ESPN

Left-hander Jack Leathersich owns the Division II UMass Lowell single-season strikeout record. His gaudy K totals have continued as a pro, since getting drafted in the fifth round last June.

Leathersich, who made his high-A St. Lucie debut on Tuesday night, has now fanned 66 batters in 39 1/3 pro relief innings through stops with Brooklyn, Savannah and now in the Florida State League. He has surrendered only 18 hits. Not bad for a kid who threw 85 mph as a high school senior and described himself as "tiny" back then -- 5-foot-8, 150 pounds.

Leathersich's fastball now sits at 91-93 mph and tops out at 95-96 mph when he's aiming for a strikeout. He also throws a circle change as well as what he describes as a slurve -- "kind of in the middle … not really like a 12-to-6 (curveball), but not like a hard slider. It kind of comes in diagonal."

Said Leathersich: "I don’t really go out there trying to strike people out. I never really have. Getting ahead is the biggest thing for me. When I get ahead 0-1, 1-2, 0-2, I do try to put them away. I try to get them out of there. But I've been working actually a lot this year on not going so deep in the counts -- trying to get one-, two-pitch outs."

Leathersich burst onto the radar while competing in the prestigious Cape Cod League during college. He was one of only the three or four Division II players invited, by his count. That's where he picked up his nickname -- "Rocket." His Twitter handle remains @LeatherRocket.

"My buddy, Marcus Stroman -- he's going to be a top-10 pick this year, from Duke -- he just started calling me that," Leathersich said. "We were roommates. He pitched the ninth inning and I pitched the eighth normally. I don't know. It kind of just stuck."

Leathersich's best experience as a pro so far? That would have to be his Aug. 30 appearance for Brooklyn last season. The Lowell Spinners are in that league, and share a stadium with Leathersich's college program. Pitching as a pro on the field where he was a college standout, Leathersich tossed two scoreless innings, striking out the side in his first frame.

"That was crazy," Leathersich said. "That was definitely a pretty cool moment in my life. Everybody was there. I mean, everybody from my town (Beverly, Mass.), which is only a half-hour away. And everybody from Lowell, where I went to school. The place was pretty packed. It was a rush when I got called into the game."

In his Florida State League debut Tuesday, Leathersich surrendered his first professional homer. He was charged with two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings.

"Anybody, I feel, who says that they don't have to work on anything is lying to you," Leathersich said. "I've definitely been working on my offspeed a lot -- changeup, curveball, throwing it in any count for a strike. That's what (Savannah pitching coach) Frank Viola and I were really working on when I was down there. He's helped me out tremendously with everything. … I'm just going to keep working on my offspeed pitches and holding runners, fielding my position and all of the stuff I had been working on in Savannah."

Organization leaders

Average: Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .339; T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .333; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .321; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, .310; Eric Campbell, Binghamton, .310; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .310; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .307; Matt Tuiasosopo, Buffalo, .301; Juan Lagares, Binghamton, .293; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, .283.

Homers: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 11; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 8; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 8; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 7.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 34; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 29; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 27; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 25; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, 25.

Steals: Luis Nieves, Savannah, 9; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 9; Wilfredo Tovar, St. Lucie, 9; Pedro Zapata, Binghamton, 8.

ERA: Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 2.15; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 2.15; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 2.29; Angel Cuan, St. Lucie, 2.37; Alex Panteliodis, Savannah, 2.63; Rafael Montero, Savannah, 2.64; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 2.68; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 2.72; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.72; Dylan Owen, Buffalo, 3.19.

Wins: Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 5.

Saves: Adrian Rosario, Binghamton, 12; Fernando Cabrera, Buffalo, 9; T.J. Chism, Savannah, 6; Adam Kolarek, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Buffalo, 49; Garrett Olson, Buffalo, 49; Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 45; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 45; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 45.

