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Lets’ look at the 2011 season from a non-traditional statistical perspective, with some help from the resources of Baseball-Reference.com …

Team Year-in-Review
• The Mets went 77-85 in 2011. It’s the second time in team history that they won exactly 77 games, the first coming 20 years ago in a very disappointing 1991 season.

• These Mets scored 718 runs, 12th-most in team history, but second-most in a losing season. They scored 746 runs when they went 71-91 in 1996.

• The Mets had an-NL leading 309 doubles, second-most in team history, trailing only the 323 of the 2011 squad. It marked the second time the team led the league in doubles, the other coming in 1989.

• The Mets led the National League in walks drawn for the first time since 1992. It’s a category they also led in both 1962 (the lowest of lows) and 1986 (the highest of highs).

• The Mets finished second in the National League in on-base percentage (.335), their highest NL ranking since 1999, when they led the league. The only other seasons they were a top-two team were three pretty good years-- 1986 to 1988.

• This season marked the first 162-game season in which the Mets did not have a player play 130 games with the team. The Mets also were without 130-game players in 1972, 1981, and 1994. The 1972 season could also count- it was a 156-game season due to a player strike. No Met finished with more than 122 games.

Jose, Jose, Jose
• Jose Reyes is the second player in Mets history to lead the National League in most at-bats per strikeout (13.1). The only other player to do it was second baseman Felix Millan, who led the NL each season from 1973 to 1975.

Reyes also shared the NL lead in triples with Shane Victorino, despite not hitting any triples in his final 43 games. He stockpiled them early, setting a Mets record for multi-triple games in a season with three.

• Reyes was part of the second instance in Mets history in which they had the same pair of players steal at least 30 bases in back-to-back seasons. Angel Pagan and Reyes did so this season. Lee Mazzilli and Frank Taveras did it in 1979 and 1980.

Obscure Stat of the Season I
The most obscure stat on the offensive side was that Chin-Lung Hu went 1-for-20, finishing with an .050 batting average. Only two Mets position players had a worse batting average, with at least 20 at-bats in a season-- Sandy Alomar Sr. was 0-22 (.000) in 1966 and catcher Butch Benton was 1-for-21 (.048) in 1980.

The Best There Was
Chris Capuano’s 13-strikeout, two-hit shutout of the Braves on August 26 earned him a Bill James Game Score of 96, the highest in the major leagues all season.

Bill James Game Score ranks pitcher starts, usually on a scale from 0 to 100, with 49 to 50 being average. The rating is based on a pitchers innings pitched, hits allowed, runs allowed, strikeouts, and walks.

It marked the fourth time in Mets history that a Mets pitcher finished a season with the highest Bill James Game Score, the first since 1985 when Dwight Gooden’s Game Score of 92 against the Phillies on September 16 (a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts) tied him with Jimmy Key and Dennis Eckersley for best of the season.

Tom Seaver claimed top Game Score pitching honors in a season twice, in 1970 and 1974.

Dickey Deserved Better
R.A. Dickey’s season marked the 42nd time in Mets history that a pitcher finished with an ERA of 3.30 or better in 200 or more innings. However, Dickey’s 8-13 record and .381 winning percentage surpassed Jon Matlack’s .464 winning percentage in 1974 as the worst of those 42 seasons.

Golly Gee!
• Dillon Gee hit 14 batters with a pitch this season, two shy of the Mets record set by Pedro Astacio in 2002. Gee’s 14 hit-by-pitches rank fourth-best in Mets history, one shy of the three-way tie featuring Nolan Ryan (1971), Kevin Appier (2001), and Victor Zambrano (2005) for second-most.

• Gee won 13 games this season with a 4.43 ERA. That’s tied for the second-most wins by a Mets pitcher whose ERA was greater than 4.4 (tied with Orel Hershiser in 1999 and Tom Glavine, 2007). The only pitcher with more, Steve Trachsel, who had 15 wins and a 4.97 ERA in 2006.

Obscure Stat of the Season II
The Mets used 23 pitchers this season and every one of them recorded at least one decision. It’s the fifth time in Mets history in which every pitcher used in a season got at least one decision. The other occurrences were in 1970, 1979, 1983, and 1995.

Right-hander Tyler Pill had a pair of guests in the Brooklyn Cyclones clubhouse last Thursday, on the night Dillon Gee was being honored and Gee’s No. 20 joined the minor league team’s ring of honor alongside the numbers worn by Angel Pagan, Brian Bannister and Danny Garcia.

Justin Turner visited Pill in the Cyclones clubhouse, and introduced Pill to Gee. Pill also had met with Turner as well as Terry Collins at Dodger Stadium, during the Mets’ early July trip to L.A., after the draft. Turner played for at Cal State Fullerton with Pill’s brother Brett.

Brett, a first baseman, went on to be drafted in the seventh round in 2006 by the San Francisco Giants. He is currently hitting .318 with 23 homers in 114 games for Triple-A Fresno. His 97 RBIs actually are tied with ex-Met Mike Jacobs’ total for the Pacific Coast League lead. Turner was drafted in the same ’06 seventh round by the Cincinnati Reds, two picks before Pill in fact (204^th vs. 206^th overall).

Pill one-upped both. He was selected by the Mets in the fourth round this June, after hitting .323 as an outfielder and posting a 7-1 record and 2.28 ERA in 17 appearances (15 starts) during his junior season at Fullerton. The Mets selected Pill as a pitcher. Pill’s fastball sits between 89-92 mph. He also throws a curveball, changeup and cutter.

“He’s tough. He doesn’t get fazed,” Turner said. “He’s composed, I’d say similar to how Dillon is. Not a lot of stuff really gets to him.”

So far, after a cameo in the Gulf Coast League, the 21-year-old Pill has made two scoreless one-inning appearances for Brooklyn. Like with other early round draft picks such as Cory Mazzoni (second round/NC State) and Jack Leathersich (fifth round/UMass Lowell), who logged major innings in college this season, the Mets are only having Pill toss roughly one inning every five days, piggybacking another starter.

Pill, as a batter in the Cape Cod League, recalled facing Leathersich twice -- striking out and then doubling.

For Pill, the No. 3-hole hitter at Fullerton, there has been an adjustment in not picking up a bat as a professional.

“It’s a lot different,” Pill said. “I’m used to playing every day and being out there and hitting. When you’re a position player, you want to hit. So I have that ‘want’ to hit every day. I need to get over that.

“At Fullerton, I played outfield when I didn’t pitch. I hit pretty well there. My freshman year was more of like a pinch-hit year. But my sophomore and junior years, I was the three-hole batter.”

Because his brother played before him at Fullerton, Pill was around the program from a young age.

“He came to some camps at Fullerton,” Turner said. “I remember watching him hit. He could really hit. And then I found out he was a pretty good pitcher after that.”

Pill did get to face his brother and Turner when the duo returned to campus for the annual alumni game.

“I struck my brother out,” Pill said. “I actually faced Justin, too. I faced him twice. I can’t remember what he did the first at-bat. His second at-bat he got a hit off me. It was a single up the middle.”

Having a brother precede him into pro baseball has been an asset.

“I’ve picked his brain quite a bit, even the years before my junior year when I got drafted,” Pill said. “He just told me what to expect, just how different it was from college. He even told me from a pitcher’s standpoint how it will be every five days for a rotation when I throw, how I’ll be in the stands (charting teammates’ pitches), just what to expect from the fans, coaches and the everyday life of minor league baseball.”

Organization leaders

Average: Juan Lagares, Binghamton, .350; Danny Muno, Brooklyn, .333; Josh Satin, Buffalo, .330; Julio Concepcion, Kingsport, .324; Richard Lucas, Brooklyn, .316; Greg Pron, Kingsport, .316; Cam Maron, Kingsport, .314; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .312; Travis Taijeron, Brooklyn, .309; Luis Figueroa, Buffalo, .304.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 20; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 17; Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 15; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 14.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 78; Josh Satin, Buffalo, 71; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 70; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 67; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 58.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 33; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 30; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, 19; Darrell Ceciliani, Savannah, 17; Rafael Fernandez, Savannah, 16.

ERA: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 2.39; Todd Weldon, Brooklyn, 2.53; Gabriel Ynoa, GCL Mets, 2.63; Bret Mitchell, Brooklyn, 2.84; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 3.12; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 3.17; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 3.19; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.30; Carlos Vazquez, Brooklyn, 3.45; Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 3.46.

Wins: Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 11; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 10; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 9; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 9; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 9.

Saves: Josh Edgin, St. Lucie, 22; Dale Thayer, Buffalo, 15; Hamilton Bennett, Savannah, 11; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 10.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 134; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 119; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 114; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 110; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 106.

Short hops

• Brooklyn has six selections for Tuesday’s New York-Penn League All-Star game in Lowell, Mass. -- infielders Richard Lucas and Danny Muno, outfielders Travis Taijeron and Charley Thurber, right-hander Tyson Seng and left-hander T.J. Chism. Taijeron, the organization’s 18^th-round pick out of Cal Poly Pomona, leads the league in slugging percentage at .566, 40 points more than runner-up Jeff Malm of Hudson Valley. Muno (eighth round/Fresno State) ranks third in the league in average at .333. Thurber (.293, 0 HR, 22 RBIs) is a 39^th-round pick out of the University of Tennessee.

