relief of Hefner Thursday night, and Collins said it's led to overworking his relievers.

"We're asking these (bullpen) guys to do stuff they're really not comfortable with. That's the nature of the game right now, when you've got to eat up some innings," Collins said. "We have to get that guy in that spot to give us more innings."

LINEUP: After Ronny Cedeno batted leadoff Thursday, the shortstop has been moved to the No. 7 hole Friday. Collins said it's due to a combination of the pitching matchup, as San Diego is tossing a righty, and this lineup's success last series against Pittsburgh.

TEJADA: Ruben Tejada's base-running session Friday was just "so-so", according to Collins. Tejada has been on the disabled list with a right quad strain since May 6.

"I wouldn't say it's a step back, it's just not a big step forward," Collins said.

Collins said Tejada is going to be brought along slowly and it may not take many rehab games for Tejada to return once the team is OK with how he's running.

CATCHING DUTY: Rob Johnson is behind the plate again Friday because Collins wants Mike Nickeas to catch Johan Santana on Saturday and R.A. Dickey on Sunday.

INJURY NOTES: Jason Bay (rib) will not play in a game until his rib is fully healed, but he has been swinging against live pitching. Catcher Josh Thole (concussion) will catch five innings Monday. Young will pitch Friday for Single-A St. Lucie.

RAMIREZ OK: Ramon Ramirez said he is fine after his right calf tightened up on him Thursday night against the Padres.

Pedro Beato is moving up to Triple-A Buffalo as he continues his rehab assignment. He threw four scoreless innings for Single-A St. Lucie, striking out four and giving up two hits over three games. He's eligible to return to the majors on June 3.

Ike Davis returns to the lineup Friday, while Ronny Cedeno is batting seventh after hitting leadoff Thursday night.

Mike Baxter, lf
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, cf
David Wright, 3b
Lucas Duda, rf
Daniel Murphy, 2b
Ike Davis, 1b
Rob Johnson, c
Ronny Cedeno, ss
Dillon Gee, rhp

Right-hander Jack Egbert has been added to the roster of the New York Mets, who optioned left-hander Robert Carson to Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League.

Egbert, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo of the International League, was to be in uniform for Friday night's game against the San Diego Padres. The 29-year-old was 2-3 with a 2.08 ERA in one start and 16 relief appearances with the Bisons.

Carson allowed two runs in three innings over two games with the Mets.

After bouncing back to win the final two against Pittsburgh, the Mets started a four-game set against the Padres on the wrong foot as they lost 11-5 to San Diego at Citi Field on Thursday.

Friday's news reports:

• Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, The Record, Star-Ledger and New York Times.

• As Ike Davis continues to struggle, he will not be demoted to Triple-A Buffalo. Davis had a two-RBI double pinch-hitting in the eighth inning Thursday. Read more in the Post, Daily News, The Record, Star-Ledger and New York Times.

• The Daily News' Tim Smith writes that it would be more beneficial to send Davis down to the minors as he struggles. Writes Smith:

Collins and GM Sandy Alderson probably envision Davis someday being the kind of hitter that Wright is right now. I’m not sure that day ever arrives for the Mets. Right now Davis, who is batting .164 and has struck out 43 times, is nowhere near the player the Mets think he will become.

• The Star-Ledger's Jeff Bradley writes that Davis is searching to find himself at the plate during this tough year. Writes Bradley:

Davis is searching. Like all hitters who have ever been in a slump, he’s searching for clues, trying to remember just how the bat is supposed to feel. How it felt when the game didn’t seem so difficult. Where, as Davis says, “I get the bat in a good position and I can just get my hands through.” Only problem is, feeling good in batting practice means little.

• Three players are working their way back from the disabled list. Ruben Tejada will run the bases Friday, Josh Thole will catch an inning of extended spring training, and Jason Bay is taking live batting practice.

• Ronny Cedeno moved up to the leadoff spot in the order, while Andres Torres was moved to the No. 7 hole. Cedeno is batting. 254 with an on-base percentage of .362, while Torres is hitting .192 with a .332 on-base percentage. Cedeno's first night as the leadoff hitter didn't go so well, as he went 0-for-5.

• Jeremy Hefner's first start did not end well, with him giving up six runs on nine hits in 3-2/3 innings. He threw two scoreless frames to start the game but he didn't pitch well after the rain delay and only recorded five more outs before being pulled.