Short hops

• Infielder Danny Muno, the Mets' eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Fresno State, was suspended 50 games for a positive test for a metabolite of Drostanolone, a performance-enhancing drug, Major League Baseball announced Friday. Muno, 23, had been hitting .283 with five homers and 23 RBIs while batting leadoff and manning second base for Class A St. Lucie. Robbie Shields, a third-round pick in 2009 from Florida Southern College, has taken over at second base for the Florida State League club. Alonzo Harris Jr. has assumed the vacated leadoff spot. Since Muno's suspension, Harris is hitting .391 (9-for-23) with five runs scored in five games. That has upped the Mississippi high school product's average 38 points, to .271.

• Left-hander Josh Edgin opened enough eyes in spring training that he formally was added to camp in March after initially not receiving an invite. Now, he has not allowed an earned run in his past six relief appearances with Triple-A Buffalo. Edgin touched 95 mph with his fastball Monday, then tossed a no-hit inning with two strikeouts Tuesday against Indianapolis.

• Right-hander Collin McHugh (4-3, 2.15 ERA in nine starts) has been a bright spot in a Double-A Binghamton rotation that largely has struggled of late. He had completed at least seven innings in each of his past three outings, until that streak ended Tuesday when McHugh served up a solo homer to open the seventh inning at New Britain that broke a scoreless tie, then hit a batter with the next pitch and was ejected. "My ejection from the game tonight was completely absurd!" McHugh tweeted afterward. "I did not throw at ANYONE, nor would I consider it in a 1 run game in the 7th."

McHugh, an 18th-round pick in 2008 out of Berry College, has allowed only six earned runs in 27 1/3 innings during his past four starts. McHugh made his Double-A debut on May 31, 2011. In what is now a full year in the Eastern League, the Atlanta native has compiled a 12-5 record and 2.62 ERA in 27 appearances (25 starts).

• Right-hander Elvin Ramirez, the former Rule 5 pick returned to the Mets after spending a season on the Nationals' 40-man roster with shoulder woes, has yet to allow a run in seven Triple-A appearances. In nine scoreless innings, he has limited opponents to three hits while striking out 10, walking none and hitting one batter. Opponents are hitting .100 (3-for-30) against him. Ramirez began the season with Binghamton.

• Josh Satin is 6-for-his-last-14 with eight walks during that stretch. He nearly exclusively has played first base with the Bisons.

• Jordany Valdespin delivered a pinch-hit homer Saturday for Buffalo, on the day he awoke in Toronto and then was demoted to clear a roster spot for Jeremy Hefner. In two subsequent games while starting at second base, though, Valdespin went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. He committed two errors Sunday. Brad Emaus started at second base Tuesday, and Valdespin was retired as a pinch hitter.

• Fernando Cabrera is 9-for-9 in save opportunities with the Bisons.

• The Mets released 22-year-old right-hander Eduardo Aldama. He went 3-5 with a 5.37 ERA at Class A Brooklyn last season.

(Read full post)

INDIANAPOLIS 6, BUFFALO 3: Buffalo committed three costly errors in the finale and 12 in the four-game series. With Jeff Clement batting in the first inning, Chris Schwinden threw a wild pitch to score ex-Met Anderson Hernandez. In an attempt to throw out Hernandez, catcher Jean Luc Blaquiere's throw was offline to Schwinden at the plate, allowing Alex Presley also to score. With the Bisons behind 3-0 in the third, Starling Marte led off with a single. With Hernandez at the plate, Marte stole second and Blaquiere's throw sailed into center. The error would set up Hernandez to single home Marte and make it 4-0. "I'm hoping this off-day tomorrow will help us get it together mentally and physically," manager Wally Backman said. "A couple of our guys have been banged up so they need the rest." With the bases loaded an none out in the fourth, the Herd plated a pair with RBI groundouts by Omar Quintanilla and Blaquiere. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Matt Tuiasosopo hit an infield single to score Corey Wimberly and cut the Indians' lead to 4-3. But Brad Emaus grounded into a forceout to end the inning. Box