• Infielder Josh Satin upped his hitting streak to 15 games with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. In 17 games since a promotion from Double-A Binghamton, Satin is hitting .353 with a homer and 11 RBIs in 68 at-bats.

• Infielder Jordany Valdespin was promoted from Binghamton to Buffalo.

• Right-hander Zack Wheeler, the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft, who was acquired for Carlos Beltran, produced a solid second start with the St. Lucie Mets. Wheeler, who allowed four runs in four innings at Dunedin in his debut with the organization, tossed six scoreless innings Sunday at Charlotte. He allowed four hits, struck out seven, issued no walks and hit one batter. He also issued two wild pitches.

• Right-hander Matt Harvey, the Mets’ first-round pick last year, notched his first Double-A win Thursday at Altoona. In his past two starts, Harvey has limited Eastern League opponents to one run and seven hits in 12 innings while striking out 14 and walking three. Harvey is approaching an innings limit after throwing 96 innings in college last year at North Carolina, but the organization believes he may squeak through the remainder of the season uninterrupted, without having to be capped.

• Second baseman Reese Havens homered Friday for the first time since returning July 20 from a month-long absence for a back injury. Havens, who played every other day when he returned from the disabled list to ease back and avoid re-injury, has upped the frequency of his playing time. He started all three weekend home games against Reading.

• Corner infielder Zach Lutz, who is on the 40-man roster, returned Saturday from a second concussion. Lutz has been hit with pitches in the head twice this season. In 41 games with Buffalo, he is hitting .303 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 145 at-bats.

• First baseman/DH Valentino Pascucci is tied for second in the International League with 78 RBIs. He trails Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Jorge Vazquez, who has 82.

• T.J. Rivera, signed by the Mets on June 13 after going undrafted, made his Cyclones debut Sunday as a pinch-hitter at Staten Island. He then started at second base the following day. Rivera attended Lehman High School in the Bronx before playing collegiately at Troy University in Alabama. He hit .290 in 27 games with Kingsport before the reassignment to Coney Island.

• Savannah right-hander Erik Goeddel (2-2, 2.49 ERA) made his first Gnats appearance since May 23 on Sunday, tossing four scoreless innings at Charleston. Goeddel had been on the disabled list with a shoulder strain.

• Unheralded Binghamton right-hander Collin McHugh continues to open eyes. After briefly being bumped from the rotation by the return of Jeurys Familia from the disabled list, McHugh has regained a starting role. McHugh then picked up the win at Trenton on Tuesday, limiting the Thunder to one run in five innings. Instead, Tobi Stoner will piggyback starts, working a starter’s length in relief.

• Jason Botts and Bubba Bell were activated from Buffalo’s disabled list with Ruben Tejada and Mike Baxter’s promotions to the majors. Mike Nickeas’ demotion prompted fellow catcher Dusty Ryan to be bumped back from Buffalo to Binghamton. Nickeas is paired behind the plate with Raul Chavez with the Bisons.

• Savannah catcher Albert Cordero is hitting .352 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 142 second-half at-bats.

• Right-hander Ryan Fraser, a Memphis product, has made consecutive scoreless five-inning starts for the Sand Gnats.

• Michael Fulmer, the prep right-hander from Oklahoma taken 44^th overall in the draft, made his pro debut Monday, walking three in two-thirds of an inning in the Gulf Coast League in a rain.

• Chin-lung Hu started consecutive weekend games at shortstop in the GCL, his first game action since being sent from Buffalo to the Mets’ Florida complex in mid-June. Hu was charged with a throwing error in his first game back. Farm director Adam Wogan said Hu did have a shoulder impingement during his prolonged time away from games, and it was not just a yip-related absence. "He feels good now," Wogan said. Hu is switch-hitting in GCL games.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the regular season

Cory Vaughn’s athletic interests have their limits.

While his father Greg played 15 seasons in the majors, the other competitive athletes in Vaughn’s family these days are his mother Michele and 17-year-old sister Genay, an aspiring Olympian. They are involved in equestrian, operating Starr Vaughn Equestrian Center in Elk Grove, Calif., and competing internationally in countries such as Germany.

You will not find the 22-year-old outfielder Vaughn on horseback with them.

“Oh, definitely not,” Vaughn said. “Those horses are so big. I was so big when I was little, I felt like I was 20 feet in the air on top of the horse. I shied away from that and stuck to baseball.”

Baseball is working out nicely for Vaughn, a fourth-round pick last year out of Tony Gwynn’s San Diego State program.

After last year’s draft, Vaughn hit .307 with 14 homers in 72 games for the Brooklyn Cyclones and was named a New York-Penn League All-Star. This season, he hit .286 with four homers and had a .405 on-base percentage in 68 games with Savannah while again earning an All-Star selection.

After the Gnats clinched the first half, Vaughn was promoted to high-A St. Lucie. His average exceeded .313 just 10 days ago in the Florida State League, but has dipped to .250 through 35 games with a 4-for-36 rut. Vaughn has played right field with St. Lucie. That’s the position he played his freshman year at San Diego State before moving to center field.

“I feel like I almost saw guys throw harder down in Savannah, but here they have a better idea of how to approach you and get you out,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn’s healthy on-base percentage comes from walks as well as getting hit 19 times this season -- tied for fifth most in minor league baseball. He also was hit in the All-Star Game, so the actual total is 20.

“I’m not even standing on the plate,” he said. “I’m trying to have good at-bats. You’re not going to get on base every single game. You’re not going to have hits every single game. But I’ve been trying to go up there with a plan and approach, just try to work the counts a little bit, trying not to do too much -- just play the game the right way. Any way it takes I’m going to try to get on base.”

While he might have preferred to be promoted to St. Lucie earlier, Vaughn remained in low-A until fellow 2010 draft pick Matt den Dekker moved from St. Lucie to Binghamton -- and until Savannah clinched the first-half title in its South Atlantic League division. That allowed Vaughn to participate in the SAL All-Star Game in Salisbury, Md., where he homered off Roman Mendez of the Rangers organization with Vaughn’s father on hand as a spectator. His father primarily played for Milwaukee, San Diego and Tampa Bay during a major league career that spanned 1989 to 2003.

“The coach went out there and talked to him because he was a little wild,” Vaughn said about the opposing pitcher in the All-Star Game. “He was throwing probably about 96, 97ish mph. First of all, in an All-Star game, you’re not trying to get cheated at all. I go up there, and the first pitch as soon as the coach is done talking to him, a fastball up in the zone, I just took a good swing. It worked out for me that it got over the fence.”

As for his father being in attendance for the game, Vaughn added: “He tries to make it to as many as he can, but my sister is in high school in Sacramento. And my mom is doing her business with equestrian and horses. Whenever he has a chance he tries to make it out. I mean, I talk to him every night. He tries to give me my own space.”

Vaughn’s Twitter handle, by the way, is @sugarfreecv. It’s a reference to Vaughn dealing with juvenile diabetes since his youth.

Organization leaders

Average: Juan Lagares, Binghamton, .348; Richard Lucas, Brooklyn, .340; Danny Muno, Brooklyn, .333; Josh Satin, Buffalo, .329; Julio Concepcion, Kingsport, .318; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .317; Greg Pron, Kingsport, .315; Cam Maron, Kingsport, .306; Luis Figueroa, Buffalo, .305; Charley Thurber, Brooklyn, .302.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 19; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 16; Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 15; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 14.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 75; Josh Satin, Buffalo, 70; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 67; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 65; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 56.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 31; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 28; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, 19; Darrell Ceciliani, Savannah, 16.

ERA: Rafael Montero, GCL Mets, 1.45; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 2.20; Todd Weldon, Brooklyn, 2.56; Erik Goeddel, GCL Mets, 2.57; Gabriel Ynoa, GCL Mets, 2.83; Bret Mitchell, Kingsport, 2.95; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 2.97; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 3.00; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 3.32; Carlos Vazquez, Brooklyn, 3.38.

Wins: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 10; Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 10; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 9; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 8; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 8.

Saves: Josh Edgin, St. Lucie, 21; Dale Thayer, Buffalo, 14; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 10; Hamilton Bennett, Savannah, 10.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 130; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 115; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 112; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 104; Gonzalez Germen, Savannah, 101.

Short hops

• Right-hander Zack Wheeler allowed three first-inning runs, and four runs in four innings, on Monday in his Mets debut, with Class A St. Lucie. Wheeler did not issue a walk. He reverted to his high school mechanics for his final two starts in the Giants organization, and that resulted in issuing only two walks in 11 1/3 innings. Through 76 2/3 innings with San Jose, Wheeler had walked 45.

• Jim Callis of Baseball America re-ranks the Mets’ top-10 prospects this way, naming Wheeler the organization’s top farmhand, followed by Matt Harvey, 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo, Jeurys Familia, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jenrry Mejia, Cesar Puello, 44^th overall pick Michael Fulmer, Jordany Valdespin and Wilmer Flores. (Mejia is not eligible for Rookie of the Year consideration going forward because he spent a half-season in the majors as a reliever.)

• Fulmer, a prep right-hander from Oklahoma, should make his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League shortly after signing for a reported $937,500. Fourth-round pick Tyler Pill from Cal State-Fullerton made his Brooklyn debut on Tuesday with a scoreless inning after two appearances in the Gulf Coast League.

• Familia returned to Binghamton’s rotation Tuesday after missing three weeks with a shoulder impingement.

