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The Mets notched a series victory over the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of their 3-1 win in Pittsburgh. Starter Jonathon Niese was outstanding, collecting his first win since April 14, after some extra pregame work.

After playing 18 of their past 25 games on the road, the Mets will now begin an 11-game homestand on Thursday night against the San Diego Padres. It's their longest stretch of the season at Citi Field.

Thursday's news reports:

• After Niese went 7-2/3 innings on Wednesday, allowing just one run on five hits, the bullpen got the job done as well. Bobby Parnell came on with two outs in the eighth, and with runners on second and third and the Mets leading 3-1, he struck out the dangerous Andrew McCutchen to end the threat. Then Frank Francisco pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save. Read game recaps in the Daily News, Post, Times, Journal, Newsday, Star-Ledger and Record.

• Parnell has been so good this season out of the pen, Mets manager Terry Collins made a comparison between Parnell and Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander after Wednesday's game.

• Ike Davis went 1-for-4 on Wednesday, which actually improved his batting average from .156 to .159. But Davis is still in danger of being demoted to the minor leagues, although Collins said Wednesday that he's not sure who would replace Davis at first base. Read more in the Daily News.

Newsday's Anthony Rieber says Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy are both options at first base.

• Wednesday's game was the fifth in a row in which the Mets did not hit a ball out of the park. The Mets have just 25 home runs on the season -- that places them second-to-last in the major leagues, behind only the Padres, who have 16.

Collins would like to see his players swing for the fences a little bit more. Read more about it in the Post.

• Reliever Tim Byrdak received a rare day off on Wednesday -- Byrdak leads the major leagues in appearances this season, with 26. But neither Byrdak nor Collins seem too concerned about the workload at this point -- read more in the Record.

• Jeremy Hefner is slated to make his first major league start on Thursday for the Mets. It's a big opportunity for the 26-year-old, who left most of his belongings in a Ford F-150 parked outside Coca Cola Field in Buffalo.

Read more in the Star-Ledger, which reports in the piece that Chris Young actually went home for more than the birth of a child. He also is experiencing a lack of arm strength, which pitching coach Dan Warthen suggested was a standard spring-training "dead-arm" period. Young’s next start, originally expected for Friday, is now Saturday with Class A St. Lucie.

TRIVIA: In what year did the Mets draft Jeremy Hefner?

Wednesday's answer: The Mets own the 12th pick in next month's amateur draft.

Terry Collins was not placing Bobby Parnell in Justin Verlander's class. Not by a long shot. But the Mets skipper thought there was a valid point to be made in terms of their relative pitching repertoires.

As with Verlander, Parnell has the ability to dial up his fastball when needed to get a big out.

That's exactly what Parnell did in the eighth inning Wednesday, when he was summoned to protect a two-run lead with two runners on base and two out. Parnell struck out Andrew McCutchen, the most dangerous Pirates batter, with a diving, 98 mph fastball to strand both players in scoring position. The Mets ultimately won, 3-1, after Frank Francisco converted the save.

"I knew I had to beat his bat," Parnell said. "That was a situation where I worked on a downward plane and just let it go a little bit."

Parnell clearly has ascended in terms of bullpen responsibilities since the start of the season. He also entered in Pittsburgh on Monday night -- that time with a tie score in the seventh -- to keep the Mets in the game. That time, he coaxed a weak groundball to third by Josh Harrison on which there was an error, then also struck out McCutchen before turning the ball over to Tim Byrdak.

Parnell noted it's not so much that he is adding velocity to his fastball in a big moment -- it is that he generally is taking a few mph off the pitch in order to maximize control.

This season his average fastball velocity is 94.9 mph, as opposed to 97.2 mph last year. That does not mean he has lost oomph. It means he's purposely subtracting speed a lot of the time to ensure he knows where it's going. Then he'll dial it up at the appropriate moment and blow his fastball by a batter.

"I used to just let it 'eat.' I've kind of dialed back and tried to work on location more than anything," Parnell said. "There are certain situations where I'll let it go. But I've learned the other way -- going from throwing 98 mph to 94-95 mph."

Said Collins: "You don't find a lot of pitchers who can 'add.' One of the things that makes Verlander so tough is that he's pitching at 94, and the next thing you know, here's one that's 100. That's what Bobby is doing. He's making pitches at 94, 95. The next thing you know, here's one at 98. It makes a big difference."

WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets split a six-game road trip to Toronto and Pittsburgh with a 3-1 rubber-game victory against the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon along the shores of the Allegheny River.

Frank Francisco produced a 1-2-3 inning for a save for the second straight day.

HOW NICE: Coming off an outing in Toronto to open the road trip in which he matched a career high by allowing eight runs, Jon Niese took a scoreless effort into the sixth inning. He then allowed a leadoff double by Josh Harrison and one-out RBI single by Andrew McCutchen that pulled the Pirates within 3-1. Niese held the line there that frame, though, coaxing a 6-4-3 double play from Neil Walker.

Niese departed with two out and two runners aboard in the eighth after walking Gorkys Hernandez. Bobby Parnell entered to face McCutchen, and catcher Rob Johnson tried to catch Hernandez straying too far off first base. Johnson’s snap pickoff attempt was missed by first baseman Ike Davis, and an E-3 was charged as both runners advanced.

Parnell made it immaterial by striking out McCutchen on a 98 mph fastball to strand the two runners in scoring position and preserve a two-run lead.

Niese’s final line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. It was his longest outing since also going 7 2/3 innings on Aug. 11, 2011 against the San Diego Padres.

PIRATE CASTAWAY: The Pirates declined a $3 million option on Ronny Cedeno last offseason and instead signed Clint Barmes to serve as their shortstop. Cedeno then settled for a $1.1 million contract and backup role with the Mets. He got a little payback against his former club this week. Cedeno went 5-for-10 during the three-game series while manning shortstop in place of soon-to-be-returning Ruben Tejada. Tejada (quadriceps) appeared in his first extended spring training game Tuesday.

MR. .400: David Wright briefly dipped under .400 after being retired in his first two at-bats Wednesday. Wright then delivered an RBI double against Charlie Morton in the fifth inning that staked the Mets to a 3-0 lead. But after striking out in his fourth AB to finish 1-for-4, Wright’s average ended the trip at .399.

It’s the first time Wright completed a day under .400 since May 14.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis had preceded Wright’s fifth-inning at-bat with a sacrifice fly. The Mets had opened the scoring in the first inning on Lucas Duda’s RBI single.