NEW BRITAIN 3, BINGHAMTON 0: The Rock Cats packed all of their offense into the seventh inning while handing Binghamton its sixth shutout loss. The starters -- Binghamton's Collin McHugh and Logan Darnell -- matched zeroes through the first six innings. McHugh's start took a turn for the worse in the seventh. The righty had his stretch of 13 straight scoreless innings snapped on his first pitch of the inning, when Rock Cats right fielder Evan Bigley ripped a homer. McHugh then hit Nate Hanson with his next pitch. Plate umpire Joey Amaral ejected McHugh and the B-Mets were forced to summon Brad Holt from the bullpen. The Rock Cats greeted Holt with two bunt singles to load the bases. Chris Herrmann extended New Britain's lead with a two-run double -- his fourth hit of the game and eighth of the series. The Rock Cats appeared to score their fourth run of the inning on sac fly by Deibinson Romero, but runner Estarlin De Los Santos was ruled out on appeal for leaving third early. Trailing 3-0, the B-Mets threatened in the eighth against reliever Luis Perdomo. Singles by Josh Rodriguez and Eric Campbell and a walk to Jefry Marte loaded the bases. The veteran righty escaped harm by inducing Raul Reyes to fly out to end the inning. Bobby Lanigan pitched the ninth and navigated around a one-out walk to collect his third save. McHugh (4-3) was saddled with the loss. The B-Mets (21-22) continue their series against the Rock Cats on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. Zack Wheeler opposes right-hander David Bromberg. Box

DAYTONA 6, ST. LUCIE 5 (10 innings): John Church issued a leadoff walk to Matthew Szczur, who ultimately scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on Richard Jones' single. Starter Cory Mazzoni allowed three runs in five innings. Left-hander Jack Leathersich was charged with two runs in 2 2/3 in his Florida State League debut. Richard Lucas had two RBIs. Box

SAVANNAH 5, CHARLESTON 3: Trailing 3-2 heading to the bottom of the eighth, T.J. Rivera and Aderlin Rodriguez drew walks, placing the tying and go-ahead runs on base. With two outs, Brian Harrison, who has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, roped a single to drive in Rivera with the tying run. Charley Thurber followed by ripping a triple to score Rodriguez and Harrison for the decisive two-run margin. Thurber, who finished 2-for-3 with a double, triple and walk, also was responsible for the first Gnats run of the night. In the second, he doubled, advanced to third on center fielder Mason Williams' fielding error and scored on a wild pitch to put the Gnats in front 1-0. In the fourth, Rodriguez lined an RBI single to drive in Rivera for a 2-0 lead. The RiverDogs bounced back to take the lead with a three-run sixth against Savannah reliever Randy Fontanez. Savannah reliever Chasen Bradford worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings with two strikeouts for his first Savannah win. T.J. Chism set down the 'Dogs 1-2-3 in the ninth to earn his sixth save. Savannah starter Alex Panteliodis fought his way through four innings and allowed five hits and three walks, but no runs. Box

Compiled from team reports

PITTSBURGH -- Mike Baxter and Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a communications gaffe on an eighth-inning fly ball, resulting in a three-base error, and Clint Barmes followed with a game-deciding sacrifice fly as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Mets, 5-4, Monday at PNC Park.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was Pittsburgh's biggest come-from-behind victory since June 1, 2009, also against the Mets -- when a five-run lead for the Amazin's turned into an 8-5 loss that included five straight batters reaching against J.J. Putz in a five-run eighth. Putz made only one more appearance as a Met, also in that series, before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.

The Pirates' string of 160 straight games trailing by four-plus runs without a comeback victory was the second-longest in MLB history, according to Elias. Only the the Washington Senators, who had 178 straight losses when they trailed by four-plus runs from 1906 to 1910, had a longer drought.

Tuesday's news reports:

• Johan Santana could not hold a four-run lead. He surrendered a game-tying two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Michael McKenry in the seventh. His record stands at 1-2 after nine starts this season.