• Dillon Gee will be enshrined in the Brooklyn Cyclones ring of honor in a ceremony before Thursday’s New York-Penn League game. His No. 20 will be displayed in the stadium, alongside the names/numbers of outfielder Angel Pagan, right-hander Brian Bannister and second baseman Danny Garcia, who was the first Cyclone to reach the majors. While the numbers are displayed at MCU Park, they are not retired.

• 2009 top pick Steve Matz, who is progressing slowly from Tommy John surgery performed 15 months ago, has yet to throw a professional pitch in a game and is unlikely to do so this season. The former standout at Ward Melville High School on Long Island has not resumed throwing following a shutdown for micro-sized muscle tears in the left elbow area. Matz is just preparing for an offseason, with an eye toward pitching in 2012.

• Infielder Josh Satin has a 10-game hitting streak and has upped his average to .354 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 12 games since a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo. Satin mostly will play third base with the Bisons, but also will see action at second base, with limited duty at first base.

• Outfielder Fernando Martinez (.254, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 189 at-bats) returned Saturday after missing two weeks with the Bisons with a hip injury.

• St. Lucie manager Pedro Lopez will manage the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. In addition to Mets prospects, the squad also will include farmhands from Milwaukee, St. Louis, Seattle and San Diego. The Mets will determine their player contingent later this month.

• Food poisoning struck the Brooklyn Cyclones, including fifth-round pick Jack Leathersich, who has not appeared since striking out the side in an inning on July 24.

• In his latest start, Harvey narrowly remained winless since a June 26 promotion to Double-A. Harvey limited Harrisburg to one run and four hits while walking two and striking out 10, including Nationals phenom Bryce Harper twice, in seven innings Thursday. However, Harvey received a no-decision.

• Buffalo third baseman Zach Lutz, who suffered a second concussion this season after again getting hit in the head with a pitch, has resumed hitting off a tee, throwing and running. He should return to games in the near future.

• Mike Nickeas’ promotion to the majors resulted in a trickle up with catchers in the minors. Dusty Ryan, who missed substantial time this season to get a meniscus tear repaired, moved from Binghamton to Buffalo. Jean Luc Blaquiere was activated from the disabled list with the B-Mets.

• Juan Lagares continues to sizzle since a promotion to Double-A. After consecutive multi-hit games, Lagares has lifted his average to .409 through 44 Eastern League at-bats while displaying solid bat speed and arm strength. Lagares suffered a gruesome ankle fracture with St. Lucie in late July last year and is still not in perfect form health-wise, so Mets brass is anxious to see how he performs in 2012 when healthier.

• Right-hander Taylor Whitenton (4-2, 2.61 ERA) successfully returned to Savannah’s rotation after missing two starts with a forearm strain. He was pulled after three scoreless innings to be cautious as he eases back into action.

• UCLA product Erik Goeddel’s next start should come with Savannah for the first time since May 23. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings Monday in the Gulf Coast League as he works back from a shoulder strain.

• Brooklyn third baseman Richard Lucas has reached base in 24 straight games. Lucas, who ranks third in the New York-Penn League with a .340 average, is a fourth-round pick out of high school in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2007 and probably merits playing at a higher level. But the Mets valued getting him regular playing time at third base, and he would have been boxed out at higher levels by St. Lucie’s Jefry Marte and Savannah’s Aderlin Rodriguez. Lucas experienced shoulder soreness during spring training and when he was ready to play, it coincided with the start of Brooklyn’s season anyway.

• Outfielder Travis Taijeron, the organization’s 18^th-round pick out of Cal Poly Pomona, had five homers in a 10-game span with Brooklyn.

• Chin-lung Hu, who experienced throwing yips with Buffalo, is due to begin a rehab assignment shortly in the Gulf Coast League. Hu worked on switch-hitting while inactive, but it will be his call whether he takes that into games.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the regular season

Rhiner Cruz has not quite reached 100 mph on a radar gun.

“Just 99,” Cruz said.

Still, the right-handed reliever has been plenty good enough for the Binghamton Mets of late. In his past four relief appearances, the 24-year-old Cruz has limited opponents to one hit and four walks while striking out nine in 10 2/3 scoreless innings. Since an early May promotion from Class A St. Lucie, Cruz is 1-1 with a 2.84 in 14 appearances spanning 25 1/3 innings in Double-A.

“He’s a guy who can command when he stays within himself,” B-Mets pitching coach Marc Valdes said. “When he gets out of whack, he’s trying to throw the ball 100 mph. And, believe me, he’s come close. But his 94 to 96 mph with movement down is just as effective as 99 and ball one, ball two.”

As for Cruz’s breaking pitch, Valdes adds: “When it’s good, it’s more of a nice, sharp little slurve. The other day he threw one to a tough left-handed hitter. The guy was just set up on 99, 98 mph. And he threw a sharp slider. Swing and miss. He had no chance.”

Cruz, a native of the Dominican Republic, originally signed as a 16-year-old with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched for two seasons in the Gulf Coast League with that organization, compiling a 4.65 ERA in 30 relief appearances, and was let go. After not pitching in 2006 with any organization while allowing an elbow issue to heal -- no surgery was performed -- then-Latin American scouting chief Ramon Pena signed Cruz for the Mets. Pena also had brought Cruz to the Tigers organization when he worked for Detroit.

“I was young,” Cruz said, reflecting on his brief Tigers days. “And when I signed, I didn’t know too much. I just knew to throw hard. And then I started to learn how to pitch.”

He added, referring to the elbow: “I pitched sore.”

Cruz actually represented Spain in the 2009 World Cup in Europe, the same tournament for which Ike Davis represented the United States. Cruz’s mother Lucia is Dominican, but she was working at the time as a caretaker for the elderly in Spain and was able to secure a passport for Cruz. She now is in Italy performing similar work.

Cruz had 22 saves with Savannah in 2009 under Valdes, then six with St. Lucie last season, and he could end up back in closing role at some point. Or, he even could be a starting pitcher, as his lengthier relief outings suggest.

“I’ll do whatever they want,” Cruz said.

Organization leaders

Average: Gregory Pron, Kingsport, .600; Julio Concepcion, Kingsport, .500; Jeyckol De Leon, GCL Mets, .500; Cam Maron, Kingsport, .500; Danny Muno, Brooklyn, .462; Juan Carlos Gamboa, GCL Mets, .400; Travis Taijeron, Brooklyn, .375; Juan Lagares, St. Lucie, .338.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 13; Lucas Duda, Buffalo, 10; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 9; Stefan Welch, St. Lucie, 9.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 45; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 44; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 39; Josh Satin, Binghamton, 39; Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 37.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 19; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 17; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 12; Darrell Ceciliani, Savannah, 11; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 11.

ERA: Peter Birdwell, Kingsport, 0.00; T.J. Chism, Brooklyn, 0.00; Isaac Monrroy, GCL Mets, 0.00; Hansel Robles, Kingsport, 0.00; Tyson Seng, Brooklyn, 0.00; Jared West, GCL Mets, 0.00; Ernesto Yanez, Kingsport, 0.00; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 1.57; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 2.37; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 2.52.

Wins: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 8; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 6.

Saves: Josh Edgin, St. Lucie, 16; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 10; Nick Carr, St. Lucie, 7; John Lujan, Buffalo, 5; Erik Turgeon, Binghamton, 5.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 92; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 87; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 82; Taylor Whitenton, Savannah, 70; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 69.

Short hops

• With St. Lucie on Monday joining Savannah as a first-half division champion, promotions continued. 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey, a right-hander from the University of North Carolina, and fifth-round pick Matt den Dekker, a center fielder from the University of Florida, have been promoted from St. Lucie to Binghamton (although den Dekker missed a connecting flight Wednesday in Philadelphia because of a mechanical-related delay on his first flight). Harvey’s first Double-A start is scheduled for Sunday at 2:05 p.m., on an extra day of rest, as the B-Mets play at Bowie, Md. Harvey’s promotion will push Brad Holt to the bullpen with the B-Mets. Since opening the season by limiting opponents to two runs (one earned) in 18 innings over his first three Binghamton starts, the 24-year-old Holt is 2-6 with a 6.96 ERA in 10 starts and has walked 37 and hit two batters in 42 2/3 innings.

• Binghamton also should get a jolt with Josh Stinson’s return from Triple-A Buffalo. Stinson went 3-7 with a 7.44 ERA in 13 starts in Triple-A. He had opened the season with two starts for the B-Mets. Stinson is expected to work in relief during this tour of duty in the Eastern League. Jack Egbert, who made five starts in the Florida State League after returning from Tommy John surgery, will take Stinson’s rotation spot with the Bisons.

• The promotions of Harvey and den Dekker will lead to outfielder Cory Vaughn (fourth-round pick in 2010/San Diego State) and right-hander Greg Peavey (sixth round/Oregon State) joining St. Lucie from low-A Savannah on Thursday. Vaughn was hitting .286 with four homers and 30 RBIs in 245 at-bats with the Sand Gnats. Peavey was 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 14 starts in the South Atlantic League. The Gnats already had sent closer Josh Edgin and infielder Robbie Shields to St. Lucie last week, after clinching their first-half title. Edgin had converted 12 straight saves and was tied for the South Atlantic League lead with 16 saves at the time of the promotion. He did not allow a run in his final 16 appearances with the Gnats.

