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PITTSBURGH -- The Mets squeezed in both games against the Milwaukee Brewers last week while dodging raindrops at Citi Field. Yet wouldn’t it have been nice to have simply closed a retractable roof and allowed fans not to have to worry?

Of course, unlike the two most recent stadiums visited by the Mets -- new Marlins Park in Miami and Rogers Centre in Toronto -- the Mets’ four-season-old ballpark was constructed as an open-air stadium without that feature.

The bottom line: It cost too much.

Yankees president Randy Levine told Newsday last year, when Game 1 of the team’s American League Division Series was suspended, that incorporating a roof into the new Yankee Stadium would have cost roughly an additional $350 million. Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon years ago, before the Mets’ stadium had opened, had cited the figure for Citi Field as adding $200 million or more to the cost of what became an $850 million project anyway.

Levine also had cited George Steinbrenner’s preference for an open-air stadium in the Bronx in the Newsday article. In the Mets’ case, that objection may not have existed, but the numbers just did not make sense for these reasons:

The soft Flushing soil conditions near the bay did not support a roof without significant additional costs that made it prohibitive.

Fans residing 75 miles away may stay away with the threat of rain, but fans within closer proximity generally are not dissuaded from attending because they live close enough to the ballpark to make an informed choice closer to the first pitch. The lost business from the threat of inclement weather does not offset the significant additional costs of a roof.

The number of concerts and other dates events able to be booked as the result of a having roof -- say, during the winter -- is limited and does not offset the additional cost, either. A roofed baseball stadium works for major concerts that draw 40,000, but there are only a handful of entertainers who can fill that many seats.

More than a decade ago, in the waning days of Rudy Giuliani’s tenure as mayor, the original designs for the new New York stadiums included roofs and involved a sizable financial commitment from New York City. Priorities changed after 9/11, and so did the administration. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was not as inclined to chip in, and the real stadium designs lost the retractable-roof concepts.

The Mets are footing a large portion of the construction cost through interest payments on bonds. Those payments are now about $50 million annually.

The Mets ended up playing four home doubleheaders last year as a result of rainouts -- April 14 against the Rockies, Aug. 29 against the Marlins, Sept. 8 against the Braves and Sept. 24 against the Phillies. In previous years, those games would be made up as split, day-night doubleheaders that would provide the organization with gate receipts from two separate games. Now, with attendance lagging, the Mets simply do single-admission doubleheaders.

“In-depth” appears Tuesdays during the regular season

The Mets salvaged the finale of their interleague series in Toronto, holding on for a 6-5 win when former Blue Jays closer Frank Francisco struck out three straight batters in the ninth after allowing a leadoff walk to Yunel Escobar, then single by Jose Bautista through the barren right side of the infield.

Monday's news reports:

• Miguel Batista landed on the DL on Sunday morning with a strained oblique or lower-back muscle. Jeremy Hefner is likely to start Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field in that rotation slot. Chris Schwinden was promoted for Sunday's game as a hedge against Dillon Gee having a short outing, but was not needed. The Mets plan to make another roster move before Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh to add a position player. Vinny Rottino -- who had a three-homer game for Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday -- would appear a logical choice to return to the major league roster. Schwinden is the easiest to return to Buffalo. Manny Acosta would be an alternative, but seemingly less likely choice to get dismissed to free the roster spot.

• Terry Collins for the first time Sunday morning allowed for the possibility of Ike Davis getting sent to the minors if his performance does not show improvement on this trip. Despite a seeming roster crunch looming with Ruben Tejada slated to begin rehab games as soon as today and Jason Bay due to take batting practice in Pittsburgh for the first time this afternoon, there are demotion candidates. Davis is one. And Kirk Nieuwenhuis' production considerably has slowed since the rookie's torrid start.

The added benefit of Nieuwenhuis returning to the minors is it could delay his free agency a year. If Nieuwenhuis were to stay at the major league level continuously, he would be eligible for free agency after his sixth season, during the 2017-18 offseason. If he logs a total of 20 days in the minors this year, he would not get credit for a full major league season in 2012 and would be delayed in free agency at least until the following winter -- 2018-19. Read more in the Daily News, Post and Newsday.

• Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger writes about Davis' issues:

- He’s hitting too many grounders (50 percent of his balls in play before Sunday, according to FanGraphs.com). In the first inning, Davis hacked at a low, 91-mph sinker and tapped the ball back to Alvarez. With the bases loaded in the fifth, he rolled a fastball into what should have been a double play, except second baseman Kelly Johnson fumbled the exchange.

- His luck has been poor. In the fourth inning, Davis smashed a fastball toward the opposite field -- right into the glove of third baseman Yan Gomes. Entering Sunday's game, Davis was hitting line drives 17.4 percent of the time, or slightly better than 2011’s 17 percent mark. Except his batting average on balls in play was a miniscule .184, nearly 200 points below his career average. “He just needs those [line drives] to fall,” hitting coach Dave Hudgens said.

- He’s not drawing walks. Davis saw exactly three pitches in his first three at-bats Sunday.

• Regarding Nieuwenhuis, Barbara Barker writes in Newsday:

A week ago, he led all major-league rookies with a .302 batting average and was second with 35 hits. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and two walks in the Mets' 6-5 win Sunday and is now batting .277 with 38 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs and 16 walks. "This kid doesn't deserve to go back to Triple-A with the way he's swung the bat so far," Buffalo manager Wally Backman said. "But he needs to play. I think for his development, he needs to play every day." Nieuwenhuis says he can't worry about what the future holds, other than to try to perform his best each day he plays. "It's been pretty cool playing up here with the guys," he said, "but whatever happens, happens. I don't make those decisions. I just have to take one day at a time and focus."

• David Wright returned from a day off Saturday and delivered a two-run double in the first inning as part of a 2-for-4 series finale that raised his average to .412. Wright, still sick, passed Jose Reyes for second on the franchise's all-time hit list with 1,302. He needs 116 more hits to match Mets record-holder Ed Kranepool.

• Mike Baxter had a career-high three hits Sunday while starting for the second straight game with the Mets using an extra position player in their lineup in the AL ballpark. Collins pledged to find Baxter playing time in Pittsburgh, although the manager said not at first base yet, and not on Monday against Pirates left-hander Erik Bedard. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Gee had a new look and better results. Read more in the Post.

• Read game recaps in the Record, Times, Daily News, Journal, Newsday and Post.

• Collins reiterated Jenrry Mejia is far more likely to help the Mets as a reliever at the major league level in 2012. Read more in Newsday.

• Tim Kurkjian catches up with hot-hitting ex-Met Carlos Beltran at ESPN.com. Kurkjian notes Beltran is two steals shy of 300 swipes and 300 homers in his career, a club that is currently limited to Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Andre Dawson, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Steve Finley. Writes Kurkjian:

If it weren't for Matt Kemp, Beltran, 35, would be the most valuable player in the National League six weeks into the season. If it weren't for the remarkable Josh Hamilton, May would have been all about Beltran. Not only has he replaced the 2011 production of Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' lineup, he has greatly exceeded it while helping take St. Louis to the front of the National League Central, all while dazzling his new teammates. "When I ran out on the field with him the first time in spring training,'' said Cardinals third baseman David Freese, "I knew he was the most complete player I'd ever played with.''

