The Mets matched the second-largest comeback in a win in franchise history, climbing out of a seven-run hole and holding on to beat the Pirates, 9-8, Thursday at Citi Field. Now the banged-up, but pitching-rich Braves come to town for a weekend series. (Read the preview here.) David Wright also gets X-rays to determine whether he can ramp up his activity following that diagnosis of a stress fracture in his lower back. Manny Acosta is expected to join the Mets from Triple-A Buffalo, replacing demoted southpaw Mike O'Connor.

Friday's news reports:

• Would Sandy Alderson swing a trade with the Yankees, for Carlos Beltran or otherwise? "It ups the ante a little bit," Alderson told David Lennon in Newsday. "It's like making it to the World Series. You hate to be the one that lost. It becomes part of the local baseball lore."

• The Daily News reports David Wright's $16 million team option for 2013 with the Mets does not exist if he is traded to another team, so that the acquiring organization would be only getting him for through '12 unless Wright were to alter the language. Would Wright want out badly enough to consider something like that? The newspaper says no, that he loves it in New York, but we'll see ... if the club goes ahead and tries to move him. (Remember, a recent report spun Francisco Rodriguez as potentially willingly waiving a vesting option, which the union would never allow, yet this time portrays Wright as no way willing to lock in extra money or use a potential trade as a springboard for extra years.) Wright would be in danger of being moved if the Mets can re-sign Jose Reyes, which is no sure thing, especially if he can get Carl Crawford money.

• Darryl Strawberry called for Gary Carter's No. 8 to be retired, via Twitter. Straw writes: Hey everybody, let's hope that the Mets would Retire #8 very soon for my great friend and teammate Gary Carter!!!! We love him.... Blessings

• The Mets' seven-run comeback matched the second-largest in franchise history, one shy of an eight-run rally against the Astros in an 11-8 win on Sept. 2, 1972. Read game stories in Newsday, the Post, Times, Record, Star-Ledger and Daily News.

• Angel Pagan tells the Record's Tara Sullivan about the possibility of losing Reyes via trade: "He would love to stay in New York, but he has in his mind that his contract is up and he might wear another uniform next year. Right now he’s focused on playing hard every day and helping the team win. ... I bet the Mets fan can’t be having fun imagining the team without Jose and David. They are the face of the franchise. I hope that never happens.”

• No offense to Terry Collins, but any portrayal of a fiery postgame address Wednesday directly resulting in a seven-run comeback Thursday likely is overstating the effect. After all, Collins never questioned the Mets' desire or willingness to come back. It was about playing stinkin' fundamental baseball. Still, Beltran tells the Daily News: "Sometimes you need a meeting like that, to wake everybody up."

David Waldstein in the Times says Collins is wise to space out his team addresses. Adding credence to the effects of meetings being suspect, Waldstein notes that after an April 13 loss, Collins similarly ranted to his players. The result: The Mets were swept in a doubleheader the next time they took the field. (Collins has joked that managers often call meetings before their ace takes the mound.) Writes Waldstein:

His players seem to understand that, and as long as Collins limits his outbursts, say, to once every seven weeks, he should be fine. If Collins did not get it before, he understands it now. Nothing is worse for a manager than too many team meetings and too many clubhouse scoldings. “We’re not going to have them often because they’ll end up turning you off and getting tired of hearing what you have to say,” Collins said of his players, and, in effect, all players. “Last night, they better understand it came from the heart.”

• Wright, who has the medical exam today, hosted a charity poker event on Thursday night at the South Street Seaport to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. He said of the trade talk: "I think it's well documented that I enjoy playing here. I really love playing baseball in New York and hope I can do that for a long time. Unfortunately some of that is out of my hands. If something happens I would be disappointed, but, at the same time, it's something I can't control. My sole concern right now really is getting my back ready." Justin Turner, Mike Pelfrey and Jason Isringhausen were among the teammates to join Wright as his foundation's charity event. Read more in the Daily News.

• Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning Thursday -- his 21st game finished, if you're counting -- in pain because he had two teeth pulled the previous day. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Newsday and Daily News.

• Turner became the first Met to win NL Rookie of the Month since the award was created in 2001. Jeff Roberts in the Record profiles Turner.

• Newsday's Anthony Rieber explains Collins' maneuvers, including the sequence when Chris Capuano was sent up to pinch-hit and was replaced by Josh Thole during the plate appearance. Writes Rieber:

Former Yankees righthander Jose Veras was on the mound. Ronny Paulino singled to open the inning. Willie Harris , who had been on deck to pinch hit for Jason Isringhausen , was told to drop his bat and report to first base to run for Paulino. Collins called on pitcher Chris Capuano as his pinch hitter because "Cap's the best bunter on the team," he said. Capuano fouled off two bunt attempts and the strategy looked to be a disaster. But fortune swung the Mets' way -- and how often has that happened lately? -- when Veras was called for a balk on the second foul. With Harris now on second and the count 1-and-1, Collins sent up Josh Thole to replace Capuano. "When he got to second base, I just said, 'Let's take the chance and drive him in,' " Collins said.

• Collins had offered to give Beltran a game off in the Pirates series, but the right fielder declined. Writes Mike Sielski in The Wall Street Journal:

But because two of the Mets' better hitters, Ike Davis and David Wright, are still on the disabled list, Beltran told Collins he'd prefer to remain in the lineup. "I wanted to be out there," Beltran said. "Right now, we're missing guys. I just feel that it's my responsibility, at least, to put myself in the lineup, and maybe when we get guys back, if there's an opportunity to get a day off and he asks me, then I will take it. But it's not a good time."

• The Times' Ken Belson reports even Cowbell Man was disgusted with the Mets' loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

• Wright tells the Post he actually has spoken with Fred Wilpon, after the two played phone tag. "All is well," Wright told the newspaper.

BIRTHDAYS: Ed Glynn, best known as the former Mets vendor who became a pitcher, turns 58. He went 4-7 with eight saves in 84 relief appearances for the Mets in 1979 and 1980. ... Catcher Barry Lyons, briefly a member of the 1986 champs, turns 51. ... Outfielder Carl Everett turns 40. Everett’s best hit as a Met was a two-out, game-tying grand slam in a rally from a 6-0 ninth-inning deficit against the Expos on Sept. 13, 1997. The Mets would win on a walk-off home run in extra innings by Bernard Gilkey. -Mark Simon