IT’S A HIT: Davis, who entered the day mired in a 2-for-33 rut, singled in his first at-bat. He finished 1-for-4, striking out on a pitch in the dirt and well out of the strike zone in his final plate appearance.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets return to Citi Field for an 11-game homestand during which they face San Diego, Philadelphia and Carlos Beltran’s St. Louis Cardinals. Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 2.25 ERA), after two quality relief appearances, makes his first major league start in Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, opposite left-hander Eric Stults (0-0, 2.70). Hefner takes the slot formerly held by Miguel Batista, who landed on the DL on Sunday with a lower back or oblique strain.

WHAT IT MEANS: Johan Santana could not protect a four-run lead and the Mets dropped the ball in the eighth inning -- literally -- en route to 5-4 loss against Pittsburgh in Monday’s series opener.

Santana served up a game-tying two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Michael McKenry in seventh inning.

In the eighth, after each pinch-hitting in the top half, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Mike Baxter headed to the outfield. They miscommunicated on Neil Walker’s leadoff fly ball to left-center and Nieuwenhuis dropped it for a three-base error. Walker then scored the decisive run on a sacrifice fly by Clint Barmes against Jon Rauch narrowly ahead of a throw from right fielder Lucas Duda.

It was the second time this season Nieuwenhuis had a high-profile drop while manning center field. Against the Giants on April 21, Nieuwenhuis overran a ball to prolong the game, although the Mets salvaged that one, 5-4, on San Francisco miscues.

NOT WRIGHT: David Wright went 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI to lift his average to .415, but he also committed his second and third errors this season.

Wright’s RBI single had lifted the Mets to a 4-0 lead against Pirates starter Erik Bedard.

Neither error proved costly. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning shortly after Wright’s throwing miscue to first base, Santana coaxed a 6-4-3 DP to preserve a two-run lead. In the seventh, after Santana served up the game-tying two-run homer and a walk, Wright misfielded a grounder that advanced the potential go-ahead run into scoring position. But Bobby Parnell struck out Andrew McCutchen and Tim Byrdak fanned Pedro Alvarez to keep the score tied.

LEADING MAN? Andres Torres went 0-for-4 with a walk. He twice struck out and also popped out on a bunt. Torres is now hitless in 14 at-bats and 2-for-38 in his last 11 games. His eighth-inning fielder’s choice stranded the go-ahead run at third in the eighth.

OUT: Scott Hairston was pulled for the bottom of the sixth inning, with Vinny Rottino moving from first base to left field and Ike Davis entering the game.

It was not immediately known if that was a strategic move or Hairston needed to be removed.

Davis and Lucas Duda consecutively were retired in the top of the seventh inning with two runners aboard while facing lefty reliever Tony Watson as the Mets failed to build on a 4-2 lead at the time.

AHOY: Ronny Cedeno returned to Pittsburgh, where he had been the starting shortstop last season and hit .249. He went 2-for-4.

WHAT’S NEXT: R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.76 ERA) opposes right-hander James McDonald (3-2, 2.68) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

WHAT IT MEANS: The weekend wasn’t a total loss, at least. In their first visit to Toronto in six years, the Mets salvaged the series finale, beating the Blue Jays, 6-5, Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Barely.

Bobby Parnell surrendered a pair of eighth-inning runs, including an RBI single to Colby Rasmus that snapped the ex-Cardinal’s 0-for-20 skid, as Toronto rallied to within a run. But Tim Byrdak made his 24^th appearance in 41 games to retire lefty-hitting Kelly Johnson on a flyout to right field and end that frame.

In the ninth, ex-Blue Jays closer Frank Francisco, who was loudly jeered upon entering, closed things out despite a leadoff walk to Yunel Escobar and ensuing single by Jose Bautista that placed the winning run on base with none out. Francisco struck out the next three batters.

WELCOME BACK: After scheduled day off, and with his illness having somewhat improved, David Wright delivered a two-run double in the first inning against Jays right-hander Henderson Alvarez. It was hit No. 1,301 of Wright’s career, which passed ex-teammate Jose Reyes for sole possession of second on franchise’s all-time list. Ed Kranepool has the highest hit total as a Met for now: 1,418. Wright now stands at 1,302. He finished Sunday’s game 2-for-4 with a walk, albeit with an eighth-inning strikeout that stranded the bases loaded and kept the score 6-3. His average now stands at .412.

(Wright wasn’t solely at fault for a scoreless eighth. Ike Davis doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball, but was thrown out at the plate on a pitch that similarly eluded catcher J.P. Arencibia.)

BAXTER BURNING: Mike Baxter, starting for a second straight game with the pitcher not batting in the American League ballpark, went 3-for-4 with a walk. He fell a homer shy of producing the second cycle by a Met this season (Scott Hairston at Colorado on April 27, in an 18-9 loss). Baxter’s hit total achieved a career high, and lifted his average to .390, in 41 at-bats. Baxter even was the subject of taunts from fans in the left-field stands.

After being deprived of a would-be ninth-inning double Saturday with an incorrect out call at second base, Baxter doubled and tripled in the first two inings Sunday while starting in left field. The latter extra-base hit scored Ronny Cedeno and staked the Mets to a 4-0 lead.

GEE MINOR: Clean-shaven Dillon Gee completed 6 2/3 innings and notched his first win since April 28 at Colorado. He departed after an RBI single by Jose Bautista pulled the Jays within 6-3. Parnell entered and stranded Bautista by coaxing a fielder’s choice groundout by Edwin Encarnacion.

Gee’s final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP. He threw 113 pitches (67 strikes). He surrendered a third-inning solo homer to Bautista that pulled the Jays within 4-2 at the time.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets, in businesslike attire, head through customs and travel to Pittsburgh. Johan Santana (1-2, 2.89 ERA) opposes left-hander Erik Bedard (2-5, 3.07) in Monday’s 7:05 p.m. opener.

The Mets' bullpen has been a big disappointment this season, especially of late -- with the exception of Bobby Parnell.

In 18 appearances and 17 innings pitched, the hard-throwing righty has a 2.12 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just three walks.

On Wednesday night, Parnell came on in relief of Johan Santana with a runner on second and two outs, with the Mets clinging to a 3-2 lead. Parnell struck out Zack Cozart to end the threat.

In the eighth inning, Jon Rauch and D.J. Carrasco combined to give up four runs, and the Reds defeated the Mets, 6-3.

Considering the struggles of the rest of the Mets' bullpen, including closer Frank Francisco, some fans are clamoring for Parnell to be elevated to the closer role. But manager Terry Collins isn't ready to make that move ... yet.

"With what Bobby went through last fall, I'm gonna try to avoid that and let him build up to that closer role," Collins said before Thursday's game against the Reds. "He's got closer stuff. I don't want the failure side -- he's already had it once. He had some tough times last summer."