• David Wright is batting over .400 after a 3-for-5 night. He's at .405 on the year. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

TRIVIA: Which former Padres outfielder has a son who is a rising star in the Mets farm system?

Thursday's answer: Trick question. Hefner was actually drafted twice by Mets, 46th round in 2004, 48th round in 2005, but didn't sign with the team either time.

BUFFALO 6, SCRANTON-WILKES BARRE 2: Omar Quintanilla, the No. 9 hitter, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Bisons. Jordany Valdespin, Josh Satin, Lucas May and Dustin Martin also had two hits apiece for Buffalo. Matt Harvey got the win, pitching 5-1/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits, with two strikeouts and one walk. Harvey is now 5-1 on the year. Box

NEW BRITAIN 6, BINGHAMTON 4: Deibinson Romero’s two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a tie game and helped lead the Rock Cats past the Mets. Gonzalez Germen gave up the long ball, and took the loss. In his second start of the year with Binghamton, Jenrry Mejia ended up with a no-decision, allowing four runs on five hits and striking out five over five innings. Matt Den Dekker had three hits for the Mets, including a home run. Box

ST. LUCIE 5, DAYTONA 2: Third baseman Wilmer Flores and second baseman Robbie Shields had three hits apiece, and Cory Vaughn hit a home run for the Mets. Yohan Almonte improved to 4-0, pitching 5-2/3 innings, giving up one run on eight hits. Box

AUGUSTA 3, SAVANNAH 2: Jesus Galindo hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the 10th inning off Keith Bilodeau, and Kelby Tomlinson drove Galindo home on a sacrifice fly to win it for the GreenJackets. Gilbert Gomez was 3-for-4 for the Sand Gnats, and Aderlin Rodriguez hit a home run. Box

Compiled from team reports

One of the few bright spots in the Mets' 11-5 loss to the last-place San Diego Padres on Thursday was third baseman David Wright.

Wright continued his torrid pace by going 3-for-5 on the night, upping his batting average to a major league-leading .405.

He had a double in the first inning, and a single in the eighth. But the biggest hit was his two-run blast over the center-field wall in the sixth, his fifth home run of the year.

"He’s in a zone like none other," said manager Terry Collins after the game.

Wright, for one, isn't caught up in his batting average right now. "It's May," said Wright. "It’s really, really early, so you can’t get caught up in looking up at the [scoreboard].

"The important categories are I wanna be able to drive runs in and score runs. Those are things that don’t fluctuate. Once you drive in a run and score a run, that never goes away. Batting average is gonna fluctuate, go up and down depending on whether you’re a little lucky that night or not."

ANOTHER POSITIVE: Ike Davis was not in the starting lineup, but he did get to pinch-hit in the eighth inning and laced a single into right field, driving in two runs.

This was his first at-bat since Collins informed Davis that he was not in danger of being demoted to Triple-A, despite entering Thursday's game batting just .159 on the season.

"I thought Ike was certainly being himself today," Collins said after the game. "I only talked to him briefly, a little bit on the field, but I had three or four people tell me today that they thought he was a different person today, personality-wise. And the intent was to try to ease off a little bit and let him take a deep breath and get himself thinking about what he’s gotta do to be successful, and not what’s hanging over his head."

"In [batting practice] I was hitting balls on the line that were going out of the ballpark. I hadn’t done that really all year," Davis said. "It’s a positive, but I still have a long way to get back, and just have to keep grinding it out."

ANOTHER INJURY? Ramon Ramirez, the only Mets pitcher to not give up a run on the night, may have injured himself before leaving the game.

"I’m hoping that Ramon’s OK," Collins said. "I saw him come off the mound, he was limping going to first base, covering first base, so I wanna go check on him."

There is no further update on Ramirez at this time.

Ramirez pitched 1-1/3 innings on Thursday night, giving up no runs on one hit, with two strikeouts.

On the season, Ramirez has a 4.07 ERA in 20 appearances and 25-2/3 innings pitched.

Jeremy Hefner's first major-league start certainly did not go according to plan.

It started off well -- Hefner recorded two scoreless frames, giving up just a single in the first two innings. But then a heavy rainstorm interrupted play for 68 minutes.

Hefner returned to the game despite the long delay, but wasn't nearly as effective. He only recorded five more outs, giving up six runs on nine hits overall in the Mets' 11-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.

"Just real disappointed," said Hefner, still emotional after the game, despite having been lifted way back in the fourth inning. "I gotta be able to keep us in the game, regardless of rain delays, or whatever the circumstances are."