• Vaughn started in center field and had a two-run homer in the South’s 6-3 win in Tuesday’s South Atlantic League All-Star Game. Taylor Whitenton started and allowed two runs (one earned) in one inning. Chase Huchingson tossed a scoreless relief inning with two strikeouts, while Peavey also had a scoreless frame, allowing one hit. Savannah skipper Ryan Ellis, who won a first-half title with the Gnats in his first full season managing, was on the South All-Star staff. Ellis, a former infielder for two seasons in the New York-Penn League for the Montreal Expos as a player, previously had been Savannah’s hitting coach. Ellis’ first managerial gig was in last fall’s instructional league.

• Chin-lung Hu, who left Triple-A Buffalo for the Mets’ Port St. Lucie, Fla., complex suffering from the throwing yips, is picking up switch-hitting during the stay there. Farm director Adam Wogan said the primary intent of Hu going to the complex was to become a switch-hitter, not because of the throwing issues. Hu is working with minor league hitting coordinator Lamar Johnson. Hu has switch-hit in batting practice for several years, but has not taken it into games. As an exclusively right-handed hitter, Hu has had little success against any pitchers in the majors. He is hitting .157 against left-handers and .183 against right-handers.

• Nick Evans is on a tear since clearing waivers and accepting an assignment to Buffalo rather than declaring free agency. In six games, Evans has hit .522 (12-for-23) with eight RBIs. He has alternated between left field and right field. Evans has an 11-game International League hitting streak dating to his last stint with the Bisons.

• Fernando Martinez, who was forced from last Thursday’s game at Norfolk with a flare-up in his arthritic right knee, is back in Buffalo’s lineup at designated hitter Wednesday. Fellow Bisons outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis (left shoulder) is still regaining strength and is further from returning.

• Short-season Kingsport opened its season Tuesday. The Appalachian League club’s strength may be its starting pitching. The Opening Day starter was left-hander Juan Urbina, the son of former major league Ugueth Urbina. Right-hander Domingo Tapia, who had a 3.45 ERA in 10 starts in the Gulf Coast League last season, gets Wednesday’s staring nod, followed by highly regarded right-hander Akeel Morris from the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday. Jeff Glenn and Long Island native Cam Maron handle the staff behind the plate. Alexander Sanchez, who saw more duty at first base in the Gulf Coast League in 2010, will shift back to more of a third-base role this season while seeing action at both positions.

• St. Lucie middle infielder Matt Bouchard, an 11^th-round pick in 2007 from Georgetown, will undergo hip surgery.

• Outfielder Travis Taijeron is off to a fast start with Brooklyn. The 18th-round pick from Cal Poly Pomona is 6-for-16 (.375) with three RBIs and four walks through five games. Described as a blue-collar player and mature hitter with a lot of strength and ability to drive the ball, Taijeron has looked adequate in center field. He also can man the corners in the outfield.

• With D.J. Carrasco promoted to the Mets, Dylan Owen (2-4, 4.71) has rejoined Buffalo’s rotation.

• Binghamton middle infielder Jordany Valdespin recently got in Wally Backman’s doghouse and did not appear in games for a few days.

• Buffalo infielder Michael Fisher has a 15-game hitting streak, longest active in the International League.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

As Nick Evans rejoins Triple-A Buffalo in Norfolk on Thursday, infielder Chin-lung Hu is leaving the Mets' top affiliate. Hu has experienced throwing yips, which initially surfaced during his time at the major league level. It's expected that Hu will be at the team's complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Because the issue continued during his time with Buffalo, Hu was playing sparingly of late, and only at second base. He was demoted May 17 after clearing waivers. Hu, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league left-hander Mike Antonini last offseason, hit 1-for-20 with the Mets early this season.

Fourteen of the 21 first-round picks out of college programs in the 2008 draft have now appeared in the major leagues, including Buster Posey (fifth overall), Gordon Beckham (eighth), Brett Wallace (13^th), Ike Davis (18^th) and Daniel Schlereth (26^th).

Reese Havens -- taken 22^nd overall that year, when the Mets had a pair of first-round picks because of losing Tom Glavine back to the Braves -- might be part of that group with major league experience as well had a persistent rib-cage injury not undermined the past year of his development.

But now, after 2010 oblique woes and then offseason surgery to remove an inch of a rib that was causing that area problems, Havens may finally have the issue behind him. He joined Double-A Binghamton on May 27. Scar tissue following the surgery had limited his activities during spring training and during the first month of the season, he suspects.

“The injuries, I’ve had a rough go with them,” Havens said. “But that’s part of it. There have been plenty of guys who have asked me the same question. My answer is: I hate being the woulda, coulda, shoulda guy. I know I could probably be in a different place right now, but I’m here. You know, I’m still in a good place. I’m just happy to be back on the field, to tell you the truth.”

A gifted hitter drafted out of the University of South Carolina, the 24-year-old Havens is hitting .278 with a homer and four RBIs through 36 at-bats with the B-Mets, where his Double-A season ended June 11 of last year because of the oblique woes. Havens is sitting roughly every fourth game with the B-Mets as the organization attempts to ease him back into action without further issue.

“They’ve got me on a schedule right now, for the time being,” Havens said.

A natural shortstop, the Mets moved Havens to second base a year ago. Given the recent major league issues at that position, Havens undoubtedly would have been prepared for a shot already at the major league level absent the injuries.

Havens said he is perfectly comfortable at second base despite injuries limiting his development time. He was working with Tim Teufel at second base with Binghamton last season. Now, Teufel has been promoted to Triple-A Buffalo’s helm, but fellow former second baseman Wally Backman has taken over managing Binghamton.

“I feel real comfortable over there,” Havens said about second base. “I’ve had plenty of time to get comfortable. I feel good turning a double play. I’ve had help from Wally. It’s made it a lot easier and sped up the process.”

Havens said there is no particular thing he needs to work on. Instead, it’s just about getting repetitions and back in a groove.

“Right now I’m getting at-bats back under my belt, and am trying to feel comfortable and make good contact,” he said. “That’s really the name of my game -- hitting early and hitting the fastball. I’m just working on getting timing back and the rhythm of being comfortable. And as far as second base goes, I’m just taking my groundballs every day. I’m just working back to being an everyday player and to where I was before I went down with this injury.”

Organization leaders

Average: Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .329; Juan Lagares, St. Lucie, .323; Cory Vaughn, Savannah, .317; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, .306; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, .301; Josh Satin, Binghamton, .298; Jesus Feliciano, Buffalo, .284; Michael Fisher, Buffalo, .277; Robbie Shields, Savannah, .274; Stefan Welch, St. Lucie, .273.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 10; Lucas Duda, Buffalo, 9; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 9; Josh Satin, Binghamton, 8.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 36; Josh Satin, Binghamton, 35; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 34; Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 33; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 33.

Steals: Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 14; Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 11; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 11; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 9; Rafael Fernandez, Savannah, 9.

ERA: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 1.62; Chase Huchingson, Savannah, 2.14; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 2.21; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 2.44; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 3.03; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.25; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 3.27; Gonzalez Germen, Savannah, 3.63; Brad Holt, Binghamton, 3.67; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 3.78.

Wins: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 6; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 5; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 5.

Saves: Josh Edgin, Savannah, 12; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 9; John Lujan, Buffalo, 5.

Strikeouts: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 73; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 71; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 66; Taylor Whitenton, Savannah, 60; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 58.

Short hops

• Left-hander Steve Matz, the Mets’ top pick in the 2009 draft (second round, 72^nd overall), has been backed off throwing because of suspected scar tissue where he had May 18, 2010 Tommy John surgery. Players generally work through scar tissue to break it up, but the Mets proceeded more cautiously with the 20-year-old southpaw, who is a product of Ward Melville High on Long Island. Farm director Adam Wogan said Matz is due to resume throwing Friday, when the extended spring training group returns from a three-day break. Matz, who has yet to throw a professional pitch in a game, will initially be assigned to the Gulf Coast League, not Brooklyn, according to Wogan. That team starts play in Port St. Lucie on June 21.

• Full-season Class A teams had their All-Stars representatives announced, and both St. Lucie and Savannah were well-represented with six players apiece. Selected to the June 18 Florida State League All-Star Game at Clearwater, Fla.: right-handers Matt Harvey, Scott Moviel and Jeffrey Kaplan, left-hander Darin Gorski and outfielders Matt den Dekker and Pedro Zapata. Selected to the June 21 South Atlantic League game in Salisbury, Md.: right-handers Taylor Whitenton and Greg Peavey, left-handers Chase Huchingson and Josh Edgin, infielder Robbie Shields and right fielder Cory Vaughn. Sand Gnats manager Ryan Ellis and first base coach Jose Carreno also will participate.

• A pair of siblings of Mets farmhands were taken in the draft Tuesday. The Mets selected Binghamton right-hander Erik Turgeon’s brother Casey Turgeon, a high school shortstop from Dunedin, Fla., in the 22^nd round. Savannah right-hander Erik Goeddel’s brother Tyler Goeddel was selected by the Rays with the 41^st overall pick, which Tampa Bay received as compensation for losing Carl Crawford as a free agent to the Boston Red Sox. He is a high school third baseman from California. The Mets’ Goedell has not pitched in a game since May 23 because of a shoulder strain, but Wogan indicated he should be back for an inning or two soon -- perhaps at a lower level to ease back.