Last season, Parnell had an ERA under 3.00 as late as July 22. But his audition as a closer did not go very well. He blew as many saves as he collected (six), including four in September alone.

A year later, the 27-year-old looks ready for another opportunity.

"He's pitching very, very well in the situation he's in," Collins said. "And we're gonna gradually ease him into some different situations. … We're gonna probably give him some different opportunities, to pitch deeper into games, later in the games, 'cause he's earned that. He's certainly earned that.

"He's taken such a large step forward, I don't wanna have him take a big step back just yet."

JOHNSON READY: Backup catcher Rob Johnson, who suffered a left thumb injury on Sunday, is ready to go back in the lineup when needed, according to Collins.

"Better, much better," said Collins of Johnson. "He's probably ready to go."

HIGH PRAISE: Collins continues to rave about rookie outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who is batting .293, with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

When asked about Nieuwenhuis, Collins said, "Off the charts, makeup-wise. Not afraid, not intimidated, knows himself, great confidence. Don't mistake that for being overly cocky -- just knows that he can play this game. And when he takes the field, he plays it the only way he knows how, and that's all out."

WHAT IT MEANS: Poor Johan Santana. And this time, it didn’t get to Frank Francisco for the bullpen letdown to occur.

Cincinnati scored four runs in the eighth inning to deprive Santana of another win and leave Terry Collins’ maneuvering open to second-guessing as the Mets lost to the Reds, 6-3, Wednesday at Citi Field.

Despite Bobby Parnell requiring only five pitches to strike out Zack Cozart and strand a runner in scoring position inherited from Santana to end the seventh, Collins went with Jon Rauch to start the eighth.

Rauch proceeded to allow a leadoff single to Drew Stubbs, then double to lefty-hitting Joey Votto that put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Collins alternatively could have used Parnell to face Stubbs, then gone with southpaw Tim Byrdak to try to neutralize Votto, the lone lefty hitter in Cincinnati’s starting lineup.

(With only one southpaw in the bullpen, Collins may have been holding Byrdak back for an inevitable pinch-hit opportunity by Jay Bruce. Byrdak had struck out Bruce twice in Cincinnati last year, after serving up the walk-off homer to Bruce that clinched the NL Central title for the Reds the previous year while with the Houston Astros.)

Anyway, Rauch then surrendered a game-tying RBI single to Brandon Phillips. Byrdak eventually was brought in when Bruce entered as a pinch hitter, and Bruce delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly to right field.

Collins, left with few remaining bullpen options given Ramon Ramirez tossed 2 2/3 innings the previous night once D.J. Carrasco was tossed for hitting Ryan Braun, went with Carrasco. He served up a first-pitch two-run homer to Toms River, N.J., native Todd Frazier.

Frazier, starting with Scott Rolen on the DL, also had homered the previous inning against Santana to pull Cincinnati within 3-2.

YO! Santana limited Cincinnati to two runs and six hits while walking two and striking out five in 6 2/3 innings.

ALMOST FAMOUS: Ike Davis snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth inning and Mike Nickeas followed by becoming the second Met with a successful squeeze bunt on the brief homestand as the Mets took a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

Votto, the reigning NL Gold Glove winner at first base, committed a costly error that opened the door.

With the score tied at 1, Lucas Duda opened the half-inning with a single. Daniel Murphy then sent a hard smash to Votto, who fielded the ball while on the ground. Votto wildly threw to second, allowing Duda to advance to third and Murphy to reach safely. Davis then followed with the RBI double. And Nickeas gave the Mets the 3-1 lead by joining Ronny Cedeno as this week’s successful squeeze bunters.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets complete a four-game homestand as R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.65 ERA) opposes right-hander Mat Latos (2-2, 4.54). They then don hockey apparel in a team-building exercise, grab their passports and head to Toronto for the first time since 2006.

Miguel Batista tossed seven scoreless innings despite pitching with a tight groin and Daniel Murphy produced two of the Mets' three hits in a 3-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night at Citi Field. Frank Francisco recorded an oh-so-shaky save while allowing a ninth-inning run.

Tuesday's news reports:

• Terry Collins opted to keep Francisco as his closer, despite the ex-Blue Jay failing to protect ninth-inning leads twice in Miami during the weekend. Although Colllins considered having Francisco share duties with Jon Rauch, Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak, Collins reasoned that Francisco was brought in to be the closer. The manager added that once he starts shuffling roles, if the next option does not perform, he has created a state of flux in his entire bullpen. And, Collins lightheartedly added, Byrdak would not make it through the summer with extra closing responsibilities given how much he is relied upon as a lefty specialist. Francisco allowed two hits, a walk and a run in the ninth, but was credited with a save Monday. He has allowed 22 hits and eight walks in 14 2/3 innings. Collins was poised to pull Francisco and insert Rauch if one more batter reached Monday.

• Anthony Rieber in Newsday wonders why Collins did not just leave in Parnell, who breezed to record the final two outs of the eighth. Writes Rieber:

Parnell threw all of five pitches. Too radical, I know. Can't be done when you have to honor your closer. I asked Collins before the game if he thinks a team can survive in this day and age without a designated closer, with the manager choosing his late-inning relievers based on the situation. He didn't hesitate. "Absolutely," he said. Did the Mets consider that in their discussions Monday about whether Francisco should remain the closer? "We did consider that," Collins said. "We did consider that. In our case at this particular moment, Byrdak would be dead by July."

• Columnist Ken Davidoff in the Post is unimpressed with the decision to leave Francisco as closer. Writes Davidoff:

Last year, the Mets left camp resolved that Brad Emaus, a Rule 5 draft selection, would be their everyday second baseman. Within just a few weeks, it became evident they bet wrong, so they designated Emaus for assignment. They scored points for dealing decisively with the issue, and ironically, Emaus is back in the Mets’ organization at Triple-A Buffalo. The Francisco situation isn’t identical to Emaus’. The Mets signed Francisco to a two-year, $12-million deal in December with the understanding he would close for them. There’s a wide gulf, however, between winter hopes and spring reality. Moreover, no one’s talking about releasing Francisco and eating all of that money. We’re discussing taking a break, a la Ross and Rachel on “Friends.” Or like when the 2011 Blue Jays flip-flopped their closer and setup man -- that would be Francisco and Jon Rauch, respectively -- in July before a Rauch injury returned the job to Francisco in late August.

• Columnist Tim Smith in the Daily News wants to see the Mets revisit Parnell as closer.

• Read more on Francisco in the Journal, Times and Star-Ledger.