When asked about the decision to bring Hefner back after such a long delay, manager Terry Collins said, "He hadn’t thrown many pitches, and he kept himself active during the break. He said he was fine, and we brought him back out. I think he just lost the edge a little bit."

Hefner said he could not remember having a start interrupted by rain in his career, let alone coming back after a delay. "I felt fine [though]," said Hefner. "I just didn’t execute my pitches, the ball was up."

The Padres came into the game hitting just .220 as a team, the third-worst batting average in the major leagues. But they pounded out season-highs in runs (11) and hits (18), pushing three more across against Manny Acosta and two against Robert Carson.

Collins wasn't sure after the game whether Hefner will get another start in five days. The 26-year-old did pitch well in relief last Saturday, going five innings and giving up just two runs on four hits in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

"We haven’t even thought about that, even talked about that," said Collins. "We haven’t had time to discuss it yet, where we’re headed and what we’re gonna do. So we’ll just wait a couple days and make that decision."

Hefner, who had his parents, his sister, his wife and his son at Citi Field on Thursday night, is hoping for at least one more chance.

"It was pretty difficult, but I still think I had the ability to go in and shut down the lineup," Hefner said. "It’s a learning experience, and if I ever have to face it again, I now know what to do."

WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets open up their longest homestand of the season (11 games) with a loss to the Padres, the second-worst team in the National League record-wise.

New York falls to 24-21 on the season -- 2-1/2 games behind first-place Washington -- while San Diego improves to 17-29.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: The Mets' Jeremy Hefner made the first start of his major league career, and it didn't go very well. To be fair, Hefner had to endure a 68-minute rain delay after pitching two scoreless innings to start the game. But once he got back on the mound, he was shelled by the third-worst hitting team in the major leagues. (The Padres' No. 5 through No. 9 hitters Thursday night were all batting .171 or lower coming into the game.)

All told, Hefner lasted just 3-2/3 innings on the night, giving up six runs on nine hits, with three strikeouts and no walks. We'll have to wait and see whether manager Terry Collins gives him another chance in five days, or looks for another option to plug into the rotation.

THE REST OF THE WAY: Ramon Ramirez, Manny Acosta and Robert Carson handled the final 5-1/3 innings for the Mets. Acosta surrendered three more runs in his two innings of work, his ERA ballooning to 10.97. Carson allowed a run in the eighth, and another one in the ninth.

The Padres entered the game batting .220 as a team, but scored a season-high 11 runs on a season-high 18 hits Thursday night.

BRIGHT SPOTS: Two of the Mets' three runs came on David Wright's fifth home run of the season, a blast to dead-center field in the sixth inning. Wright also had a double in the first inning and a single in the eighth, upping his batting average to a major league-leading .405.

Also, Ike Davis -- who found out yesterday that he's not in danger of being demoted to Triple-A, despite his .159 batting average entering Thursday night's game -- pinch-hit in the eighth inning and laced a two-RBI double to right field.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Mets have three more cracks at the Padres over Memorial Day weekend. On Friday night at 7:10 p.m., Dillon Gee (3-3, 5.44 ERA) will be on the mound for the Mets, opposed by fellow righty Anthony Bass (2-4, 2.89 ERA) for the Padres.

After a 68-minute rain delay interrupted Thursday night's game after two innings of play, the Mets are offering ticket-holders for Thursday night's game free tickets to Friday night's game against the Padres.

Here's the full press release:

FLUSHING, N.Y., May 24, 2012 -- In appreciation for fans waiting out tonight’s rain delay, the New York Mets have announced that tickets from tonight’s game against the Padres (marked “Thursday, May 24 -- Game 21”) can be redeemed tomorrow for complimentary tickets to tomorrow’s 7:10 p.m. game against San Diego at Citi Field. This includes paid, complimentary and tickets marked “NO RAIN CHECK.”

The first 25,000 fans in attendance will receive a Mets Cap Presented by Parts Authority.

Tickets can be exchanged in person starting tomorrow at the Citi Field Advance Ticket Windows or two hours prior to game time at the Day of Game Ticket Sales Windows located next to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the Left Field Gate.

Complimentary tickets will be available in the Baseline Box, Right/Left Field Reserved, Caesars Box, and Promenade Reserved, subject to availability.

Tickets can only be exchanged for tomorrow night’s game.

For complete information, please visit Mets.com or call (718) 507-TIXX.