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

• Josh Thole and Jason Bay have headed to Florida to ramp up activity, while Ruben Tejada could be the first of trio to return from the disabled list -- as soon as next weekend. Thole, cleared for baseball activities two weeks after suffering a concussion, is aiming to appear in a minor league game for the first time May 28. Tejada (quadriceps) has been running in Port St. Lucie. He could be in a minor league rehab game as soon as Wednesday. Bay (fractured rib) is due to start taking batting practice from coaches that day, and soon thereafter may advance to minor league action, initially as a DH. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Andres Torres is 1-for-his-last-29. Terry Collins plans to sit him Tuesday and start Nieuwenhuis in center, with Baxter in left field.

• Ike Davis sat against another left-hander, Erik Bedard, but entered Monday for defense in the sixth inning and eventually struck out in both of his ensuing at-bats. Davis is now hitting .161. A demotion may be looming, potentially coinciding with the return of a player from the DL. Collins met with Davis in the visiting manager's office at PNC Park before Monday's game. Read more in the Journal, Post, Newsday, Times and Daily News.

• Vinny Rottino rejoined the Mets on Monday from Triple-A Buffalo and made his first major league start at first base. Chris Schwinden was optioned back to the Bisons. With Miguel Batista landing on the DL, Jeremy Hefner has been confirmed as Thursday's starter against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field.

• Terry Collins expressed appreciation for umpire Brian Knight acknowledging missing Saturday night's call, when Baxter was ruled out at second base in Toronto.

• Michael Salfino in the Journal tries to reconcile the Mets' winning record with their run differential. He notes a few lopsided losses skew the results somewhat, but counters that the Mets have been outslugged with homers by a wide margin. Writes Salfino:

In the standings, they look like a contender. Entering Monday, they were a surprising 22-19. But on the stat sheet -- and we're not talking doctorate-level statistics here -- they look overmatched. They've been outscored by 31 runs, the fifth-worst mark in baseball. Even the 15-25 Colorado Rockies (minus-27) have been better. The Mets are on pace to finish 87-75 while being outscored by 122 runs. This would be a rather historic achievement: All-time, the worst run differential by a winning team belonged to the 1905 Detroit Tigers (minus-90), who went 79-74. The Mets' current record is about five games better than what's expected from a team with that poor of a run differential, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

• Salfino also notes in the Journal that the Mets bullpen has protected leads for R.A. Dickey remarkably well -- in 21 of 22 games in which the knuckleballer has left in a position to win during his Mets career. According to the article, the bullpen has failed to hold 14 of 50 potential wins for Santana during his Mets career.

• Pitching coach Dan Warthen wants Jon Niese to prepare more for unfamiliar opponents, Mike Puma writes in the Post. "He’s had a couple of poor games against teams he doesn’t know very well,” Warthen told Puma. “A couple of us talked to him the other day and told him he could do a little bit better with the studying of hitters.”

TRIVIA: Who holds the record for career runs scored in a Mets uniform?

Monday's answer: The yellow bridge spanning the Allegheny River adjacent to PNC Park is named for the late Roberto Clemente.

PITTSBURGH -- Right-hander Chris Schwinden officially has been optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo after a one-day major league stay in which he did not appear. Utility man Vinny Rottino is back with the Mets.

Rottino is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the major league level this season, but is hitting .307 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 140 at-bats at the Triple-A level. He had a three-homer game with Buffalo on Saturday. He had enjoyed a 20-game hitting streak in the International League until it was halted Friday.

Rottino, who had solely played outfield early in the season with Buffalo, served as catcher his last two games with the Triple-A club before the call-up, so perhaps Terry Collins now will feel comfortable using him in that role -- or, at least, as a third catcher to free up being able to pinch hit for Mike Nickeas or Rob Johnson if needed.