• Buffalo’s prospects are on the mend. Lucas Duda, who missed three weeks with a back injury, is hitting .410 with six homers and 13 RBIs in 12 games since a May 28 return while primarily splitting duty between left field and first base. Center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis (.301, 6 HR, 14 RBI, .405 OBP), who missed 10 days after landing on his right shoulder making a diving catch, returned Saturday. Third baseman Zach Lutz is poised to rejoin the Bisons after one more Florida State League game on Wednesday night. Lutz originally landed on the disabled list with Buffalo with a hamstring injury after an April 21 game. Then, while inactive and in the dugout, he was struck with a foul ball and broke the ring finger on his non-throwing hand. Lutz’s return to the Bisons will displace hot-hitting Michael Fisher from third base, but not from the lineup, because Fisher has experience at the other infield positions. Fisher, 26, originally was a Braves draft pick, and was signed as a minor league free agent last year.

• Left-hander Mike O’Connor returned to action for the Bisons on Sunday, allowing a homer to Brandon Hicks at Gwinnett. O’Connor had made nine relief appearances at the major league level before the demotion. Meanwhile, in his first start with Buffalo after clearing waivers and accepting a Triple-A assignment, Pat Misch allowed six runs in six innings Saturday against the Braves’ top affiliate. Misch pushed himself to 92 pitches, which was a feat since he had not logged more than 31 pitches in any appearance during a two-week stay in the majors.

• Binghamton infielder Josh Satin homered twice in Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Harrisburg. The performance highlighted Satin’s return from a week-long absence, except for one game at DH, while he dealt with a thigh bruise. Satin is hitting .298 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 178 at-bats with the B-Mets. A natural second baseman, he has assumed the third-base role since Havens’ arrival.

• Oliver Perez, pitching for Double-A Harrisburg, a Washington Nationals affiliate, is due to face Binghamton in a Thursday morning game. Perez is 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in four Eastern League starts. He has allowed 15 hits, walked three and hit two batters while striking out 14 in 19 innings.

• Savannah center fielder Darrell Ceciliani, the 2010 New York-Penn League batting champion with Brooklyn, has a seven-game hitting streak, during which he has lifted his average from .225 to .245. That spurt has coincided with a rare rough stretch for the SAL All-Star Vaughn. He is hitting .227 (10-for-44) with no homers and three RBIs in his past 11 games.

• Recent signee Bubba Bell, who began the season with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, was pushed off Buffalo’s roster to Binghamton with the recent return of prospects. Bell has manned center field in his four games with the B-Mets since arriving during the weekend. Carlos Guzman, a Brooklyn native who works out with Jose Reyes and Pedro Beato in Nassau County on Long Island during the offseason, was released. The 25-year-old outfielder was hitting .228 in 123 at-bats with Binghamton.

• Chin-lung Hu continues to experience throwing yips with Buffalo. As a result, he is only being placed at second base, and not at shortstop. He also is being pulled late in games.

• Minor league baseball is not easy, especially when rising from high-A St. Lucie to Binghamton. Right-hander Collin McHugh, an 18^th-round pick in 2008 out of Berry College, can attest. After allowing four runs on nine hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings at Akron in his second Double-A start on Sunday, McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) eloquently tweeted: “There seems to be a learning curve in AA. I'm hoping it's short and not too sharp. And that it has a guard rail.”

• The Brooklyn Cyclones’ season opens June 17 at Staten Island. Twenty-nine former Cyclones have reached the majors. The most recent: outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who debuted with the Cleveland Indians on May 20. Carrera was one of seven players shipped out by the Mets in the J.J. Putz/Sean Green deal in December 2008. He subsequently was traded by Seattle to the Indians.

• Shortstop Wilmer Flores returned to St. Lucie’s lineup on Sunday after missing a couple of days with wrist soreness. The organization’s top position-player prospect is 0-for-his-last 11, and his average has slipped to .255 in 55 games.

• Harvey, the 2010 first-round pick from the University of North Carolina, takes the mound again for St. Lucie on Wednesday night. Since getting roughed up for a career-worst eight runs in 3 2/3 innings on May 10, Harvey has limited opponents to four runs while striking out 29 in four starts spanning 22 2/3 innings.

• When will a flurry of roster movement occur? Wogan said he never had been a big fan of tying promotions to the midpoints of seasons, after Class A leagues have determined first-half winners. But Wogan said he has now come around to the idea. After all, players get to experience extra incentive and pressure while trying to secure postseason berths for their teams -- even if they will be at a higher level when the playoff games occur in September. As a result, movement among top Mets prospects such as den Dekker and Vaughn may occur in just less than two weeks, after Savannah and St. Lucie complete their first halves. Savannah leads Greenville by 3½ games in that South Atlantic League division, with the Gnats having 11 games remaining in the half. St. Lucie, after a torrid April, is one game over .500 and clinging to a one-game lead over Fort Myers with 12 games to go.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

Jeurys Familia’s fastball has been electric for a while. The development of his curveball and changeup has been the most striking difference in the past two to three years, since Binghamton’s Kai Gronauer also caught Familia in the Gulf Coast League and with Savannah.

“He’s become more of a pitcher,” Gronauer said Monday, before a rained-out B-Mets game in New Britain, Conn. “At Savannah he was just a hard thrower. I caught him in the GCL as well my first year. He was just a hard-throwing kid. Now he’s become a pitcher. He knows what he’s doing. He throws the pitches that he wants to throw. He’s not just throwing anything. He’s gotten more comfortable.”

After posting a 1.49 ERA ERA in six starts with Class A St. Lucie this season, during which he held opponents to 21 hits, eight walks and one homer in 36 1/3 innings, Familia was promoted to Double-A Binghamton. With the B-Mets, the 6-foot-3 right-hander limited opponents to one unearned run in 14 innings over his first two starts while maintaining mid-90s velocity deep into the outings. He was not quite as effective in his third outing, allowing three runs (two earned) in five innings on Sunday against Harrisburg. Familia was tagged with his first Eastern League loss.

“What’s standing out here, he’s almost got the total package going for him,” B-Mets pitching coach Marc Valdes. “He’s throwing that well. Whatever [St. Lucie pitching coach] Phil Regan and [pitching coordinator] Rick Tomlin told him in the Florida State League, he’s done that. His last game wasn’t his best stuff. He didn’t have much. But he still went five innings and only gave up two runs.”

It still starts with the fastball.

“No question, he’s got an electric fastball -- 95, to 97 mph at times,” Valdes said. “And his changeup and curveball have come a long way the last couple of years as far as development.”

Said Gronauer: “A lot of guys throw 96 mph. I think what makes him hard to hit is his deception when he throws the ball. It’s hard to find a rhythm off of him. You see it very late. It has some kind of run where it’s very heavy. It’s hard to time it out of his hand. Catching it is easier. Thankfully I’ve never hit against him.”

Familia, with catcher Salomon Manriquez interpreting, said he was particularly fond of Josh Beckett’s pitching style. “He makes it look easy to pitch -- the way he commands his pitches,” Familia said.

Familia signed with the Mets in 2007 after trying out at the organization’s complex in the Dominican Republic.

“The first day I got to the complex, I threw like two innings in a game,” Familia recalled. “I threw like 88-90 mph. They said they want to keep watching me. And then they kept me in the complex for like three weeks. And then they signed me.”

As for the rise in velocity to its current level, Familia added: “I made some adjustments on my mechanics and I’ve been working hard.”

Organization leaders

Average: Cory Vaughn, Savannah, .331; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .328; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, .304; Josh Satin, Binghamton, .303; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, .302; Jefry Marte, St. Lucie, .296; Mike Fisher, Buffalo, .295; Juan Lagares, St. Lucie, .294; Robbie Shields, Savannah, .289; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, .272.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 9; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 9; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 34; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 31; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 25; Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 25.

Steals: Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 11; Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 10; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 7; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Robbie Shields, Savannah, 7.

ERA: Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 1.46; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.22; Chase Huchingson, Savannah, 2.48; Erik Goeddel, Savannah, 2.72; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 2.87; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.21; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 3.38; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 3.64; Gonzalez Germen, Savannah, 3.68; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 3.69.

Wins: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 5; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 4.

Saves: Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 8; Josh Edgin, Savannah, 6; John Lujan, Buffalo, 4; Ronny Morla, St. Lucie, 4; Dale Thayer, Buffalo, 4.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 52; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 50; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 50.

Short hops

• Reese Havens, a 2008 first-round pick whose career has been slowed by oblique issues that limited him to 32 games last season, is making what may be his final start for St. Lucie on Wednesday before traveling to Double-A Binghamton. A gifted hitter and potentially the second baseman of the future if he can stay healthy, Havens has played two games this week with St. Lucie, going 3-for-7 with two doubles, two RBIs and two walks. Havens had undergone surgery in December to remove an inch of a rib, but was shut down in spring training with continued soreness in the area. The procedure shaved an inch off a rib that was rubbing against another rib on his left side and also irritating the oblique. It was performed at Dr. James Andrews' clinic in Birmingham, Ala., by colleague Dr. William Clancy. Havens labeled the issue "rib tip syndrome."

• Chin-lung Hu may have a case of the throwing yips. After two games at shortstop with Triple-A Buffalo following a demotion, Hu has been stationed at second base the past two games, and continues to have issues throwing wide -- although he has yet to be charged with an error. Farm director Adam Wogan minimized the erratic throws, suggesting infielders who shuttle between the middle-infield positions sometimes get into bad habits while varying their arm slots for the different throws.