Lance Berkman, who also was Beltran's teammate during that prolific 2004 postseason with Houston that set up Beltran's seven-year, $119 million contract with the Mets told Kurkjian: "It's funny. An elite player has some things happen to him for three or four years, like injuries, then he becomes an elite player again, and people ask, 'What's going on here?' Just look at the back of his baseball card. He is as complete a player as I've ever played with. He does everything well, and he looks good doing it. When you look at what a player is supposed to do, he's about as good as it gets.''

• Corey Wimberly stole home for Buffalo's lone run in a 4-1 loss to Indianapolis on Sunday. It was the second time a Mets farmhand has swiped home this season. Wimberly had a pure steal of the plate, while Binghamton's Josh Rodriguez stole home on April 21 as part of a double-steal. Read Sunday's full minor league recap here.

• Forty-thousand Orthodox Jews packed Citi Field on Sunday to decry the internet. Read more in the Daily News.

• Michael Howard Saul in the Journal revealed that Citi Field, now in its fourth season, still does not have all its full permits from the city in order. Mayor Michael Bloomberg at last week's All-Star Game press conference dismissed the issue as procedural and insignificant and insisted the stadium was safe. Wrote Saul, alluding to the City Hall announcement about next season's Mid-Summer Classic:

Unmentioned was the embarrassing fact that the three-year-old stadium in Queens still hasn’t received a certificate of occupancy from the city. The stadium has a temporary certificate, which means it is “safe and legal to occupy,” said Tony Sclafani, a spokesman for the Department of Buildings, in an email.

TRIVIA: For which former Pirate Pirate is the yellow bridge spanning the Allegheny River adjacent to PNC Park named?

Sunday's answer: Jason Bay was the last Pirate to have a multi-homer game against the Mets. At Shea Stadium on July 24, 2007, Bay went deep off John Maine and Guillermo Mota.

Brandon Morrow tossed a three-hit shutout and the Mets lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0, Saturday at Rogers Centre. Dillon Gee starts Sunday's 1:07 p.m. game, trying to prevent the Amazin's from getting swept north of the border.

Regarding the Mets' offense, Terry Collins said, the Mets can't be patient to a fault in driving up pitch counts.

"We’ve got to start grinding out some at-bats," Collins said. "It goes back to exactly what we talked about a couple of weeks ago, and that's: It’s not about taking pitches. It’s about being patient, and when you get the pitch you want, hit it. Brandon was in the strike zone today. He was making good pitches early in the count. And we're down early, 0-1, 0-2. I don’t want these guys to think they've got to go up there and just take the good pitches they can hit."

Sunday's news reports:

• Miguel Batista was forced to leave Saturday's game after tossing two scoreless innings because of a pulled muscle in his lower back. Jeremy Hefner, promoted from Triple-A Buffalo, entered in relief and limited the Jays to two runs in five innings but was charged with the loss. Chris Schwinden will arrive Sunday in Toronto as a taxi-squad member, and presumably has a good chance of being activated as a hedge against Gee having a short outing, with Batista landing on the DL.

Jordany Valdespin had been demoted before Saturday's game to make room for Hefner. Valdespin will play second base with the Bisons. The Mets will promote a position player before Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Collins indicated. Collins said Hefner would start in Batista's place Thursday at Citi Field if the 41-year-old right-hander lands on the DL. Read more in Newsday, the Record, Star-Ledger and Post.

• Mike Baxter was ruled out at second base in the ninth inning on an apparent blown call. Had Baxter been credited with a double, the Mets would have had two runners in scoring position with one out in the ninth, trailing by two runs. Read more in the Post.

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

• There's no indication Ike Davis is in imminent danger of a demotion. But the number of notable names getting demoted is, well, notable. First, the Braves sent Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Gwinnett. First baseman Adam Lind is reportedly on waivers for the purpose of being removed from the 40-man roster and demoted by the Blue Jays. And, now, first baseman Gaby Sanchez, who was hitting .197 with one homer with Miami, has been demoted too. “We don’t think he’s a .190 hitter,” Marlins GM Michael Hill told the Miami Herald about Sanchez, an All-Star last season. “We think he’s better than he’s showing here. We think he’s pressing. We want to take some of the pressure off him, get him down to Triple-A, and get him right.” Davis is hitting .160 after going 0-for-3 Saturday in Toronto.

• Pedro Beato began an official rehab assignment Saturday night with Class A St. Lucie, tossing two scoreless innings. He is on the 60-day DL because of a shoulder issue that arose during spring training. Jenrry Mejia, meanwhile, allowed one run on six hits while striking out three and walking none in three innings for Double-A Binghamton. He threw only 48 pitches in his first Double-A start since Tommy John surgery, but Sandy Alderson said that roughly was the prescribed length. Mejia had higher pitch counts in two previous starts for St. Lucie. Also Saturday, Vinny Rottino had three homers for Triple-A Buffalo. Read the Saturday's full minor league recap here.

• David Wright was sicker Saturday than the previous day and was unavailable. Still, he already has informed Collins he wants to play Sunday. Read more in the Daily News.

• Anthony McCarron pens a feature in the Daily News celebrating Wright's leadership by example. Regarding Wright bickering with Collins in the dugout because he wanted to remain in Tuesday's game against Milwaukee to get drilled as payback for D.J. Carrasco hitting Ryan Braun, Ron Darling said: “I think there were probably people on the bench who didn’t understand what the hullabaloo was about at all and were taught a valuable lesson. 'What? Get hit? Who wants to get hit?’ He basically said, 'I know how the game is played and I know what we have to do in certain situations and I’m willing to do that.' David is one of those rare current players who could’ve played in any generation. There is a real courage in the way he plays the game. Guy played three weeks with a back that was broken last year, hits a homer with a broken finger because he knows his team needs him. I watch him play, and it makes me proud that I was part of the fraternity.”

• Collins believes Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) could be in a minor league rehab game as soon as Monday. Jason Bay (fractured rib) may take batting practice that day in Pittsburgh. Chris Young, who took a brief break with his wife due to give birth, is expected to resume his comeback with Class A St. Lucie on Friday. It will be Young's third minor league start with the Florida State League club since May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder.

• David Lennon in Newsday reviews the early impact of the wall changes at Citi Field. He notes Gee's amusement at hearing during the trip to Miami's new ballpark about Marlins players already expressing discontent with the cavernous dimensions. As a result of the Citi Field changes, there have been 10 additional homers this season that would have remained in play under the old configuration -- six by opponents, four by the Mets (Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2, Lucas Duda, Wright). "I enjoy it," Wright told Lennon. "Obviously, it's smaller, so I enjoy that. But it's tough, I guess, to describe the effect that it has because it's still relatively early. A lot of how the ball carries has to do with the weather, and the weather has been chilly, rainy and windy."