• Jon Heyman at CBSSports.com echoes other reports in expressing confidence David Wright will remain a Met long term, even if a contract offer waits until next offseason. Wright is under the Mets' control through 2013, including a team option. Writes Heyman:

Mets owner Fred Wilpon may have taken an uncharacteristic and frankly shocking slap at Wright last year with his comment to The New Yorker that Wright isn't a superstar. But Wright's support among high-level Mets people generally is extremely strong. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon long has been a Wright backer, for instance. Two things you can count on: 1) Wright isn't going anywhere in trade this summer, and 2) the Mets will try to lock up Wright to a longterm deal, if not this season than this winter. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson agreed with my text to him that it would take something "extraordinary'' and "unforeseen'' for Wright to be traded this summer. Loosely translated, that means he ain't going anywhere. The only reason they give themselves even the slightest bit of opening is they understandably don't want to be seen as liars in the event something "extraordinary'' and "unforeseen'' does happen.

Wright told the Post on Monday: "There haven't been any talks. That's about it."

• In Monday's victory, Murphy extended his hitting streak to 10 games and Wright scored on a botched rundown in the eighth after reaching on a double. Wright went 1-for-3. He now is hitting .398. The Mets won a game in which they produced three hits or fewer for the first time since Aug. 27, 2010, in a 2-1 win against Nelson Figueroa and the Houston Astros. Read Monday's game recaps in the Post, Times, Record, Daily News, Newsday and Star-Ledger.

• Will Batista's groin injury be an issue? Stay tuned, although he downplayed the issue. As for why this start was better than his first since taking over for Chris Schwinden in Mike Pelfrey's slot (four runs, two earned, in 5 1/3 innings at Philadelphia), Batista said: "It takes a little time for me to get acclimated to the starting rotation."

• Arbitrator Shyam Das, who ruled in favor of Ryan Braun in the 2011 NL MVP's successful challenge to the chain of custody of a drug test, has been fired by Major League Baseball, the Associated Press reported. On the same day, MLB and the union agreed to set aside a 100-game suspension being served by Eliezer Alfonzo, whose sample was handled similarly by a collector before being shipped to the laboratory and tested.

• Jenrry Mejia allowed one run in six innings in his second minor league game with Class A St. Lucie. He allowed three hits, including a solo homer to former Mets farmhand Stefan Welch, while striking out seven and walking none. Nine of the 10 outs in play were on the ground. Chris Young goes for St. Lucie on Tuesday. Young is scripted to move to Triple-A Buffalo after that outing. It would not be unreasonable to expect Mejia to now move to a higher level, too. Mejia is working as a starting pitcher during this spurt, but it is entirely conceivable his contribution in the majors this season is in the bullpen. He is returning from May 16, 2011 Tommy John surgery.

• Jeurys Familia allowed one run on five hits in five innings in Triple-A Buffalo's 9-3 win at Charlotte. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Jason Bay (fractured rib) has been cleared to begin baseball activities for the first time since suffering the injury on April 23. He had been limited to a stationary bicycle. Collins said during Monday's pregame show that Bay "probably" assumes the bulk of left-field duty, but the manager added that he needed to find significant playing time for Kirk Nieuwenhuis as well, so how to accommodate all his outfielders will be interesting. Read more in the Record, Newsday and Star-Ledger.

TRIVIA: What college did Dillon Gee attend?

Monday's answer: Batista has eight career wins against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the most of any opponent.

Frank Francisco said he gave it his best effort. But there was no doubt his second blown save in 10 chances this season deflated a clubhouse that arrived in Miami off the sky-high feeling of sweeping the Phillies with their ninth, 10^th and 11^th comeback wins of the season.

Francisco allowed a leadoff double to Giancarlo Stanton in the ninth and a game-tying single with one out to Emilio Bonifacio. After Bonifacio swiped second base, the Mets lost, 6-5, when Greg Dobbs singled with two out.

“That’s baseball,” Francisco said. “That’s going to happen. Hopefully it’s the last time. I can’t put that in my mind because I know how baseball goes. I don’t feel bad. I feel bad because we lost. But, personally, I know I was fighting out there. I leave everything I have out there for my team. We lost. But I don’t feel bad.”

As for the leadoff double by Stanton, Francisco did not second-guess himself.

“I haven’t seen the replay. I don’t know,” Francisco said. “I thought it was a good pitch. I got him out there before. And just like that, he won. I thought that was the right pitch. And when I got in my mind a certain pitch, I die with that pitch. And that’s what I did. I thought that was the right pitch -- fastball in.”

He rejected the suggestion that things snowballed after that.

“I was fighting out there with everything I have,” Francisco said. “Every time I go out there I leave everything out there. After the first hit, I got the next guy out. And they tied the game and I got the next guy out. I was fighting.”

As for the final blow by Dobbs, Francisco said: “The last hit was a broken-bat single. You only can control where you throw the ball. You cannot control the results. I think I made a good pitch. I jammed him. But it ended up in a bad spot.”

• Ike Davis lamented his role in the Marlins’ late rally. Davis committed an error trying to field Jose Reyes' grounder to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Reyes eventually scored against Bobby Parnell to pull the Marlins within 5-4.

“I had a lot more time, so I just should have got in front of it and knocked it down,” Davis said. “But it took a higher bounce than the one before and just got a little bit on my wrist and I missed it. … I was out of position, really, on it. I should have just knocked it down.”

Davis acknowledged Reyes’ speed was a factor in him rushing to field the ball.

(Read full post)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Miami Marlins turned the tables on Frank Francisco and the comeback kids.

Charged with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth, Francisco suffered a blown save after Giancarlo Stanton produced a leadoff double and Emilio Bonifacio plated him with a one-out single.

Bonifacio then swiped second -- his franchise-record 18th straight successful steal to open the season -- and scored the winning run in Miami’s 6-5 victory when Greg Dobbs singled with two out.

Francisco (1-2) suffered his second blown save in 10 chances.

To that point, the Mets had been poised for their MLB-high 12^th comeback win of the season.

Pinch hitter Mike Baxter delivered a tiebreaking two-run double with the bases loaded against reliever Ryan Webb in a three-run eighth to give the Mets a 5-3 lead.

Instead, the loss snapped the Mets’ five-game winning streak.

RALLY RECAP: Ike Davis began the rally from an early 3-0 deficit, delivering a solo homer in the fifth against Mark Buehrle. It was Davis’ second straight game with a homer. He belted a mammoth three-run shot off the second-deck façade against Jose Contreras in the eighth inning Wednesday at Philadelphia.