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

Monday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Regarding Nieuwenhuis, Barbara Barker writes in Newsday:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INDIANAPOLIS 4, BUFFALO 1: The Herd, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, scored its lone run against Rick VandenHurk in the first inning, when Corey Wimberly successfully had a delayed straight steal of home with Valentino Pascucci batting. "I basically told Corey, 'If you think you can steal home, go for it,'" manager Wally Backman said. "It was a success due to the position of the third baseman." It is the first time a Bison has stolen home since Chris Clapinski on May 16, 2004 at Columbus. Said Wimberley: "I told Wally if the pitcher lobs the ball back, I'm going home. I caught them sleeping, so I went for it." Jack Egbert, who started in place of Jeremy Hefner, who was called up to the Mets, allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in two innings. In relief of Egbert, Chuck James tossed three scoreless innings. Backman was ejected in the third inning for arguing a caught stealing call by the third base umpire. The Bisons activated reliever Jeff Stevens and welcomed Edgar Ramirez to the club's roster. In his first Triple-A action since 2009, Ramirez allowed two runs (one earned) in three innings. Chris Schwinden was recalled by the Mets. Infielder Michael Fisher was demoted to Double-A Binghamton. Box

BINGHAMTON 11, PORTLAND 7: The B-Mets collected 12 hits and scored in all but one inning. The rubber-game victory secured Binghamton’s third straight series win and kicked their record above .500 for the first time in May. Binghamton grabbed the lead three batters into the game against Sea Dogs starter Chris Balcom-Miller. Matt den Dekker extended his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games with an infield single. After advancing to second on a throwing error by third baseman Kolbrin Vitek, the first of four errors for Portland, den Dekker moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on Reese Havens’ groundout. The B-Mets added two runs in the second, when Juan Lagares scored on a wild pitch and Pedro Zapata supplied a sac fly. Raul Reyes lashed an RBI double in the third and den Dekker drove in a run with a single in the fourth, Balcom-Miller’s final inning. The righty was tagged for five runs (three earned) on four hits and walked five in four innings. Binghamton kept the offense rolling against reliever Jeremy Kehrt. Lagares ripped an RBI double in the fifth and Sean Kazmar drove in two with a double in the sixth. Kazmar scored later in the three-run inning on a fielding error by Reynaldo Rodriguez at first. The frame gave Binghamton a 9-2 lead. Portland's Jeremy Hazelbaker got the Sea Dogs on the board in third with a solo homer against starter Greg Peavey and Derrik Gibson added a sac fly in the fourth. Down by seven in the sixth, Portland chased Peavey by getting the first four to reach safely. Ronald Bermudez’s RBI single with the bases loaded ended Peavey’s day. The righty allowed three runs on eight hits over five innings. With the bases loaded and no outs, Kevin Mulvey entered and induced Gibson to bounce back to the mound, starting a double play. Heiker Meneses struck out to end the threat. The seventh was not as smooth for Mulvey. He walked one and hit a batter before serving up a three-run homer to Rodriguez, cutting Binghamton’s lead to three. Jeff Kaplan took over and allowed the first four he faced to reach safely. Gibson ripped an RBI single to center with the bases loaded to make it 9-7. However, Kaplan retired the next two batters to end the inning. He posted a perfect eighth. The B-Mets added runs in the eighth and ninth, highlighted by Jefry Marte's solo homer. Adrian Rosario navigated around two walks to post a scoreless ninth. Peavey (3-1) snapped a five-start winless streak. Box

LAKELAND 2, ST. LUCIE 1: Ryan Fraser allowed two runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief to get tagged with the loss. Starter Angel Cuan limited Lakeland to one hit and two walks while striking out three in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. St. Lucie mustered three hits. The lone run came in the sixth when Cory Vaughn, Richard Lucas and Blake Forsythe all walked, and Vaughn scored on a subsequent Lakeland error. Box