Still, Citi Field has not become a homer haven. Writes Lennon:

Through the first 20 home games, there have been 26 home runs hit at Citi Field, and that frequency of 1.3 per game is tied (with Wrigley Field) for 13th-best in the National League . Only AT&T Park (0.84), PETCO Park (0.96) and Marlins Park (1.24) had produced fewer. Before Citi's changes are deemed inconsequential, however, consider this: According to ESPN Home Run Tracker, 10 home runs needed the new dimensions to clear the walls, and if there were only 16 home runs to this point, that drops the average rate to a minuscule 0.80 -- the lowest in either league. "It's only a small sample size," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "But at the same time, that's still a dramatic impact."

Jeff Wilpon told Lennon: "It doesn't look like a sore thumb sticking out, in the terms of the changes that we made. I think it's been very successful in that sense. We knew it wouldn't make a huge difference -- we wanted it to be a moderate difference. ... I wish we were hitting more home runs, either with the benefit of the changes or without the benefits."

• Tyler Kepner in the Times pays homage to Chipper Jones, who is due to retire at season's end. Writes Kepner:

In Chicago, the Cubs gave him a Braves flag that flew above the scoreboard at Wrigley Field. In Denver, the Rockies gave him a camera to mount on his hunting bow. The Houston Astros gave him a cowboy hat, and the St. Louis Cardinals presented a jersey signed by Stan Musial. “It was really cool in St. Louis when he came up to bat,” Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel said. “They kind of stopped the game. They were already losing in the first inning, but he came up to bat and got a standing ovation.”

Jones told Kepner about last year's Braves historic collapse relative to the team's current success (25-16, first place): "It’s really gratifying because the guys went home in the offseason and used what happened in September as a motivational tool. I’ve said this all along: If we end up winning an Eastern Division championship or a National League championship or a World Series in the next couple of years, I guarantee you all these players will look back at September and say we learned a lot.”

• Critic Bob Raissman in the Daily News praises Collins as a straight shooter. Writes Raissman:

While The Prince of Darkness, John Tortorella, continues perfecting his mummified style, Terry Collins is out in Queens shedding light. The Mets manager will never be cast as Mr. Sunshine. He illuminates by speaking the truth. That’s why the media rarely has a discouraging word about him. Of all the head mouths in town, Collins is the straightest shooter.

• Columnist Jeff Bradley in the Star-Ledger compares the 1993 Yankees to the 2012 Mets in terms of success despite low expectations. Warning: extensive Paul O'Neill quoting.

TRIVIA: Who was the last Pittsburgh Pirate to have a multi-homer game against the Mets?

Saturday's answer: Mike Jacobs was traded to Toronto for a player to be named or cash in the last swap between the Mets and Jays, on July 30, 2010.

Jon Niese surrendered a career-high four homers and matched a career high by allowing eight runs as the Mets were routed by the Toronto Blue Jays, 14-5, Friday at Rogers Centre. Catcher Rob Johnson proved the Mets' most effective pitcher, tossing a 1-2-3 eighth while topping out at 87 mph with his fastball and utilizing three pitches. Left-hander Robert Carson also tossed a scoreless frame in his major league debut. The Mets look to get back on track Saturday with Miguel Batista, coming off seven scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, opposing Brandon Morrow.

Saturday's news reports:

• Right-hander Jeremy Hefner is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Buffalo and join the Mets on Saturday, baseball sources told ESPNNewYork.com. We should learn the corresponding move this morning. If no one lands on the DL, it would seem possible that Hefner gets Manny Acosta's roster spot. Otherwise, the Mets could send Carson immediately back to the minors. Hefner tossed three scoreless innings for the Mets in his major league debut against San Francisco, then immediately returned to Buffalo.

• Read Friday game reports in the Star-Ledger, Times, Record, Daily News, Newsday and Post.

• Ken Rosenthal reports Roy Oswalt auditioned for the Phillies and Red Sox, and also will do so for two other teams. He will not land with the Mets, ESPNNewYork.com is assured.

• The area surrounding Citi Field, which has been part of eminent domain claims, has more concrete plans for redevelopment. The Associated Press writes:

Under the agreement, the developers, Related Companies and Sterling Equities, would clean up the area and construct retail stores, including a mall in the Queens neighborhood. Then, no later than 2025, they would start construction on a mixed-use component that would include housing and measure anywhere from 1.3 million square feet up to 4.5 million square feet. The founders of Sterling Equities are Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, the owners of the Mets.

• Terry Collins plans to for David Wright to rest on Saturday, which was prearranged before Wright became sick. The Mets are in a 20-games-in-20-days stretch. Wright actually was pulled from Friday's game in the bottom of the sixth with the Mets trailing, 10-1. Before departing, Wright recorded his 1,300th career high, matching Jose Reyes for second on the franchise's all-time list. He can now set his sights on Ed Kranepool's record: 1,418. Wright's average sits at .409. Read more in the Daily News and Star-Ledger.

• Citi Field will be packed Sunday, even though the Mets are away. A group of ultra-orthodox Jews has rented the stadium for a gathering to discuss the evils of the internet. Read more from the AP via USA Today.

• The stadium also will host a Latin-themed concert, on July 14. The scheduled performers: Gloria Estefan, Ricardo Arjona, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Paulina Rubio, Prince Royce, Jenny Rivera, Tito El Bambino, Toño Rosario, Plan B, Silvestre Dangond and Secreto among others. Tickets to go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. at Tickets.com, by calling (718) 507-TIXX and at Citi Field.

• Collins said Ike Davis is not platooning, and will start Monday in Pittsburgh against left-hander Erik Bedard. Justin Turner started Friday against former college roommate/southpaw Ricky Romero. Read more in Newsday.

• Johnson said he nearly pitched in a game with the Padres last season against the Reds. He threw one inning in college, but had not been a pitcher since high school. Todd Zeile was the Mets' last position player to pitch, eight years ago. Read more in the Post and Record.

• Jason Bay ran and played catch at Rogers Centre on Friday, and Collins said the left fielder should take batting practice during the next series, in Pittsburgh, as Bay aims to ramp up activity toward a return from a fractured rib. Josh Thole, cleared for physical activity following a concussion suffered nearly two weeks ago, should head to Port St. Lucie after the weekend. Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) is fielding grounders but not running the bases. Chris Young's next minor league start, which would have occurred Sunday had he stayed on an every-five-days schedule, has been delayed, but for a good reason -- his wife is having a baby. Jenrry Mejia's third minor league start since Tommy John surgery is scheduled for today, with Double-A Binghamton.

• Class A St. Lucie second baseman Danny Muno was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, MLB announced. Read more in Newsday.