• 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey is expected to move to Double-A Binghamton within a week, although he will have at least one more start with St. Lucie, on Friday. Harvey is coming off an outing against the Tampa Yankees in which he allowed three runs, including a pair of homers, in 5 2/3 innings. He received a no-decision and is 5-2 with a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings spanning nine starts with St. Lucie.

• Savannah’s Robbie Shields lost a 12-game hitting streak Monday. Shields lifted his average to .297 as a result of the stretch. Shields moved from shortstop to second base the past two games with the Sand Gnats. That exposure had been planned for some time, but the Mets were restrained in allowing Shields to see time at the other middle-infield position too early because they did not want to put different stress on his surgically repaired elbow. A third-round pick in 2009 out of Florida Southern, Shields has been considered the baseball equivalent of a gym rat. He played with an elbow injury his first pro season and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery after completing that year with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Wilfredo Tovar, also with the Gnats, is playing both middle-infield positions. The plan is now to expose Shields to second base a couple of times a week, with shortstop remaining the primary position.

• Perhaps in anticipation of Havens’ arrival with the B-Mets as well as to increase his versatility with a number of second basemen in the upper levels of the system, Josh Satin’s two most-recent games have been at third base with Binghamton. Satin is hitting .303 with four homers and 22 RBIs and is working on his fielding, particularly throwing.

• Ryan Coultas, a sixth-round pick in 2004 out of UC-Davis, who was drafted as a shortstop and converted to pitching three years later because of offensive struggles, has retired. Coultas, 29, missed all of last season due to injury.

• Lucas Duda remains sidelined with Buffalo because of continuing effects of a back injury. He has not appeared since May 8.

• Bobby Parnell is technically still a rehabbing major leaguer at Buffalo, but it is widely expected his lack of success with the Bisons will result in him eventually being officially optioned to Triple-A. The last seven runners inherited by Parnell have scored. Parnell can stay on the rehab assignment for up to 30 days from his first appearance, which was May 9 with St. Lucie.

• Savannah outfielder Cory Vaughn is the only South Atlantic League player to have appeared in every one of his team’s games (44). The son of former major leaguer Greg Vaughn is hitting .331 with three homers and 24 RBIs, and has a .469 on-base percentage with the Gnats.

• After opening the season with seven starts, former UCLA reliever Erik Goeddel has made consecutive relief appearances with Savannah -- three innings apiece piggybacking Chase Huchingson starts. The lightened workload is safeguarding against Goeddel logging too many innings this season as he transitions from reliever as an amateur to starting as a professional. Wogan said Goeddel was having so much success as a starting pitcher, and going seven innings deep into games, that if the Mets did not slow him down, he would reach 120 or 125 innings for the season -- which would have been too much, too soon.

• Buffalo catcher Mike Nickeas, who suffered a bruised left wrist getting struck with a pitch, returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after a four-day absence and went 2-for-4 to lift his average to .225. Third-catcher Dock Doyle had been added to Buffalo’s roster in the interim, with infielder Jonathan Malo moving to Binghamton.

• Binghamton catcher Kai Gronauer, who landed on the DL with a left hamstring strain, is due to return soon.

• Outfielder Jason Botts, who debuted Saturday with Buffalo after being signed out of the independent Atlantic League, is 3-for-13 with three walks through four games. Three of Botts’ appearances have come at DH. Botts, 30, appeared in 93 games for the Texas Rangers between 2005 and ’08.

• Binghamton left-handed reliever Eric Niesen has gotten into a groove, although it mostly has come in non-pressure situations. The southpaw has tossed 7 1/3 straight scoreless relief innings, spanning five appearances.

• J.B. Brown, a 14^th-round pick out of the University of the Pacific last June, is hitting .313 in four games at second base with St. Lucie after joining the Florida State League club 10 days ago following an Injury to Matt Bouchard. Brown likely will return to a lower level once some injuries mend with St. Lucie.

• At 22-22, Savannah nonetheless occupies first place in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division with 25 games remaining in the first half. The Gnats have the league’s best ERA at 3.46, but rank last in hitting with a .238 average and 170 runs scored.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

Josh Satin’s natural position is second base. In recent seasons, however, he has started to get more exposure to first base and even third base, in part because other prospects received priority at his customary spot.

But with Jordany Valdespin restored full time to shortstop in Double-A and 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens only now appearing in extended spring training games because of injury woes, Satin again primarily is playing second base. He also is continuing to hit, which never has fluctuated.

“Really, at the end of last year, I wasn’t playing much second at all. I went to instructional league and I pretty much didn’t play at all at second,” Satin said. “One of the reasons I went there was to work at the corner positions. Obviously, I can see what’s going on and I would like to be a second baseman. But if that’s not the case, that’s OK.”

Satin hit .308 with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 79 games during the second half of last season with Double-A Binghamton after a promotion. He then worked on the corner infield positions in the organization’s fall instructional league in Fort Myers, Fla. Late in that stint, farm director Adam Wogan informed Satin he was being rewarded with a spot in the prestigious Arizona Fall League as a taxi-squad member -- meaning he was only eligible to play twice a week. But an injury to a prospect from another organization opened the door for Satin to be transferred to a full roster spot. Satin went on to hit .390, with a .479 on-base percentage, in 12 games in the AFL.

He has continued that level of success this season in a return to the B-Mets. In 126 at-bats, Satin is hitting .310 with three homers and 17 RBIs. He has a .425 on-base percentage. Satin has logged 21 games at second base and eight games at first base and five at DH.

There were rumblings in recent days he might be moved to Triple-A Buffalo, but that did not materialize.

“The main thing I want to improve here in my offensive game is being able to hit earlier in the count successfully,” Satin said. “I have always, and especially this year, walked and struck out a lot because when I get in the box I like to get deep into counts. I don’t like to swing early. I’m more comfortable seeing a few pitches. But this year I’ve tried -- actually I’ve failed a little more than I’d like to -- at trying to swing earlier. Because once you get to the big league level, you can’t just take pitches. If that’s the one pitch you’re going to get to hit, you’ve got to hit it. That’s really the main thing I’d like to improve, being able to hit that first-pitch breaking ball that’s just hanging there that they’re trying to get over instead of taking it.”

The 26-year-old Satin is a sixth-round pick in 2008 from Cal-Berkeley. That’s the draft that yielded Ike Davis and Havens in the first round.

Satin’s Pac-10 baseball program recently was poised to be eliminated, but donors stepped forward and have come through with roughly $8 million of the $10 million needed to keep the program afloat for the next three years, according to Satin.

Jeff Kent is the program’s most prestigious baseball product. Satin played with Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch, Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow, St. Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig and A’s right-hander Tyson Ross while at Cal. Their success at the major league level gives Satin confidence he ultimately can succeed at the highest level, too.

“I still talk to all of those guys,” Satin said. “I played with those guys for a couple of years and know exactly what they can do. I was the guy hitting third on the team.”

Organization leaders

Average: Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .354; Cory Vaughn, Savannah, .349; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, .320; Josh Satin, Binghamton, .310; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, .306; Jefry Marte, St. Lucie, .302; Juan Lagares, St. Lucie, .293; Mike Fisher, Buffalo, .283; Robbie Shields, Savannah, .280; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .277.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 9; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 7; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 26; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 25; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 23; Sam Honeck, Savannah, 23; Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 23.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 10; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 9; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 7; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Robbie Shields, Savannah, 7.

ERA: Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 1.25; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 1.69; Taylor Whitenton, Savannah, 2.35; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 2.61; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.74; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 3.00; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 3.02; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.05; Brad Holt, Binghamton, 3.12; Erik Goeddel, Savannah, 3.16.

Wins: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 5; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 4.

Saves: Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 8; Josh Edgin, Savannah, 6; John Lujan, Buffalo, 4; Ronny Morla, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 48; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 46; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 44; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 42; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 40.

Short hops

• First baseman/outfielder Lucas Duda (back) and corner infielder Zach Lutz (broken ring finger) remain sidelined with Buffalo. Duda is expected to begin light swings in a cage to see if his troublesome back will loosen. Wogan believes a weekend return to the lineup is possible. Duda (.241, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 83 AB) has not appeared in a game since May 8. Lutz, who broke the ring finger on his non-throwing hand when struck with a foul ball while already out with a hamstring injury, is currently back in Port St. Lucie. He was due to have the swollen finger drained to see if gripping a bat would be a hindrance.

• Nick Evans had a five-game hitting streak, during which he was 9-for-20 with four multi-hit games, before his promotion with David Wright landing on the disabled list. Because the out-of-options Evans was outrighted when he did not make the Mets out of spring training, he can declare free agency if the Mets again try to send him to the minors and he clears waivers. Evans should be a limited righty-hitting complement to Daniel Murphy at first base.

• The Mets added outfielder Bubba Bell and infielder Luis Figueroa to provide bodies to depleted Buffalo. Figueroa, 37, actually had a tour with the Mets in the minors before being sent to the Expos in the April 2002 trade that brought reliever Scott Strickland to New York. Wogan knew Figueroa from those Montreal days. He had been released from Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville affiliate after hitting .296 with three RBIs in 41 at-bats. Wogan describes him as a hard worker who can play defense and will be a positive influence. Bell, 28, recently has been traded twice -- from Boston to Cleveland and then to the Mets. Bell was lost in a numbers game at Triple-A Columbus in the Indians organization, where he had appeared in only eight games. In his first start with Buffalo, Bell had a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning Sunday for a 4-3 win at Louisville. Figueroa is hitting .389 through five games with the Herd.