SAVANNAH 5, AUGUSTA 3: Savannah had a comfortable 5-0 lead heading to the ninth, but the GreenJackets scored three times and had the tying run at second with two outs when reliever T.J. Chism induced a comebacker to end the game. The Gnats lost the first two games of the series, each by one run, while stranding the tying run at second. On Sunday, Savannah scored the game’s opening run in the second. Dustin Lawley walked and scored on Brian Harrison’s RBI double over the head of center fielder Carlos Willoughby. Savannah added two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. Lawley began the sixth by lining a homer just to the right side of the batter’s eye. Travis Taijeron followed with a triple up the right-center gap and came home on Aderlin Rodriguez’s hustle double on a pop fly into shallow center to put the Gnats up 3-0. T.J. Rivera added a two-run homer in the seventh. In the ninth, making his first Savannah appearance, reliever Randy Fontanez walked two batters and hit one to load the bases. A sacrifice fly trimmed the Gnats’ lead to 5-1. A single reloaded the bases and chased Fontanez. With the tying run at the plate, Chism struck out pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson. However, Willoughby dumped a double down the left-field line to drive in two. He raced to second as the tying run. Chism then induced a chopper back to the mound to end the threat and game. Gnats starter Rafael Montero allowed one infield hit in six innings. He faced one over the minimum through five innings. Box

Compiled from team reports

TORONTO -- Miguel Batista officially was placed on the DL Sunday morning, with Chris Schwinden promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to take the roster spot ... at least for the day.

The team announced Batista has a lower-back strain, although the 41-year-old right-hander said the injury is more likely an oblique.

"It's more on the side, so it has to be an oblique," said Batista, who tried to warm up for the third inning Saturday wearing a belt to support his back, to no avail.

Jeremy Hefner "probably" will start Thursday against the San Diego Padres, his original club, at Citi Field, Terry Collins said. He would be the fourth person to occupy that rotation slot, following Mike Pelfrey, Schwinden and then Batista.

Batista said the injury is not severe, and he would have preferred to avoid the DL. But Collins said the Mets could not take the chance. After Batista departed Saturday's game, Hefner entered and limited the Blue Jays to two runs in five innings.

"I wasn't that sore today, but that's what they told me," Batista said about the DL trip. "I knew yesterday it wasn't a really bad one, but I felt a pull on that pitch. So far, hopefully it won't take 15 days. I don't believe it will. It all depends on how it goes tomorrow when I soft toss."

Said Collins: "He was pitching great. But he's got the groin issue. He's got the lower-back issue. He said his back feels a lot better today, and we understand that. But the one thing we can't afford to happen is in four days, or even tomorrow, 'Hey, look, I've got to back off my bullpen.' ... You end up having to pull him out of a game again after the second inning, we may not have the backup that's needed. We just thought in the best interest of letting his groin heal, letting his back heal, we'll disable him."

Collins confirmed the Mets would make another roster move before Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh to restore the bench to five position players. Utility man Vinny Rottino would be eligible, because Sunday is the 10th and final day he is required to be in the minors after being optioned to Buffalo on May 11. Schwinden would be logical to make a U-turn to Buffalo.

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

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

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

Sunday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TORONTO -- Miguel Batista suffered a lower-back strain delivering a full-count cutter to Eric Thames in the second inning of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays and could be headed to the disabled list.

Terry Collins said Jeremy Hefner, who tossed five quality innings in relief of Batista, definitely would take the rotation turn in five days against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field if Batista is unable.

Chris Schwinden will join the Mets as part of the taxi squad on Sunday. He will be activated to serve as a safety net backing up starter Dillon Gee if Batista lands on the DL, or if the Mets otherwise make a bullpen maneuver.

Batista saw a Toronto doctor and said he was informed he suffered a “minor pull.” He felt the injury on every ensuing pitch. He initially took the mound for the bottom of the third, but did not face a batter that inning.

“It felt funny,” Batista said about the pitch to Thames. “And after that, I felt it every pitch.”

Batista added that this injury was unrelated to his recent groin troubles. His lower back remained “a little sore” after the game.