• Jared Diamond in the Journal discusses Bobby Parnell's role. Writes Diamond:

On the surface, this seems like the perfect antidote to the Mets' most pressing issue: They desperately need help surviving the late innings of games. New closer Frank Francisco owns a ghastly 8.04 ERA, while setup man Jon Rauch lost two games in the last two weeks alone. The Mets' cumulative bullpen ERA of 5.00 ranks 28th in baseball. As virtually every Mets reliever besides Parnell continues to struggle, it raises a reasonable question: Why not start trusting Parnell in more pressure-filled situations? Sounds simple enough, but as the Mets learned last season, it doesn't always work out quite so easily. "With what Bobby went through last fall, I'm going to try to avoid that and let him build up to that closer's role," manager Terry Collins said.

• Tim Bontemps in the Post chats with Binghamton third baseman Jefry Marte.

• Matt Harvey struck out a season-high 11 batters and Valentino Pascucci homered twice as Triple-A Buffalo beat Gwinnett, 5-3, Saturday. A scout who watched Harvey originally expressed disappointment with the prospect not throwing a changeup until his 42nd pitch and 10th batter faced. But, the scout added, Harvey ultimately threw 10 changeups by the end of the night and was "very good after a rough first inning" that included surrendering a pair of solo homers. Read Friday's full minor league recap here.

TRIVIA: Which players were involved in the last Mets-Jays trade?

Friday's answer: John Gibbons managed the Jays in 2006, the last time the Mets visited Rogers Centre.

Bud Selig officially awarded next year's All-Star Game to Citi Field on Wednesday morning.

The game will be played July 16, 2013.

Bloomberg said the city will receive a $191.5 million economic impact from an estimated 176,000 participants. He estimated another 30 million would watch the game via television or on the internet.

"If I knew how easy this was, I would have asked the mayor and commissioner if they could have arranged for us to have the World Series this year," said Fred Wilpon, who was using a cane after undergoing left hip replacement surgery two weeks ago. "But I don't think that would be possible."

Added Bloomberg: "Well, I'm counting on a Subway Series this year, just so you know, with the winner in the bottom of the ninth winning it."

Selig said he had no second thoughts in the recent past about awarding the game to the Mets in light of the Wilpons' financial issues stemming from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

"It absolute did not. No," Selig said when asked if he had reservations. "Because, as I said at the time, I had great faith in the Wilpons and the family, and I was very confident that they would work things out, and they have. And so my confidence was rewarded, and here we are announcing the All-Star Game. I'm I had no trepidation at all."

Bloomberg said he was proud that New York was not only hosting next year's All-Star Game, but also a Formula 1 race, Wrestlemania and the 2014 Super Bowl. “I’m also counting on a Stanley Cup,” he added.

The mayor said this will be the ninth All-Star Game in the city, a record. He also said there had not been two in any city in a five-year span before. Old Yankee Stadium hosted the 2008 game in its final season.

WHAT IT MEANS: Dillon Gee allowed seven runs for the second time this season. And the Mets’ attempt to climb six games over .500 came up short for the third time in a week. The Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-0, on a wet Tuesday night at Citi Field as David Wright stewed about being pulled from the game.

Gee was chased with one out in the sixth and the Mets trailing 7-0 after serving up a three-run homer to Travis Ishikawa -- the ex-Giant’s second long ball in two innings and his third, fourth and career-high fifth RBIs of the game.

Gee’s ERA swelled to 5.65.

Gee (2-3) also allowed seven runs against the San Francisco Giants on April 23. His career high for runs allowed was eight against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 10-0 loss on Aug. 22, 2011.

Zack Greinke tossed seven scoreless innings for Milwaukee.

D.J. FIASCO: Tasked with logging innings with a lopsided deficit to protect the rest of the bullpen, D.J. Carrasco lasted all of three batters. Rickie Weeks launched a one-out homer to left field off Carrasco in the seventh to snap an 0-for-21 rut. Carrasco then plunked Ryan Braun on the arm with the next pitch -- either (1) unintentionally, (2) because of the homer, or (3) because of Braun beating a drug suspension. Carrasco was ejected by plate umpire Gary Darling. Braun has been hit by an NL-high five pitches this season, matching last year's total. Two of the plunkings came in Milwaukee's previous series, against the rival Chicago Cubs.

Ramon Ramirez logged the final 2-2/3 innings.

SIT AND STEW: Terry Collins pulled Wright for pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin the half-inning after Carrasco’s ejection, and Wright was shown on TV expressing displeasure with his manager for the decision to remove him.

It was not immediately clear whether Collins was motivated by fearing retribution for the Braun plunking since the two-game series was ending, or simply wanted to get Wright out of the game with an 8-0 deficit and wet weather. Collins recently said Wright would need a break during a 20-games-in-20-days stretch.

Wright went 2-for-2 to lift his average to .408 before departing.

NEW CITI JACKS: Ishikawa’s second homer would not have been a long ball under the old Citi Field dimensions. Opponents now lead 5-4 in homers that benefited from the revised dimensions.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Cincinnati Reds visit Citi Field for a two-game series. Johan Santana (1-2, 2.92 ERA) opposes right-hander Mike Leake (0-5, 7.11) in Wednesday’s 7:10 p.m. opener.

Considering the advanced metrics available these days, OPS and WHIP hardly are high-tech statistics by sabermetric standards.

Yet their introduction to the Citi Field scoreboard this season is a first step in what may be a transformation to the in-game viewing experience in Flushing.

In Year 4 of their new ballpark, the Mets have decided to go beyond the basic statistics that have been staples for decades on their scoreboards at Shea Stadium and now Citi Field -- average, home runs, RBI, win-loss record, ERA.

Trying to more closely replicate the experience of watching on TV with a laptop or iPad opened to MLB.com’s Gameday (or ESPN.com’s equivalent), the Mets debuted slightly more advanced statistics on their scoreboard during the season-opening homestand.

The organization was partly influenced by other teams as well. The Mets studied screen grabs from other stadium scoreboards and particularly borrowed from the existing in-stadium experiences at Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks), Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) and Turner Field (Atlanta Braves).

OPS merely is the sum of on-base and slugging percentage. WHIP is merely walks plus hits divided by innings pitched.

“There’s a lot there. It’s easily digestible,” said Mets VP David Newman, referring to the data available via computer. “Now it’s how you make it translate well in-park and make it easy to read. The goal was, if someone is coming to the park, how do you provide more content than they would otherwise have? Certainly this is a big step from the stat presentation last year.”

Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for American Baseball Research, is all for enhancing the in-stadium statistical experience.

“I've discussions with team execs on this very topic,” Gennaro wrote via email. “I think there is somewhat of a limitation as to what you can execute on the scoreboard, given the space constraints. I do think OPS and WHIP are excellent starting points. For a pitcher, his groundball/flyball ratio (or groundball rate) is very informative, as is his K-rate and BB-rate. We tend to see K’s and BB's as counting stats on scoreboards instead of rate stats (i.e., per 9 IP).