• Technically on a rehab assignment, Bobby Parnell allowed five inherited runners to score over a two-appearance stretch. In four relief appearances with the Bisons, he has allowed three runs -- including a homer to Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero -- on four hits while striking out five and walking none in 3 2/3 innings. Terry Collins has indicated Parnell will remain with Buffalo until he demonstrates command of his upper-90s mph fastball. One observer said Parnell’s slider has lacked bite, too.

• Jenrry Mejia underwent Tommy John surgery Monday. The recovery time is generally at least 12 months.

• Chin-lung Hu went through outright waivers while still on the Mets’ active roster, so the team was able to send him to Buffalo after Monday’s game without interruption. With Ruben Tejada’s promotion, Hu joins Luis Hernandez and Figueroa as Buffalo’s primary middle infielders.

• Right-hander Chris Schwinden has continued a remarkable string of performances with the Bisons that has even caught Mets staffers off-guard. An outing after taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, Schwinden tossed seven scoreless innings at Louisville on Monday. Schwinden’s 1.82 ERA in seven starts ranks second in the International League, trailing only Durham’s Alex Cobb (1.31 ERA).

• Ryota Igarashi returns to Triple-A, where the bullpen has been highlighted by left-hander Justin Hampson. The southpaw, who turns 31 next Tuesday, is 1-0 with a save and 2.04 ERA in 13 relief appearances spanning 17 2/3 innings. The success has come against left-handed and right-handed batters (.174 and .167 opponent batting average, respectively). Hampson pitched for the York Revolution and Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League last season. He had undergone shoulder capsule surgery after appearing in 74 games for the San Diego Padres between 2007 and ’08.

• Jeurys Familia justified a promotion from Class A St. Lucie to Binghamton. Familia was still registering 95-97 mph with his fastball in the seventh inning on Sunday at Trenton, when he limited the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate to three hits, three walks and a hit batter in seven scoreless innings. Through two Eastern League starts, the 21-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs (one earned) in 14 innings, although he is still seeking his first B-Mets win. Familia also throws a hard curveball that resembles a slider and has made progress with a changeup.

• First baseman Allan Dykstra, the player acquired from the Padres late in spring training for reliever Eddie Kunz, delivered a game-winning homer Saturday and has raised his offensive game. Dykstra opened the season 1-for-13, but now has a .267 average with three homers and nine RBIs in 75 at-bats. He also has a .411 on-base percentage. Kunz is 1-0 with a 5.93 ERA at Double-A San Antonio. He has allowed 15 hits, 11 walks and hit three batters in 13 2/3 innings.

• The free-swinging Valdespin isn’t walking much (eight times, once intentionally), but he’s hitting his way on base at Binghamton. The shortstop is hitting .269 with two homers and 10 steals in 12 attempts in 35 games.

• Brad Holt had a brief flashback to his 2010 control woes with Binghamton. He walked four and threw two pitches to the backstop in a meltdown inning last Friday against Trenton. Holt, who had limited opponents to 10 walks through his first five starts, has walked another 10 in 7 1/3 innings over his past two appearances.

• Binghamton right-hander Edgar Ramirez received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball for testing positive for Methylhexaneamine, the commissioner’s office announced.

• 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey rebounded from his roughest professional outing (eight runs in 3 2/3 innings on May 10) by tossing five scoreless innings against Brevard County. Wogan indicated Harvey’s next start again will be with St. Lucie.

• St. Lucie left fielder Juan Lagares homered three times in a doubleheader Sunday at Brevard County. An athletic player, the 22-year-old Lagares already was playing full-season minor league baseball at age 17 and battled through injuries early in his pro career.

• Havens, who has been tormented by oblique issues that led to surgery to remove an inch of a rib last offseason, has started swinging a bat while playing in extended spring training games. Wogan said Havens’ current activity is akin to March spring training for other players.

• The Mets signed 21-year-old Dominican right-hander Luis Mateo for $150,000, Baseball America reported. He reportedly originally signed with the Giants in 2008 for $625,000, but the contract was voided over elbow concerns related to bone chips. The Padres, then operated by Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta, got involved. Writes Baseball America:

That November, the Padres agreed to a $300,000 deal with Mateo, though that contract also never became official. Major League Baseball's investigation into Mateo's background turned up "inconclusive," MLB's way of saying that it feels it lacks sufficient evidence to either confirm or reject the accuracy of a player's age and identity. MLB finally suspended Mateo in March 2010 for one year for lying about his age, and his date of birth changed from March 17, 1992, to March 22, 1990.

• Armando Rodriguez, who went 8-9 with a 3.08 ERA in 27 starts for Savannah last season, is pitching in extended spring training games. He had been out since the start of the season with a strained oblique.

• St. Lucie right-hander Kyle Allen, a 24th-round pick out of high school in Florida in 2008, drew compliments for attacking the strike zone in his most-recent outing. Allen, who had walked 18 in 23 2/3 innings over his first six appearances, tossed a season-high seven innings while allowing two hits and no walks Monday.

• Tobi Stoner returned from a shoulder impingement with mixed results for St. Lucie. He tossed five scoreless innings in his first Florida State League appearance, but followed that up by allowing eight runs on 10 hits in five innings Tuesday in his second start.

• 2010 New York-Penn League batting champ Darrell Ceciliani, who missed early time with Savannah with a hamstring injury, has started to heat up at the plate. Ceciliani has a six-game hitting streak and has lifted his average from .190 to .265 during that span. The spurt included a 5-for-5 performance Saturday at Rome. Teammate Cory Vaughn (eight-game hitting streak) also had a big week that has lifted his average to .349, which ranks ninth in the South Atlantic League.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

Terry Collins said he did not consider using the injured David Wright as a pinch-hitter in Monday night's 2-1, 11-inning loss to Florida. The manager turned to Chin-lung Hu to pinch-hit in the ninth and had to use pitcher Jon Niese as a pinch-hitter in the 11^th.

"You just don't do that to a guy like that," Collins said.

Wright was technically available to pinch-hit because the Mets hadn't placed him on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his back.

NICK OF TIME: Collins said that call-up Nick Evans could see time at both corner infield positions. He said Justin Turner will start at third base and Daniel Murphy will start at first with Wright and Ike Davis (ankle) sidelined.

Burke Badenhop had the decisive RBI off Ryota Igarashi in the 11th. And after pinch-hitter Jon Niese was stranded at third after a two-out triple in the bottom half, the Marlins beat the Mets, 2-1, at soggy Citi Field.

Tuesday's news reports:

• David Wright has a stress fracture in his lower back and is expected to land on the disabed list for only the second time in his career, the other instance being when he was beaned by San Francisco's Matt Cain in 2009. "I thought going in [to the medical exam], it was going to be a routine thing," Wright said. "They had wanted me to get an MRI for some time now, and I kind of -- I won't say put it off -- but I felt like it was getting better. ... So I was shocked when they had me meet with the back doctors and the spine doctors and they let me know it could be a stress fracture. I was preparing for Josh Johnson and the Marlins, and coming out of that, my head was spinning and I think shocked is a good word for it." No surgery will be required, Sandy Alderson said. Read more in the Post, Newsday, Star-Ledger, Record, Times, Journal and Daily News.

• Ruben Tejada, who started 46 games at second base for the Mets a season ago, is returning to that role. He had played all but one game at shortstop this season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he was hitting .267 with three homers. Pedro Beato also is returning earlier than scripted from a rehab assignment. Beato (elbow tendintis) originally was expected to make another rehab appearance Tuesday for the Bisons. Out: Chin-lung Hu (1-for-20) and Igarashi. Nick Evans also will be coming to Citi Field, assuming Wright lands on the DL, which seems like a foregone conclusion. Read more at ESPNNewYork.com.

• The Post's Mark Hale speaks to doctors who concur Wright would not need surgery for a back stress fracture. Still, they assert, he is not necessarily out of the woods after two weeks. Writes Hale:

Arnold Criscitiello, a spine surgeon with Ridgewood (N.J.) Orthopedic Group, told The Post that it also is possible Wright’s back problem will recur and it could sideline him again. Criscitiello said a stress fracture most often is “really a crack in a bone,” and he admitted the crack “will probably always” exist. Criscitiello believes Wright is looking at a minimum of his 15-day disabled list stint. He said ideally it would be more of a 4-to-6-week, take-your-time recovery. “I would say at least two weeks and then they try to evaluate him,” Criscitiello said.

• Post columnist Kevin Kernan says trade Jose Reyes before he gets hurt too. Writes Kernan:

For those who were ripping Wright because the career .305 hitter was batting .226, well, it might be a little difficult to get your swing going with a stress fracture in your back. Today’s catastrophe is tomorrow’s warning. If management is going to trade free-agent-to-be Jose Reyes, then get it done. Start the bidding because if you wait too long, who knows what might happen to Reyes? That’s the cold-hearted reality of the Mets’ world.

• Mike Pelfrey limited Florida to one run in seven innings, but suggested he was not as good as his pitching line.