Hefner left Buffalo, home of the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday with Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based, minor league equipment coordinator Jack Brenner, who was visiting Bisons manager Wally Backman on Friday night and already planning to see the major league club on Saturday. Hefner arrived in Toronto two hours later with a couple of days’ worth of clothes; he left his remaining belongings in his truck back in Buffalo.

“I’m disappointed in that one inning. I got out of my mechanics a little bit and left a few balls up and they got a couple of runs,” said Hefner, who surrendered two runs in five innings. “I got a few strikeouts and just tried to keep the ball down and make them hit it into the ground. It’s a quick field, so [if] they get it in the gaps, it’s extra bases for sure.”

The Mets planned to remove a pitcher from the active roster after the weekend to restore the bench to five position players for a National League game Monday in Pittsburgh. If Batista lands on the DL and Hefner slides into the rotation, that frees the roster spot potentially without a difficult decision (with Schwinden returning to the Bisons after the cameo).

• David Wright was unavailable Saturday, Collins said. The third baseman has asked to start Sunday, but Collins said he will reserve a decision until the morning.

• Jenrry Mejia allowed one run on six hits while striking out three and walking none in three innings for Double-A Binghamton. It was his first minor league start at that level, and third overall, since Tommy John surgery on May 16, 2011. Mejia threw only 48 pitches, but GM Sandy Alderson said the right-hander was due to be capped at 50 to 60 pitches and there was nothing wrong.

• Chris Young, who had his comeback interrupted with his wife due to give birth, will next pitch for Class A St. Lucie on Friday -- 10 days after his last appearance.

BUFFALO 4, GWINNETT 2: Vinny Rottino extended his Triple-A hitting streak to 20 games with a two-run single in the second to cap the scoring. Braves starter Julio Teheran's pitch count reached 86 while lasting only 2 2/3 innings. Corey Wimberly led off the home first with a single. Fred Lewis followed that with a double to score Wimberly from first. With the Herd trailing 2-1, Teheran then walked Valentino Pascucci and Matt Tuiasosopo to load the bases. The Braves' top prospect walked a third straight batter, Brad Emaus, to force in the tying run. In the second, after singles by Bisons starter Chris Schwinden (2-for-2) and Wimberly and a walk to Lewis, Rottino swatted a single to give the Herd the decisive two-run lead. Schwinden pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four. It marked Schwinden's first win in four starts -- although he had allowed three runs or fewer in each of those outings. In the ninth, the Herd avoided a Gwinnett threat courtesy of defensive plays by Wimberly and Emaus. Box

BINGHAMTON 12, TRENTON 3: The B-Mets scored nine second-inning runs and Zack Wheeler struck out eight. Trailing by two entering the second, the B-Mets kicked off the frame with four consecutive singles against Trenton starter Cory Arbiso, capped by Kai Gronauer’s RBI. Second baseman David Adams made matters worse by booting a potential double-play ball, allowing another run to score. After Matt den Dekker supplied a sac fly, Josh Rodriguez sent an RBI single up the middle. Jefry Marte walked to load the bases, and Juan Lagares lined one off Arbiso. The pitcher recovered, but his throw sailed past Luke Murton at first and bounced into the stands, allowing two more runs to score. Travis Ozga then launched a three-run homer, his third long ball of the season. By the time Sean Kazmar grounded out to end the inning, the B-Mets had sent 12 men to the plate. It was the most runs scored in one inning for Binghamton since it also plated nine in the third inning against Reading on Aug. 14, 2010. It was more than enough support for Wheeler (3-2) to collect his third straight win. The right-hander was tagged for a two-run home run by Cody Johnson in the first inning, but he did not allow another hit until the sixth. He allowed two total hits and struck out eight over a season-high seven innings. Binghamton tacked onto its lead in the middle innings. Marte ripped a solo homer against reliever Francisco Rondon in the fourth, while den Dekker added an RBI double in the fifth. Kazmar supplied a run-scoring single against Ryan Pope in the sixth. Edgar Ramirez took over on the mound in the eighth and needed nine pitches to toss a perfect frame. Jeff Kaplan allowed one run in the ninth. Box