“The other way to execute in-stadium stats is thru a dedicated portal accessible thru free wifi, while a fan is in the ballpark. Many of the fans interested in such stats will have a cell phone or smartphone, so there is a lot of information that can be conveyed to these fans while using the main scoreboard to ‘entertain’ fans. Ideally, a combination of both -- some advanced stats on the scoreboard, supplemented by an in-stadium portal with additional advanced stats -- seems to be ideal.

“The Diamondbacks have a portal called Digital D-backs. I'm not sure to what degree they deliver advanced stats, but I really like the concept of communicating more info to fans who are in attendance. The TV viewing experience has become highly informative. We need to ‘up the ante’ for fans that come to the ballpark so that teams can compete, with their own telecasts, for live attendance.”

Added Bill Nowlin, vice president of SABR: “Vince's point is a great one -- serving the people at the park with the option of a menu of statistics. In theory, I guess there'd be no reason the same feed couldn't be offered to people watching the game [on TV] as an option that could enrich their viewing experience, as a supplement to what the telecasters were saying.”

An informal survey of MLB teams found a mixture of the traditional and the new.

The Yankees have included OPS and WHIP on their supplemental stats board -- just to the left of the main board -- since the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009, the same year as Citi Field.

At PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates show the vertical and horizontal break on pitches.

At Miller Park in Milwaukee, a team spokesman said, on-base percentage and slugging percentage remains “as fancy as we get.”

Chase Field in Arizona, one of the models for the Mets’ new adaptations, has displayed OPS and WHIP since installing a new board in 2008.

“We have shown some more not-so-common stats such as range factor, but that is only on occasion, and generally only for players that have exceptional range factor,” Diamondbacks director of media relations Casey Wilcox wrote via email. “We did mention that Gerardo Parra was rated as the No. 1 left fielder by Fan Graphs last season.”

Said Adam Lane, director of entertainment and productions for the Cincinnati Reds: “We have been displaying WHIP the past six seasons. In the last two years we have added OPS and OBP to our displays. A lot of this is based on suggestions from our stats coordinator, Rich Linville, and requests from our baseball operations department. We have heard from fans that they enjoy the extra stats while at the game.”

Are the Mets slow-walking fans into a new generation of stats such as wOBA, OPS+, BABIP and xFIP? Is there a danger in making things too convoluted or busy, like a thoroughbred racing board that contains all of the exacta odds?

“You gauge fan reaction,” Newman said. “The big question: What is understandable and what is digestible for hardcore fans and people just coming for the first time, so it’s not intimidating.”

"In-depth" appears Tuesdays during the regular season

Free ticket for the Easter Sunday game, no real strings attached.

A $2.50 ticket for Wednesday’s Johan Santana-Stephen Strasburg matinee.

And then, when that allotment sold out, a $2.50 ticket for Tuesday night’s Mets-Nats game became available, too.

So, an alert fan could have attended three of the Mets’ final four games of the opening homestand for a grand total of five bucks.

Smart marketing? A little dangerous in terms of upsetting fans who paid full price to get into the stadium, as well as season-ticket holders? A little desperate on the part of the Mets?

Maybe all three.

“The Mets threw the pricing strategies of most sport organizations out the window,” said Dr. Larry McCarthy of the Center for Sport Management at Seton Hall University. “Most sport organizations would be of the opinion that you should never give away free tickets. One thinks back to Bill Veeck, who always said that even his mother paid to get into the ballpark -- the rationale being that free tickets diminish the perception of the quality of the product, and people will be unwilling to pay in the future for something they get for free.

“However, the risk that the Mets took may pay off. People got to see three wins over the weekend, an excellent pitching performance, so they may be more inclined to purchase a ticket to go and see another game. One shudders, however, to think about the consequence if they had been hammered and the performances were awful.”

Dave Howard, Mets executive vice president for business operations, said about 1,600 people took advantage of the Sunday free offer and about 3,000 people took advantage of the $2.50 offer for Wednesday before those allotments sold out. The Mets announced midday Tuesday that tonight’s offer also had reached its limit.

“Sunday was a challenge because of the holiday, and we just wanted to make an offer available. It also was geared with experimenting in the social-media space,” Howard said. “It was a Twitter-based promotion. We called it a ‘Twicket.’ It was one of those things where we had the inventory because of the holiday. We gave it a shot, and it was very successful. We want to do more things in the social-media space to engage our fans, especially our younger fans. Obviously they are very active in that space. We’ll be doing more things like that. They won’t be necessarily free tickets, but other offers and promotional opportunities.

“Wednesday, it turned out to be less of a challenge because of the pitching matchup. But it is our birthday. It is the 50^th anniversary of our first game, in the Polo Grounds. So we had been planning on doing a little promotion with WPIX. We announced it, and virtually within hours, we already had gone through the allocation. So we didn’t have to disappoint too many of our fans, we decided to open up a few of the similar sections where there are no season-ticket holders for the Tuesday game beyond the allocation that we already had set aside for the Wednesday game.”

Even if the sections offered are not season-ticket-holder sections, is there leeriness about undercutting loyal, paying customers by letting others enter Citi Field for free, or virtually free?

“It’s a balance,” Howard acknowledged. “We’re trying to strike an appropriate balance to have people come out and experience Mets baseball in 2012, to realize what a great facility we have, realize what a great experience it is, and the fact that the team is going to be a fun team to watch. We’re not going to overdo it. But, by the same token, especially early in April, we want to get people excited and have them come out and sample the product, because we think the product will be very compelling for them. We think it is a good marketing exercise to stimulate interest early on.”

Howard said creating the optic for TV audiences of a full Citi Field was not a compelling motivation for trying to pack the stadium early with freebies and severely discounted tickets.

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In his first game since signing a contract that guarantees him $25.5 million over five seasons, Jon Niese took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning Sunday, when he walked leadoff batter Dan Uggla, then surrendered a single to Freddie Freeman. So make it 7,191 games in franchise history without a no-hitter. The Mets nonetheless held on for a 7-5 victory to sweep the Atlanta Braves and open the season 3-0.

The Mets, who have yet to trail this season, are off to their best start since winning four straight to begin 2007. They are alone in first place for the first time since May 1, 2010.

And they perfect after three games, along with the Yankees opening 0-3, for only the third time since the Mets were born 50 years ago -- the other instances in 1973 and 1985.

Now, Mike Pelfrey tries to help run the Mets' record to 4-0 Monday night. After a woeful start to spring training, he limited the Houston Astros and Yankees in his final two Grapefruit League starts to a combined two earned runs and five hits while striking out eight and walking none in 10 1/3 innings. Washington visits for the first night game at Citi Field this season. Edwin Jackson makes his debut for the Nationals, who arrive having taken two of three from the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Meanwhile, if you're counting, the Mets had one extra homer in the series as a result of the revised Citi Field dimensions, by Lucas Duda off Jair Jurrjens in the fourth inning Saturday. Opponents had none.