In the seventh, Mike Nickeas’ one-out RBI double against Buehrle pulled the Mets within a run, prompting Terry Collins to pinch hit for Johan Santana. But Justin Turner flied out. And after a walk to Andres Torres prompted Ozzie Guillen to go to his bullpen, southpaw Randy Choate struck out Daniel Murphy and the Mets headed to the bottom of the seventh trailing 3-2.

In the eighth, David Wright (3-for-5) dropped a leadoff double inside the right-field line against Edward Mujica. Wright moved to third on Lucas Duda’s groundout. Kirk Nieuwenhuis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and delivered a game-tying double. After an intentional walk to Davis and unintentional walk to Ronny Cedeno loaded the bases, Baxter pinch hit for Nickeas against Webb and improved to 6-for-15 with five RBIs as a pinch hitter this season. Baxter’s two-run double gave the Mets a 5-3 lead.

THE NEW FELICIANO: Tim Byrdak appeared to save the day for the Mets yet again. In each of the first two games in Philly, the southpaw stranded an inherited runner at third base in the eighth inning. After Bobby Parnell surrendered a run in the eighth inning on Friday night as the Marlins pulled within 5-4, Byrdak entered with two out and Omar Infante on second base and struck out Logan Morrison to end the threat.

Byrdak is on pace for 96 appearances, which would break the single-season relief record set by Feliciano in his final three seasons as a Met (86, 88 and 92).

NO WAY, COURTESY JOSE: Jose Reyes quickly ensured game No. 8,000 would be the Mets’ 8,000^th game without a no-hitter. Reyes, who went only 1-for-12 in New York last month, opened the bottom of the first inning against Santana with a triple narrowly beyond the reach of Torres, who awkwardly played the shot to center field.

Reyes (1-for-4) scored when the newly installed No. 2 hitter Infante dropped a single into shallow left field. Austin Kearns delivered a two-run homer later in the frame. Kearns had been a late replacement in left field for the scratched Morrison, after Guillen decided he liked Kearns matching up better against Santana.

Santana’s final line: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.

SHORT STORY: In his first action since April 20, Cedeno returned from the disabled list and went 1-for-2 with two walks. Cedeno will be in the regular shortstop until Ruben Tejada returns from the DL, Collins said.

FIELDING OF DREAMS: Santana and Wright, both former Gold Glove recipients, turned in fielding gems on consecutive plays in the fifth. Santana lunged to catch a bunt attempt from Buehrle in the air. Then, Wright barehanded a grounder from Reyes and threw to first in time to retire his former teammate. An inning earlier, Santana caught Stanton stealing with a pickoff move.

WHAT’S NEXT: Other than a postgame LL Cool J concert after Friday’s game at Marlins Park? R.A. Dickey (4-1, 3.76) opposes Ricky Nolasco (4-0, 2.72 ERA) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

After sweeping the Phillies, then an off-day in Miami that apparently included Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell going fishing, the Mets open a weekend series at Jose Reyes' new home, month-old Marlins Park. The Marlins have won eight of their past nine, despite ex-Met Heath Bell's struggles leading to him being deposed from the closer role. Read the series preview here.

Friday's news reports:

• Tonight's game will be the 8,000th in the regular season in franchise history. And, barring the highly, highly improbable from Johan Santana, it will be the 8,000th game without a no-hitter in franchise history. Tom Seaver came closest. He carried a no-hit bid for 8 2/3 innings at Wrigley Field on Sept. 24, 1975 against the Chicago Cubs -- although the Mets never scored in that 11-inning loss anyway. Seaver, in 1969, also had a perfect game against the Cubs for 8 1/3 innings at Shea Stadium. The only other major league club without a no-hitter is the San Diego Padres, who launched in 1969, seven years after the Amazin's.

Brian Costa in the Journal takes a deeper look. He speaks with Dirk Lammers, who started the web site nonohitters.com in 2008 to track the Mets' futility. "I thought when I started it, they were probably on the verge of it," Lammers told Costa. "I did not expect it to go five years. But of course, I don't think the team expected it to go 50." Costa reports there have been 252 no-hitters in the majors since 1876 -- and 131 since the Mets debuted in 1962. Seven pitchers who have represented the Mets have gone on to throw one elsewhere, most recently former first-round pick Philip Humber with the Chicago White Sox on April 12. The Mets have 35 one-hitters.

Regarding his near-miss in '69, Seaver tells Costa: "My wife was in tears. I said, 'What are you crying for? I just pitched a one-hit shutout. I didn't walk anybody. I struck out 10. Come on.' She said, 'You lost your perfect game.'" The Journal notes the next milestone will be 8,945 games without a no-hitter, which is the longest drought in MLB history, by the Phillies from 1906 to 1964.

• Chris Young tossed five scoreless innings for Class A St. Lucie in his first official minor league game since undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder last May 16. Young will make a handful of minor league starts before likely taking over the rotation spot currently occupied by Miguel Batista. Young has the first of two contract outs on June 1 if he remains in the minors at that point, so that date logically should be close to when Young arrives in the majors.

Ronny Cedeno went 0-for-4 in that same Florida State League game at Brevard County while playing a full game at shortstop. Terry Collins originally expected Cedeno to be activated for Friday's start against Mark Buehrle in Miami, but the manager amended that remark on Wednesday to suggest that he would like to see Cedeno succeed against higher-level minor league pitching before activating him from the DL. Cedeno has been out since an April 20 cameo because of a muscle strain on his left side. Collins has stated Cedeno will be the regular shortstop while Ruben Tejada is on the DL. The manager added that Jordany Valdespin is likely to head to Triple-A Buffalo when Cedeno is activated.

• Zack Wheeler picked up a win in his return from the disabled list with Double-A Binghamton, while Domingo Tapia and Marcos Camarena combined to take a no-hit bid with low-A Savannah into the seventh inning. Read Thursday's full minor league recap here.

• Ike Davis, whose average remains at .179, has shown signs of breaking out of the season-long funk. He launched a lengthy three-run homer against Jose Contreras in the eighth inning on Wednesday. “I’m a good baseball player," Davis told the Daily News. "I know I am. If I thought this was the best I could do, then I would tell you that: ‘This is the best I can do.’ And then this wouldn’t be as frustrating. ... This is obviously not the way I wanted the year to go, but you have to have perspective: I’m alive. I’m healthy. I’m here.”