• Why exactly was Badenhop allowed to hit with two runners on and two out in the top of the 11th with the score tied? Tyler Kepner explains in the Times:

Manager Edwin Rodriguez sent a decoy, Ozzie Martinez, into the on-deck circle before Badenhop’s turn came up. But he said he intended to use Badenhop as the hitter all along, because reliever Brian Sanches was unavailable, and he did not want to use closer Leo Nunez without the lead. “Go ahead and get yourself a game-winning R.B.I.,” Rodriguez told Badenhop in the dugout. Badenhop grabbed Johnson’s bat, worked the count and delivered.

• As for Niese's triple, ESPNNewYork.com correspondent Mike Mazzeo quotes the southpaw, who starts Tuesday night's game, saying: "Terry [Collins] just told me there was two outs, just put a nice easy swing on it. Don’t try to kill it.” Mazzeo notes he became the first Mets pitcher to successfully record a pinch-hit since Brian Bohanon singled off Montreal Expos reliever Mel Rojas on Sept. 12, 1997. Read more at ESPNNewYork.com.

• Ike Davis expects to return from the disabled list when eligible in nine days. Read more in the Post and Newsday.

• Read game stories in Newsday, the Record and Times.

• Carlos Beltran's baseball academy/high school in his native Puerto Rico is scheduled to open next academic year. Writes Jim Baumbach in Newsday:

The groundbreaking ceremony was in November and construction is 85 percent complete, according to Noelia Lugo, the academy's executive director. The school will have a capacity of 180 students grades 10 through 12. And once they get into the classroom and the teacher begins talking, they might be in for a surprise. "All of the classes will be in English because I want them to be prepared," Beltran said. "I wasn't prepared. I couldn't communicate. I couldn't express myself. There were times I wanted to say something and I didn't say it because I was afraid people would laugh at me."

BIRTHDAY: Dick Smith turns 72. Smith’s claim to Mets fame is that he was the first Met to post a five-hit game, going 5-for-6 in a 19-1 win over the Cubs on May 26, 1963. Smith’s big league career, other than that, was brief. He finished with 31 major league hits and a .218 batting average. -Mark Simon

The Mets are recalling infielder Ruben Tejada from Triple-A Buffalo and activating right-handed reliever Pedro Beato from the disabled list, general manager Sandy Alderson said after the Mets lost to the Florida Marlins 2-1 in 11 innings on Monday night.

Alderson said Tejada will play second base and Justin Turner, the current starting second baseman, will move to third with David Wright out. Alderson, however, did not commit to playing Tejada at second base on a daily basis. Tejada has played sparingly at second this season. Overall, he hit .267 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 39 games at Buffalo.

Daniel Murphy, who previously started at second, was forced to play first after Ike Davis went down with an ankle injury last week.

Infielder Chin-lung Hu has been outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, while right-handed reliever Ryota Igarashi has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Hu is hitting just .050, with one hit in 20 at-bats. He made the roster out of spring training because of his strong defensive play.

But, as Alderson noted, "the defensive strength ... is less of an asset for us today with the way that Justin Tuner (.318 BA) has played and the way that Murphy has developed and given the fact that we're without our two corners in the infield. We need some more consistency on offense off the bench and ultimately need somebody who can play second base on a regular basis."

Igarashi gave up the game-winning single to Marlins pitcher Burke Badenhop on Monday in the top of the 11th. He is 2-1 with a 4.63 ERA in 15 appearances. Igarashi said, through a translator, that Alderson asked him to pitch with better command.

"It's the walks, I need to improve the walks," he said.

Alderson also said that if third baseman David Wright is placed on the disabled list, Nick Evans will be promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to take his roster spot.

Evans has batted .248 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 36 games with Buffalo.

That move is contingent on the results of a CT scan Wright (back) took on Monday night.

Beato was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 2 with tightness in his elbow. He is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA through 17 innings pitched.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets (13-18) avoided getting swept by salvaging the series finale with a 5-2 win against the San Francisco Giants.

HEALTHY PERFORMANCE: Mike Pelfrey tossed a season-high 7 2/3 innings. He limited the Giants to two runs (one earned) and four hits while striking out five and walking two in a 116-pitch effort.

Pelfrey took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning, when Mike Fontenot delivered a two-out homer to pull the Giants within 3-1. Pelfrey allowed a second run, unearned, in the fifth. The inning began with Jose Reyes committing a throwing error, which placed Nate Schierholtz on second base. Opposing pitcher Jonathan Sanchez subsequently delivered a two-out RBI single.

It was Pelfrey’s first outing since he was knocked out in the fifth inning of a 10-3 loss at Philadelphia last Friday and Terry Collins questioned himself for not scratching the right-hander from the start and instead using Dillon Gee.

TRON: Carlos Beltran’s two-run homer in the fifth staked the Mets to a 5-2 lead. Beltran was playing his 19th straight game, with the Mets having abandoned the day-game-after-night-game rest of the early season. Beltran homered for the second time in the series and fifth time this season.

WILD SIDE: Sanchez walked four batters in the first inning at D.C. his last start, then hit two batters in his second inning in that outing. He was wild again Thursday afternoon. The southpaw consecutively issued two-out walks to No. 8 hitter Scott Hairston and Pelfrey in the second inning. Reyes followed with a two-run triple to the wall in left-center as the Mets built a 3-0 lead.

Sanchez’s final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 6 K.

THAT’S HU: Chin-lung Hu went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in his first start since April 9. He is now 0-for-his-last-12 and has a .059 average this season. His lone hit came April 5 at Philadelphia, when he singled against Philadelphia’s J.C. Romero.

“I need to get him in a game,” Collins said about the reasoning for starting Hu in the game at second base.

K-ROD TRACKER: Francisco Rodriguez converted his seventh save and finished his ninth game with a four-out performance, although two walks and a single in the ninth loaded the bases with one out. Rodriguez then struck out Miguel Tejada and retired pinch-hitter Buster Posey to end it. K-Rod went to full counts on the first four batters of the ninth. He threw 42 pitches, narrowly shy of the career-high 47 he tossed last July in San Francisco. It was K-Rod’s second four-out save this season and 25^th of more than one inning in his career.

He needs 46 games finished in the Mets’ remaining 131 games for his contract to vest at $17.5 million for 2012. K-Rod is on pace for 47 games finished, eight shy of reaching the milestone that triggers that contract clause.

WHAT’S NEXT: Don Mattingly’s Los Angeles Dodgers come to Citi Field for a weekend series. Jon Niese opposes Hiroki Kuroda in Friday’s series opener, followed by Chris Young versus Jon Garland on Saturday and R.A. Dickey versus Clayton Kershaw on Sunday.

Chin-lung Hu still owns a .091 batting average. But the backup infielder earned praise from manager Terry Collins after delivering a sacrifice fly as a pinch-hitter against left-hander Sean Burnett with the bases loaded and none out in the ninth inning Wednesday. The RBI, Hu’s first as a Met, pulled New York even en route to a 6-3 win against the Washington Nationals.

Hu’s last plate appearance had been April 19, when he struck out as a pinch-hitter against Houston’s Wandy Rodriguez. He had logged only one inning since then in the field, in the series opener in D.C. at second base in the ninth inning.

“I was very proud of him,” Collins said. “He hasn’t played much. He hasn’t gotten a lot of at-bats. He went up there in a huge situation and put a good swing on the ball and did what he was supposed to do and drove that run in.”

Said Hu about his inactivity’s affect on that plate appearance: “It’s really hard, but I don’t try to do too much. I just tried to swing and be aggressive. I just tried to get a ball up -- the best chance I can to hit a fly ball. He threw like two of them, and I took that one.”

Terry Collins expects Carlos Beltran will sit Sunday's finale. With Jason Bay on the disabled list, Collins' preferred alignment is inexperienced Lucas Duda in right field and Willie Harris in left field.

Collins said Duda has made big strides in the outfield overall, even if right field is more unfamiliar than left field. Collins has seen Duda's outfield arm strength grow in the past year.

Other tidbits:

• Josh Thole should start all three games of the series with Monday being an off-day. Mike Nickeas is the backup catcher in Ronny Paulino's absence.

• Collins does not believe Bay has yet been cleared to resume baseball activities. He's still getting therapy for a strained left rib-cage muscle.

• Daniel Murphy, the primary bat for the bench, will "get a lot of at-bats" this season, Collins predicted. The manager sounded like the largest workload would be at second base, with some time at first base on days Ike Davis is off. Murphy played a round of batting practice in right field Friday.

• Collins echoed bullpen coach Jon Debus' comment that Chin-lung Hu would probably be the emergency third catcher if something happened in-game to Thole and Nickeas. Collins cited Hu having "good hands." Hu said he has never caught.

• Collins said he needs to speak with Francisco Rodriguez about how to use him if there's a gap between save chances to keep him sharp. The manager said their previous conversations have mostly centered on multi-inning usage.

The usage between save chances affects whether K-Rod finishes 55 games, which would vest his contract for 2012 at $17.5 million.

Todd Zeile did catch two games for the Mets in 2004, but that was about nostalgia, not an emergency situation. Yet teams always prepare for their two regular catchers going down in a game by having a position player prepared to step in.

Who would that be with the Mets?

Well, Nick Evans did catch the recent bullpen session in Port St. Lucie in which Chris Capuano threw with Sandy Koufax watching. But Evans did not make the team.

So catching instructor/bullpen coach Jon Debus was at somewhat of a loss as to who would fill the role. He eventually surmised it would have to be Daniel Murphy or Chin-lung Hu ... "probably Hu," he concluded.

Debus plans to get Hu, or whomever, limited practice at some point in the near future.