Monday's news reports:

• Because Niese's pitch count was at 99 on the pitch Freeman singled to break up the no-hit bid in the seventh, Terry Collins indicated the southpaw would not have been allowed to complete the outing had the no-hitter remained intact. The manager said he and pitching coach Dan Warthen had agreed to cap the outing at 115 pitches. Still, Niese countered: "I would've ran back out there. It would've been hard to take me out, that's for sure." Added catcher Mike Nickeas: "I would've lobbied for him to stay in." Read more in the Record, Post, Star-Ledger, Times, Daily News and Newsday.

• Columnist Steve Serby in the Post gets Niese to recall a no-hitter -- actually, better, a perfect game -- he tossed as an amateur. Writes Serby:

Niese had thrown a five-inning perfect game as a Defiance (Ohio) High School senior against Wauseon. “We were up 10-0, so if you’re up 10 runs after five, that’s a run rule,” he said. Niese chuckled at the caricature of himself in a bunny outfit holding a large carrot inside his locker accompanied by Happy Niese-ter at the top. “Whoever did it, that’s pretty clever,” Niese said. Someone wanted to know when he started thinking about the no-hitter, and he joked: “Um, I guess the first inning.”

• Not only do fans get a treat Wednesday with Johan Santana opposing Stephen Strasburg, the Mets are offering tickets for $2.50 in the Promenade Outfield and Left Field Landing sections. The Mets also had offered complimentary tickets to Sunday's game as they try to get fans in the seats. The tickets must be purchased in advance and are not available at game time at the box office.

• Shortstop Ruben Tejada, who had moved to the leadoff spot in Andres Torres' absence with a left-calf strain, notched a career-high four hits Sunday. Collins floated the idea pregame of potentially placing Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the leadoff spot, but that is unlikely to materialize as long as Tejada is getting on base. Collins recently had mentioned the strong possibility of Duda batting fifth and Jason Bay sixth after the first series, when the Mets no longer had to contend with the likes of southpaws Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty in the opposing bullpen, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, the manager had floated Daniel Murphy during the offseason as an alternative to Torres as leadoff hitter, but Collins is now content leaving him in the No. 2 hole. Read more on lineup machinations in the Star-Ledger.

• Tejada had been 0-for-6 in the first two games of the series, before the four-hit outburst. Collins, you may recall, had expressed disappointment that Tejada arrived on time to spring training. The manager wanted Tejada to spend most of the offseason at the team's complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. -- bulking up in November with minor league strength and conditioning coordinator Jason Craig, then working with his new double-play partner Murphy starting in January, after a holiday break in his native Panama. Read more in Newsday and the Daily News.

• Frank Francisco, who only eight days ago was getting a cortisone shot for inflammation in his left knee, recorded saves in each game of the Braves series. He became the first Mets pitcher to notch saves in his first three games with the team. The bullpen, incidentally, only surrendered one run in 10 innings in the series -- on a solo homer by Brian McCann against Manny Acosta in the eighth inning Sunday. "I don't worry about what bothers me at the end of the game," Francisco told reporters afterward regarding his knee. "I only worry about the game." Read more in Newsday, the Daily News and Post.

• Valentino Pascucci's eighth-inning homer gave Buffalo the lead and Jeremy Hefner was a winner in his debut with the organization as the Triple-A Bisons beat Rochester on Sunday to improve to 3-1. Middle infielder Jordany Valdespin started in center field for the second straight game, coinciding with Nieuwenhuis' promotion to the majors. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Pelfrey acknowledged to ESPNNewYork.com early last season that he is injected with Toradol before starts. R.A. Dickey acknowledged in his memoir he also received injections of the drug before every second-half start last season, after tearing a band of issue beneath his foot at Wrigley Field. Santana received the injection as well after his body was achy following a start in Jupiter against the St. Louis Cardinals late in spring training. David Lennon, Newsday's new baseball columnist, writes in the newspaper about that subject:

Toradol is an NSAID, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; it's in the same class as over-the-counter medication like Advil, Aleve and Motrin. The difference is that Toradol is far more potent -- it must be prescribed by a physician -- and it is injected, usually into the buttocks. ... "I'm a big fan," Pelfrey said. "I think it should be mandatory. I really think it's that good." Toradol is different from cortisone-type treatments, which are injected directly into the problem area and do not have a systemic effect on the entire body. David Wright received a cortisone shot during spring training to help heal his abdominal strain. ... But that focus on one particular area does not produce the same overall feeling of invulnerability that Pelfrey described after getting his shots of Toradol, which he regularly did an hour before his starts if something was bothering him. "You don't feel anything," Pelfrey said. "If someone punched me in the stomach, I wouldn't feel it."

Philip Wenger, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, told ESPNNewYork.com last April that it is not recommended to use Toradol for more than five days, and certainly not on a regular basis. The generic name for the drug is Ketorolac, with Toradol a brand name.

“It’s often used for pain and inflammation, and especially pain from inflammation. But this one specifically has a warning on it that it shouldn’t be used for more than five days just because of the potential adverse reactions from it,” Wenger said. “The longer you use it, the higher the risk of problems happening. The serious problems can be serious stomach problems, serious kidney problems and the potential for bleeding and heart problems.”

• Cleanup hitter Ike Davis is 0-for-11 with five strikeouts. Read more in the Star-Ledger and Record.

• Columnist Filip Bondy in the Daily News notes the onus is now on Pelfrey to keep the solid starting pitching rolling. Writes Bondy:

These are three tough acts to follow for Mike Pelfrey, who is on deck for the Mets. “Good pitching can be contagious,” Pelfrey said. “I just told Dillon [Gee], ‘We’ve got our work cut out for us.’ You don’t want to be that guy who stops the streak, you want to keep it going. It’s good to keep that inner-competition on the team.” Next comes Monday night’s game against the Nationals, which does not involve Stephen Strasburg or Santana and might have been the most depressing event at Citi Field since Ollie Perez last stepped to the mound. Except that the Mets are at 3-0 and have done exactly what they needed, kept hope alive. They’ve swept the Braves, the first ever three-game sweep of a division rival to start any season. As far as the city rivalry goes, this is the first time since 1985 the Mets have started 3-0 while the Yanks are 0-3.

TRIVIA: The Mets had never opened a season with a three-game sweep of a division opponent, but they had swept a two-game series from a division foe five times to open a season. Which team was the most recent victim?

Sunday's answer: With a sacrifice fly Sunday, David Wright is now five RBIs from matching Darryl Strawberry's 733 for the franchise career record. No. 3 on the list: Mike Piazza, with 655 RBIs.

Were the fans excited about Opening Day at Citi Field? Judge for yourself after clicking through our photo gallery: The Scene From Queens

Daniel Murphy took a seat on the bench for the ninth inning Thursday with the Mets holding a 1-0 lead. But Terry Collins said inserting Ronny Cedeno for Murphy will not occur every time the team holds a narrow, late lead.