GM Sandy Alderson tells Andrew Keh in the Times regarding Davis: "I’m sure he’s not happy with the first month-plus of the season, and certainly we have expected more. But, at the same time, we know it’s in there. We’ve just had to be a little bit patient.” Writes Keh:

Dave Hudgens, the team’s hitting coach, has seen Davis become more serious while he has tackled his recent shortcomings. The slump, Hudgens said, like any other, has been the product of a confluence of factors, each one exacerbating the next. Davis possesses a swing with a considerable amount of preparatory movement and, more than most of his teammates, he relies on rhythm. According to Hudgens, Davis has been allowing his body to rush out ahead of his hands. As his struggles have continued, he has become prone to chasing pitches out of the strike zone. Hudgens said that in recent days, the two had changed the position of Davis’ hands, moving them slightly higher, and that he had encouraged Davis to slow down and focus on driving balls to the middle of the field.

• Anthony Rieber in Newsday looks at the high rate of left-handed starting pitching the Mets have seen. Buehrle on Friday will be the 15th southpaw the Mets have faced in 32 games. The Mets -- who have a lefty-heavy lineup -- are 6-8 against southpaw starters and 12-5 against righty starters so far this season. "We've seen a stretch that usually doesn't happen," Davis told Rieber. "I think it helps. The more you see them, the more you're comfortable with them. That's it, really. The more you see them, the better chance you have of recognizing pitches and stuff."

• Mike Puma in the Post cites reasons for the Mets being five games over .500 for the first time in two years. Writes Puma:

The Mets already have 11 comeback victories in 2012 -- their highest total in franchise history after 31 games. That statistic is a testament to the bad bullpens they have faced -- see the Phillies and Diamondbacks -- and the fact their own relievers haven’t been nearly as bad as the numbers suggest. Though the Mets’ 4.42 bullpen ERA ranks 14th in the NL, that number is skewed by a brutal weekend at Colorado in which team relievers allowed 16 earned runs over two games. Overall, the Mets’ bullpen has been respectable, with Jon Rauch, Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak leading the charge. And they’ve been much better at home. They have a winning record in all three of their homestands this season -- something they did just three times all of last season.

• Mike Kerwick in the Record notes the improbable success is coming minus starters, from Mike Pelfrey to Jason Bay, Josh Thole and Ruben Tejada."It’s human nature to feel bad for these guys," Collins told Kerwick. "First of all, [they’re] terrific people. You hate to see them out of your lineup. They’re great teammates, both of them [Tejada and Thole]. But in our game, you’ve got to move forward. They’re not here, so you’ve got to make sure the guys that are here play in those spots, help the club win. … We can’t sit back and say, ‘We’ll just wait for those guys to come back. That doesn’t happen up here.’"

TRIVIA: Against which pitcher did Reyes have his first hit as a Marlin at Citi Field?

Thursday's answer: There have been 26 inside-the-park homers in franchise history. Two Mets have a pair -- Darryl Strawberry (off Bruce Sutter in 1984 and Jose Rijo in 1989) and Angel Pagan (off Pedro Martinez in 2009 and Livan Hernandez in 2010).

WHAT IT MEANS: Omir Santos … again?

Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had not allowed a hit in the last 18 at-bats against him entering the series, surrendered a one-out walk to Ike Davis, two-out double to Mike Nickeas, then a three-run homer to pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Mets to a 5-2 win Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

It was Valdespin’s first major league hit. He is due to start at shortstop Tuesday in place of injured Ruben Tejada.

Papelbon, of course, served up the infamous two-run homer on May 23, 2009 to Santos at Fenway Park in a blown save.

GAMER: Ex-Met Ty Wigginton knocked Josh Thole from the game in the bottom of the eighth on a play at the plate. Thole took a jolt to the head from Wigginton’s left shoulder. He walked off under his own power, but seemingly will need to be monitored for a concussion. Thole held onto the ball, preserving the 2-2 score. Tim Byrdak recorded the final out of the eighth to strand the go-ahead run at third base with a strikeout.

Wigginton has a history of hard-nosed plate collisions. As a Met in 2003 in San Juan, he locked his arms and struck Montreal Expos catcher Michael Barrett, jarring a ball loose.

In the six weeks after he was traded from the Mets to the Pirates in the Kris Benson deal at the July 2004 deadline, Wigginton broke Koyie Hill's ankle and bruised St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina in jarring home-plate collisions while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

DRIVEN: David Wright pulled the Mets even at 2 with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth against Roy Halladay. It was the 740^th and 741^st RBIs of Wright’s Mets career, extending his franchise record.

HALLADAY SPREE: Halladay’s streak of winning eight straight starts against the Mets ended with a no-decision. Barely.

In the bottom of the seventh, in an inning in which Halladay departed for a pinch hitter with the score tied at 2, the Phillies loaded the bases with one out against Bobby Parnell. Parnell then induced a groundball to Daniel Murphy, who initiated a 4-6-3 inning-ending double-play attempt.

First base ump Alan Porter ruled Hunter Pence had beaten the relay throw from Justin Turner, seemingly allowing Juan Pierre -- who walked as the pinch hitter for Halladay -- to score the go-ahead run. Terry Collins got halfway to first base to argue the call when Pence then was ruled out.

The out call came from second base ump Ron Kulpa, who ruled Shane Victorino had left the base line to interfere with Turner.

It’s not the first time at Citizens Bank Park an interference call affected a game late.

Back on Aug. 29, 2007, during a four-game sweep of the Mets by the Phillies, the third game ended with Marlon Anderson called by umpire C.B. Bucknor for an illegal takeout slide against second baseman Tadahito Iguchi.

Halladay, who received a no-decision, fell short of matching Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax for the fourth-longest streak all time of consecutive starts with a win against the Mets. They both had wins in nine straight starts. Only Larry Jackson (13 straight), Don Drysdale (12) and Bob Friend (10) have longer streaks.

Coming off an outing against Atlanta in which he surrendered eight runs, Halladay had limited the Mets to one hit entering the sixth. Then, in that inning, he issued a two-out walk to Andres Torres and single to Kirk Nieuwenhuis preceding Wright’s game-tying double.

FIVE AND DIVE: Jon Niese limited the Phillies to two runs, but the southpaw walked four and departed Monday’s game having logged 101 pitches in five innings. He received a no-decision. It was the most pitches in a five-inning-or-less outing by a Mets starter since Chris Capuano went 4 2/3 innings in a 103-pitch outing at St. Louis last Sept. 22.

WHAT’S NEXT: Miguel Batista steps into the rotation slot that Chris Schwinden occupied for two unsuccessful turns. And this is not a make-or-break start for the 41-year-old Batista, according to Collins. “He’s going to get a few chances to show us what he can do,” Collins said. The manager added that Batista is not a placeholder for Chris Young, although it certainly seems that’s the case. Young, working back from May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder, is scheduled to throw 75 pitches Thursday for Class A St. Lucie in his first official minor league game.