Collins said he made the defensive switch in part because Murphy would not have automatically batted had the game gone to the bottom of the ninth. Murphy would have been the fifth batter.

“It don’t matter to me,” said Murphy, who made his 20^th career major league start at second base. “I’ve been on the ‘closer’s list’ before, in left field. I want to win. He ran Ronny out there. Ronny made a good play on a funky hop. So I started screaming to T.C. I told him it was a great managing move. He’s a better defender than I am. I mean, I’m not going to say I’m a better defender than he is. So, good play.”

• Frank Francisco tossed a 1-2-3 ninth in his Mets debut, capped by a strikeout of Jason Heyward, even though the closer had received a cortisone shot Sunday because of left knee inflammation.

“The knee feels great, but besides that, when we’re out there, you don’t think about anything else,” Francisco said. “You just get 1-2-3 and then you get outta there.”

Francisco (5.54 Grapefruit League ERA), along with setup man Jon Rauch (7.94 ERA) and Ramon Ramirez (5.25 ERA), all had subpar Grapefruit League showings in their first camps as Mets. Yet the trio, combined with Tim Byrdak, tossed four scoreless innings in relief of Johan Santana. Ramirez earned the win in his Mets debut, the first pitcher to do so since … well, Miguel Batista last season.

“For me spring training is to get ready, to get a feel for your pitches, command the baseball. And if you throw the ball in one spot, and they hit it, there’s nothing you can do about that,” Francisco said. “You just grab the ball back and try to hit your spot again.”

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The Mets have instituted "dynamic ticket pricing" this season, with the cost of seats adjusted based on demand.

Well, apparently Opening Day isn't selling as well as desired, because the Mets have sent an email to some fans offering new, lower prices on certain seats.

According to the email:

Metropolitan Box was $175. Now $169.

Field Box Silver was $175. Now $153.

Baseline Silver was $99. Now $95.

Caesars Box was $100. Now $90.

Baseline Box was $95. Now $77.

Only hours remain in spring training for the Mets. The Amazin's complete their Grapefruit League schedule against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees at noon today in Tampa, then fly home. Next up: Johan Santana versus Tommy Hanson on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.

Check back at ESPNNewYork.com later today for a revealing feature on Santana, ESPN Stats & Information's Mark Simon looking at upcoming Mets statistical milestones, scouts breaking down the Mets pitching staff and an in-depth series preview with Atlanta Braves info.

Wednesday's news reports:

• After all the talk about potential DL trips, it turns out the only players landing there apparently will be Pedro Beato (shoulder) and D.J. Carrasco (ankle). Closer Frank Francisco, lefty specialist Tim Byrdak and center fielder Andres Torres all are ready to break camp with the team. Francisco threw a bullpen session Tuesday, two days after receiving a cortisone shot in his ailing left knee. The closer said he is pain-free, despite some residual inflammation. Sandy Alderson acknowledged the issue could linger -- "especially for a guy who weighs 260 pounds," the GM told reporters.

Byrdak recorded three outs in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, exactly three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Torres, who had resumed game action during the weekend on the minor league side, had two plate appearances Tuesday in his first Grapefruit League game since March 20, when he suffered a strained left calf. He singled against Ivan Nova and was hit by a pitch. Read more on the positive health resolutions in the Star-Ledger, Record, Journal, Daily News, Post and Newsday.

• As a result of the trio's health, Vinny Rottino and Daniel Herrera have been dispatched to Buffalo. The Mets also had held back Kirk Nieuwenhuis in Port St. Lucie after the center-field prospect's Triple-A teammates had departed, but Nieuwenhuis was cleared by late Monday to head north to join the Mets' top minor league affiliate.

• Because the three players avoided the disabled list, the Mets will only need to clear two 40-man roster spots -- for backup lefty-hitting outfielder Mike Baxter and spot starter/long reliever Miguel Batista.

• Ike Davis hit a walk-off homer and the Mets beat the Yankees, 7-6, Tuesday in the first spring-training meeting between the clubs in Port St. Lucie since 1995. Mike Pelfrey limited the Yankees to a Nick Swisher solo homer and one other hit while striking out five and walking none in four innings. Read more in Newsday, the Times, Post and Star-Ledger.

• Swisher reminisced to David Waldstein in the Times about growing up at the Mets' spring-training complex. Writes Waldstein:

From age 8, when his father, the former major leaguer Steve Swisher, was a minor league manager with the Mets and later a coach with the big-league club, Swisher was a fixture at the Mets’ spring training. There were the days when he won $100 off Todd Hundley, joked around with the eccentric Bill Pulsipher and took what he estimated were a million swings on the back fields. Returning here Tuesday as a 31-year-old Yankees right fielder brought back a stream of memories for Swisher, who celebrated his return by hitting a home run in a 7-6 loss to the Mets in the same park where he used to shag fly balls as a youngster.

• Paul DePodesta, who oversees the Mets' farm system and amateur scouting, participated in a chat at Baseball Prospectus. DePodesta addressed the new collective bargaining agreement, which will restrict Mets spending on draft picks. He also discussed left-handed prospect Josh Edgin's future, 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo (who will participate in extended spring training rather than break camp with full-season Savannah), the plan to give Jordany Valdespin limited exposure to center field while keeping him primarily in the middle infield, the elimination of the Mets' Gulf Coast League team, and under-the radar-prospects. On that last subject, DePodesta identified Domingo Tapia and Rafael Montero as legit prospects not getting hype. "Both guys have a chance to emerge as our next group of top-tier potential major league starting pitchers," DePodesta predicted. "They have power stuff. Tapia routinely touched 100 mph last summer. And both pound the strike zone."

DePodesta added that while the organization is committed to building from within, they also realize they need to strategically add capable free agents. "It's awfully difficult to build a championship-caliber club just with your own minor league players (though the Rockies basically did)," DePodesta said. "But if we can build up a core, and we absolutely believe we can and we will, then we will have plenty of capacity to make strategic free-agent or even trade decisions."

On top prospect Zack Wheeler, DePodesta said: "Like most young pitchers with big stuff, it's just a matter of consistency. He has a major league repertoire right now. In fact, it's better than most major league starters. The difference is simply how consistently he's able to make the ball go where he wants and do what he wants. He's making progress and isn't far off, and we'll see stretches this year when he's locked in and looking like a big leaguer."

DePodesta said his children have selected Lucas Duda as the player most likely to pick up the Linsanity mantle.

• Read ESPNNewYork.com's position-by-position analysis of the Mets, including scout comment.

• Matt Harvey will start Buffalo's opener Thursday at Pawtucket. He will be followed in the Bisons' rotation by Jeurys Familia, Chris Schwinden, Jeremy Hefner and Garrett Olson. "It's a huge honor," Harvey told Mike Harrington at the Buffalo News' Bisons blog. "I wasn't sure going into spring training exactly where I was going to start [between Buffalo and Binghamton]. Wally [Backman] told me the whole time I had a good chance of going with him. As soon as they told me, I was extremely honored and happy."

Double-A Binghamton, which opens at home, will have Collin McHugh on the mound Thursday, in Game 1. Lynn Worthy profiles the B-Mets in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Wheeler, Edgin, Juan Lagares, Matt den Dekker and Darin Gorski highlight the Double-A roster.

See the full minor league roster assignments here.

• The Mets will have a group seating/party area between the old and new left-field walls at Citi Field, with ticket prices ranging from $100 to $200 per person and including food and drink. Meanwhile, executive VP Dave Howard acknowledged Tuesday that Opening Day is not yet sold out. Read more in the Times, Post and Newsday.

• Rhiner Cruz, the hard-throwing right-hander plucked from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, has made the Opening Day roster of the Astros. Cruz will need to stick with Houston at the major league level for the full season in order to officially become Houston property.

• Among Post baseball writers, Ken Davidoff and Mike Vaccaro predict the Mets finishing fourth in the NL East, ahead of the Braves. George King, Mike Puma, Joel Sherman, Kevin Kernan and Dan Martin pick the Mets for the basement.

Kernan has a National League preview. Kernan's Mets comment: "Offense will be fine if Wright is healthy because Ike Davis and Lucas Duda can crush, but this is a transitional season. Not enough pitching. Looking forward to seeing Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia join the rotation and watching Zack Wheeler grow."

Sherman has these Mets predictions in a 2012 crystal ball column:

Johan Santana needs two DL stints to survive just a 15-start season, but uses his savvy to go 8-5 with a 3.58 ERA when he does pitch. Jon Niese’s command and maturity catch up to his competitiveness and stuff, allowing him to become a 15-game winner with an ERA in the threes. Andres Torres tanks and the Mets turn to Matt den Dekker, who proves to be Devon White Lite: Long legs and a long swing leading to ace defense, bunches of strikeouts and some lefty pop. Ike Davis and Lucas Duda each top 30 homers, but Davis does it with Gold Glove contention defense while Duda is so troublesome in right the Mets are forced to consider whether he can play there long term. The same goes for Daniel Murphy as a definitely-can-hit, but-can’t-field second baseman.

Frank Francisco’s knee issues and inability to deal with the running game leads to Terry Collins going with a hot-hand approach at closer and no Met recording more than 18 saves. Ruben Tejada is not Jose Reyes, but he proves himself an everyday major league shortstop by making all the plays defensively while maintaining a good on-base percentage in the .350 range. David Wright is helped by the shortened Citi Field fences and rebounds to a .285, 24-homer season, but nothing helps Jason Bay, who finishes with just 10 homers.

Here's Puma's Mets preview. And here's Davidoff wondering if New York could become a Mets town again.

• Andy Martino in the Daily News writes Jon Niese's deal will be close to the five-year, $28.5 million guarantee the Texas Rangers gave to left-hander Derek Holland, but "not necessarily quite that lucrative."

• Omar Minaya, now a lieutenant to GM Josh Byrnes in San Diego, tells Christian Red in the Daily News that Ruben Tejada will be a capable alternative to Jose Reyes. “He’ll surprise you,” Minaya told Red. “Listen, you’re not going to replace Jose. But I don’t think Ruben is of that mindset. Ruben is a fine shortstop. He’s a young kid who can throw, catch, who is going to hit the ball into the gap. He’s a well-rounded baseball player.”

• Columnist John Harper writes in the Daily News the Mets really could use the Yankees' Brett Gardner. Meanwhile, he quotes Alderson on the lack of Yankees first-team players who attended the game in Port St. Lucie as saying: “That’s an issue for Major League Baseball, not for us. But I don’t know whether Yankees fans are happy to see a Yankee uniform or would prefer to see somebody recognizable in the uniform.”

TRIVIA: Who has been the only player other than Reyes to bat leadoff for the Mets on Opening Day since 2005?

Tuesday's answer: Schwinden led Buffalo in strikeouts last season with 134, in 145 2/3 innings.

The Mets unveiled new added seating above the new left-field wall at Citi Field on Tuesday. The new seats, available for groups, will be part of an area called the Party City Deck.

“Bring your gloves. There’s going to be a lot of baseballs here,” said Dave Howard, Mets executive vice president of business operations.

The area is situated in front of the old seats in left field and above the new eight-foot wall. The deck accommodates groups of 25 to 102 with padded seats in the front row and barstools in the second row. Tickets range from $100 to $200.

Individual tickets will be available for the final five games of the Mets’ opening homestand from April 7 to April 11. The Party City Deck will also be available during batting practices. Howard declined to say how much the project cost but said, “We did it in a very cost-effective and efficient manner.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity to put seating here once the baseball operations side determined the extent to which they wanted to put the walls in and the fact that we were lowering to eight feet, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to put seating here.”

The Mets announced back in October that they would move in portions of the left-field wall as much as 12 feet. The wall was generally considered unfair to hitters. Players like David Wright and Jason Bay suffered significant drop-offs in home-run production since the Mets moved into Citi Field in 2009. Wright, for example, has averaged 18 homers per season since the move. He averaged 29 per season from 2005 to 2008 at the old Shea Stadium.

“Certainly, we know that David Wright and Ike Davis, Jason Bay and Lucas Duda and the rest of our position players are excited about it," said Howard. "We think our fans are excited about it and we’re looking forward to how the field plays starting Thursday.”

There are still "a few thousand" tickets available for Opening Day at Citi Field, but Mets executives are hopeful that the stadium will be sold out when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.

“At this point last year we weren’t sold out (either),” said Dave Howard, Mets executive vice president of business operations. “So it’s part of the process. We’re optimistic. The weather is beautiful, which is a big plus and Johan Santana is starting, which is an enormous positive and I think fans will want to be here and I’m confident they’ll be here.”

Certainly, Santana being named the Opening Day starter will increase fans’ interest, added to the fact that David Wright is healthy after missing two months last season with a stress fracture in his lower back and losing time with an abdominal tear during spring training.

The Mets also finally brought some stability to their financial future when owners reached a settlement last month with victims of the Bernard Madoff scandal. The talent on the field has also been questioned, but at least now it’s time to just play baseball. Of course, filling the seats is a priority.

“We have several projections,” Howard said. “But we’re going to sell as many tickets as we possibly can and we think the team will play well. We think the team will far exceed some of the projections and prognostications. We think that we’ll sell well and we hope to sell more tickets this year than last.”

Much of that will depend on the product on the field.

“The play of the team is always a factor in terms of ticket sales,” Howard said as the team unveiled the new seating above the left field wall, which has been moved in almost 12 feet. “Again we present the beautiful ballpark, the market place for your friends and your family and it’s a great day of entertainment. It’s affordable. Our pricing is comparable to a movie and the play of the team on the field will just make it that much more attractive.”