Time on the disabled list sparked Andres Torres' bat.

Since returning from his strained left calf on April 30, Torres has scored and driven in a run in each of the five games he has played, the longest streak of his career. He went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in Saturday's 4-3 win over Arizona.

"He looks good. He's locked in," second baseman Daniel Murphy said. "I think the biggest thing for us in this clubhouse is he looks fresh. He looks like he was smart about the injury when he was down there, he took his time, and now he's back, we're not worried about him at all and he's ready, he's going out there and playing his game."

Torres strained his left calf April 5 and was placed on the disabled list April 7. He's hitting .368 in the five games since he returned, starting April 30 against Houston, and also recorded his first stolen base with the Mets in the third inning. The center fielder is batting .333 in his first season in New York.

"You can tell in the series in Houston that he lacked at-bats, but he's one of the hardest-working guys I've ever been around in my life," manager Terry Collins said before the Mets faced Arizona in the middle game of a three-game set.

"Even during the game in Houston he was in the cage working on stuff, so it was good to see him and that's why if he gets it going or he starts to get on base, his history is he scores runs as we saw last night."

PARNELL TURNING IT ON: Bobby Parnell threw a scoreless inning of relief, continuing his strong start. He has a 2.84 ERA spanning 12 2/3 innings, striking out 16 hitters and walking just two. He struck out Miguel Montero with a man on second and two outs in the eighth.

"He's just absolutely come on to be outstanding," Collins said. "I think last year's experience helped him a lot. I think his time with Jason Isringhausen probably helped him a lot. I think the fact that he realized he doesn't have to throw 100, even though he can, it's about making pitches and that's what he's been doing, he's been making pitches."

MURPHY'S BIG DAY: Murphy tied his career-high with four hits on the day and is 6-for-9 in this series against Arizona.

"I remember last season when Dan was swinging the bat great, he was sitting in that fifth spot," Collins said. "Murph got red-hot. I told him this morning, I said, 'Look, I'm going to put you back there and see if you can rekindle what you were doing last summer.' Obviously a 4-for-4 day pretty much gets it started."

ROSTER MOVE: The team activated reliever D.J. Carrasco from the disabled list and demoted infielder Jordany Valdespin after the game. A reliever is needed with Miguel Batista moving to the rotation and Carrasco fills the long-reliever type role. He had been rehabbing with Triple-A Buffalo.

First baseman Ike Davis is out of Saturday's lineup so utility infielder Justin Turner can get some at-bats, according to manager Terry Collins. Davis is batting just .172 and with a lefty on the hill for Arizona, it made sense to get the slumping first baseman a day off.

"We need to get the offense going so it's kind of a two-fold thing," Collins said. "I got to get Justin Turner going. I was just telling the TV guys one of the most important guys we brought up last year was Justin Turner and the job he did. You never know when something happens and he's thrown into the lineup and I got to make sure that he's getting some at-bats."

Davis went 0-for-4 Friday and rolled his ankle in the loss, but said his ankle was fine Saturday. Turner is batting just .231 with three RBIs, and only has six at-bats in the team's last 10 games. The manager believes that his first baseman is being accountable about his slump.

"I don't know if he's ever had a slump, to be honest. He got to the big leagues in less than years," Collins said. "He went through the minor leagues without having to deal with the failure and now here he is. He's facing the toughest time of his career at the major-league level. That's very difficult to do, not even talking about the media market we're in, so you know what, we grind it out here. We grind it out and get going."

IT DOESN'T MATTER: Starter Johan Santana enters Saturday's game looking for his first win of the season, despite holding a 2.25 ERA. Santana has been the victim of bad run support, with the Mets scoring 12 runs in his five starts.

While some pitchers might worry about their win-loss record, as Santana is 0-2, Collins said Santana is not caught up in his personal record. Santana has been able to keep the Mets in all but one of his starts this season.

"He's dealt in the past with no run support and knows exactly how to go about it," Collins said. "I know one thing about him, when he's out there, whether he's out there for five innings, seven innings, or nine innings, it's all effort. It's all about doing what's best for the team and that's all he talks about. All he talks about is trying to win baseball games."

OTHER NOTES: Collins said Andres Torres' 3-for-4 outing on Friday was the best game since the center fielder returned from the disabled list on April 30. … Collins went to Parnell in the seventh inning Friday instead of Ramon Ramirez because Parnell had been throwing well and was the fresher arm of the two. … Saturday is the last day Miguel Batista will be available in the bullpen before his start on Tuesday, and a pitcher will be called up Sunday. D. J. Carrasco, on a rehab assignment, is in the mix.

Marlins closer Heath Bell walked four batters in the ninth inning, including Justin Turner to cap a 13-pitch plate appearance that forced in the tying run, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed by producing a walk-off RBI as the Mets rallied to sweep Miami with a 3-2 victory in Thursday afternoon's series finale. The Mets used an all-homegrown starting lineup for only the third time in franchise history, with the other two instances occurring in September 1971.

Jose Reyes went just 1-for-12 in the series, in his return to Flushing as a visitor. He misfired on a double-play turn in the series' middle game that prolonged an inning. That allowed for David Wright's game-changing two-run homer off Mark Buehrle (and career RBIs Nos. 734 and 735, which moved Wright ahead of Darryl Strawberry for sole possession of first place on the franchise's all-time list).

Bell suffered a 47-pitch meltdown Thursday -- the most pitches thrown in a ninth-inning blown save in the majors since Danys Baez with the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 8, 2002 against Jerry Manuel's Chicago White Sox, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. It marked the second time in the series the Marlins had walked four batters in an inning to force in a critical run. The Mets had been 0-for-17 with the bases loaded until Nieuwenhuis' walk-off hit against Bell -- the worst start to a season in franchise history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Mets, who swept a division opponent at home for the second time in April, improved to 11-8 overall and 10-5 against NL East opponents. They also bounced back from a disappointing series against San Francisco that saw the Amazin's drop to .500 for the only time this season.

The Mets now open a six-game trip in Denver on Friday, with Chris Schwinden set to make his season debut for the Mets, opposite Rockies left-hander Drew Pomeranz -- the centerpiece of the trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians at last year's trading deadline. Schwinden, who is taking Mike Pelfrey's spot in the rotation, was 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo.

Coors Field is the site of the collision between Ike Davis and Wright last May 10 that resulted in Davis' season-ending left ankle injury.

Nieuwenhuis, who could shift to left field Monday, when Andres Torres is due to rejoin the Mets in Houston following a rehab assignment for a strained left calf, grew up in Denver. He once rushed for 267 yards in the snow in a Class 2A high school championship game for Denver Christian as a junior. Nieuwenhuis was recruited to play college football by Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force, but went on a recruiting trip to Boulder and was intimidated by the size of the first Buffs football player he saw working out -- which turned out to be the kicker, future Green Bay Packer Mason Crosby. So Nieuwenhuis instead went to Azusa Pacific, then an NAIA program, in California to play college baseball. He became a third-round pick of the Mets in 2008.

Meanwhile, please join me for a noon ET Mets chat on Friday here.

Friday's news reports:

• Pelfrey's Mets career may be over. After experiencing a grabbing sensation in his pitching elbow as he began each inning during Saturday's stellar start against the Giants, Pelfrey underwent an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery that revealed a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. After consulting with Dr. James Andrews, Pelfrey is prepared to travel to Birmingham, Ala., to have Andrews perform Tommy John surgery.

Pelfrey indicated he is 99 percent sure the procedure will be performed during the visit. The right-hander said there was an option presented to inject platelet-rich plasma -- obtained via the blood-spinning process -- into the elbow area to try to enhance healing, but the success rate would be as little as 10 percent. And pitching with a defective elbow could lead to an unintentionally altered delivery that could lead to other problems, such as shoulder woes.

Pelfrey is not eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season, but the Mets would need to tender him a contract in December in order to retain his services -- and that seems unlikely. Pelfrey is earning $5.6875 million this season. He must earn at least 80 percent of that amount in 2013 if the Mets tender him a contract. and an arbitrator could award him the same salary as this season, so there's no guarantee he'd even get the 20 percent pay cut. Given Tommy John surgery generally has a 12-month recovery time, it's unlikely the Mets would commit that type of dollars to a pitcher likely to spend at least the first month of next season on the disabled list.

Once Pelfrey is non-tendered, the Mets have the right to re-sign him for any salary. But Pelfrey and agent Scott Boras also can shop his services to all 30 teams at that point. Pelfrey likely would get a contract with a relatively modest base salary and serious incentives that could set up a bigger contract the following offseason.

Assuming Pelfrey departs, Johan Santana will become second in seniority on the Mets behind Wright. Daniel Murphy would rank third, followed by Jon Niese and then Bobby Parnell.

Read more regarding Pelfrey in the Star-Ledger, Post, Times, Daily News, Journal, Record and Newsday.

• Niese limited the Marlins to two runs on four hits and no walks in a duel with Ricky Nolasco. Also Thursday, Jordany Valdespin started his first professional game in left field and Davis snapped an 0-for-11 skid with an infield single in the 3-2 win against Miami. Niese, who was pulled at 97 pitches, has a 2.81 ERA in the first season of a deal that guarantees him $25.5 million over five seasons. Read game recaps in the Times, Daily News, Post, Record, Star-Ledger, Journal and Newsday.

• Terry Collins speculated the boos directed at Reyes might have been attributable to -- or at least more intense because -- the shortstop departed last season's finale after a first-inning bunt single that all but locked up the NL batting title. "Jose Reyes is a human being, and one of the nicest people I’ve ever been around,” the manager added. “If [the boos] didn’t bother him I’d be shocked, because he gave his heart and soul to the people here.’’

Reyes, who is batting .205 with a .262 on-base percentage, concluded regarding his Flushing return to the Post: "I didn't do anything here. ... After the first game everything was fine for me. I came here to play my game. Things just didn’t go the way you want to. It’s going to happen sometimes.We just need to turn it around. It’s all about winning.”

• After the series finale, left-handed reliever Robert Carson was returned to Double-A Binghamton to clear roster room for the activation of Schwinden for Friday's start against the Rockies. Carson did not appear in a game during his three-day major league cameo. If Schwinden does not succeed in the rotation, the Mets can always bring back Jeremy Hefner, who tossed three scoreless innings against the Giants in relief on Monday. Longer term, and barring a setback, Chris Young should be ready by mid-May to return from May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. And there are always prospects Matt Harvey (4.85 ERA) and Jeurys Familia (5.30 ERA) sitting in Triple-A.

• ESPN New York 1050 is moving to your FM radio dial. Beginning this Sunday at 12:01 a.m., you can now also listen to the signal on 98.7 FM. In September, 1050 AM will become ESPN Deportes and deliver 24-hour Spanish-language sports news/talk. Armed with the new FM signal, Newsday reported, ESPN is expected to make a run at Yankees radio rights for the 2013 season.

• Columnist Bill Madden in the Daily News suggests the Mets should be rejoicing for fielding an all-homegrown lineup. (Of course, austerity and injuries can lead any team to that being the case.) Writes Madden:

No doubt, the Wilpons should be feeling proud, if not totally exonerated, considering the beating they took all winter as they reduced the Mets’ payroll by nearly $50 million -- at the same time Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria was increasing his by more than $60 million with the free- agent signings of Reyes, lefty starter Mark Buehrle and closer Heath Bell. No doubt, too, Loria is beginning to wonder what he got for his money while slowly learning the painful baseball lesson of so many other disillusioned owners before him -- you can’t buy pennants.

• According to George Willis in the Post, Turner said of his 13-pitch faceoff with Bell that resulted in a game-tying walk in the ninth: “When you get two strikes on you, it’s a fight. You just battle, and try to put the ball in play somewhere.”

• Collins said the Mets have missed too many hit-and-run signs. The manager has now simplified things.

• Outfielder Adam Loewen, who had been wearing a boot, was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the second metatarsal in his right foot and landed on Triple-A Buffalo's disabled list. UCLA product Erik Goeddel tossed five scoreless innings for St. Lucie on Thursday. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Cheap Trick, which is touring with Aerosmith, had to bail on a July 20 postgame appearance at Citi Field after Aerosmith decided to add that date to its performance calendar. The Mets are replacing Cheap Trick with Daughtry for a performance following that Friday night game against the LA. Dodgers. The other planned postgame concerts: REO Speedwagon on June 15 (Cincinnati Reds) and Christian artists MercyMe on Aug. 10 (Atlanta Braves).

• The children of victims of 9/11 visited Citi Field on Thursday as part of a "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day," sponsored by Tuesday's Children. Read more in Newsday.

TRIVIA: Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca pitched for the Mets from 1973-77. Including coaching, he spent 30 seasons in the Mets organization. His last duty was pitching coach for the 2002 Class A St. Lucie Mets. Which current Met played for that Florida State League team?

Thursday's answer: Jarrod Washburn surrendered the first homer of Reyes' career, a grand slam on June 15, 2003 at Anaheim.