ST. LUCIE 6, LAKELAND 5: Catcher Blake Forsythe homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in all six runs. Forsythe's eighth-inning sacrifice fly broke a 5-all tie. Adrian Rosario recorded his 11th save by recording the final five outs. Starter Cory Mazzoni, the Mets' second-round pick last June out of NC State, allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. Box

AUGUSTA 3, SAVANNAH 2: The GreenJackets scored in the top of the first inning and hung on late. Augusta (18-20) hopped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first against Domingo Tapia. Tapia (3-2) lasted four innings, yielding three runs, all earned, on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. The Gnats (24-15) got a run back in the third on Travis Taijeron's RBI single. The teams traded single runs in the fourth on RBI triples -- by Carlos Willoughby in the top half, then Gregory Pron in the bottom to make it 3-2. After Pron’s triple, Augusta pitching retired the next 13 Gnats. Aderlin Rodriguez snapped that streak with a leadoff single in the ninth. Pinch-runner Tillman Pugh stole second, but was stranded. Box

Compiled from team reports

CHARLOTTE 5, BUFFALO 4: Hector Gimenez's three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth against Justin Hampson lifted Charlotte to the win. Valentino Pascucci's three-run homer in the seventh had staked Buffalo to a 4-2 lead. Starter Chris Schwinden allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight and walking one in six innings. Vinny Rottino went 1-for-4 with a walk and RBI in his return to the Bisons. Former Cub Bobby Scales has left the team and will play in Japan. Box

NEW HAMPSHIRE 9, BINGHAMTON 0: Darin Gorski surrendered a career-high 10 hits and the B-Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 on base in their fourth shutout loss of the season. The Fisher Cats scratched out the game’s first run in the third. Brian Van Kirk singled to start the frame against Gorski (2-2) and scored two batters later on John Tolisano’s double. In the fourth, following a leadoff walk to A.J. Jimenez, New Hampshire plated four runs on four hits. Brad Glenn drove in two with a double, and Ryan Goins and Koby Clemens each collected RBI singles. The Fisher Cats ended Gorski’s day with four straight hits to start the fifth. Jimenez laced an RBI single and Mark Sobolewski delivered the final blow with a three-run homer. Gorski allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and struck out five in four innings. Kevin Mulvey entered and retired all three he faced to end the inning. After a bumpy first inning in which he allowed a hit to Matt den Dekker on his first pitch of the game, Fisher Cats starter Yohan Pino settled in for a fine performance. The righty struck out seven and allowed three hits over six scoreless innings. He retired the final seven he faced and 12 of the last 13 B-Mets. Eric Campbell later roped a triple against Clint Everts, but the B-Mets failed to score in the eighth. Danny Farquhar allowed two hits, but struck out three to close the game. Brad Holt and Robert Carson closed out the pitching tab for Binghamton with three scoreless innings. The B-Mets (16-18) complete their four-game set against the Fisher Cats Sunday as right-hander Greg Peavey opposes right-hander Randy Boone. Box

BREVARD COUNTY 9, ST. LUCIE 1: Danny Muno's third-inning homer accounted for St. Lucie's lone run. Chase Huchingson started and allowed two runs on one hit and five walks in three innings. Box

SAVANNAH 8, HICKORY 4: Charley Thurber and Albert Cordero had consecutive homers in a five-run third inning for the Gnats and Travis Taijeron added a two-run homer in the fifth. Michael Fulmer (2-2) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven in five innings. Box

Compiled from team reports

WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets overcame their largest deficit of the season -- four runs -- and produced their 10^th come-from-behind victory of the season with a 7-4 win against the Phillies on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

The Mets (17-13) matched their high-water mark at four games over .500, which they also reached at 4-0, 6-2, 7-3 and 13-9.

A four-run seventh inning against Joe Blanton, Chad Qualls and Antonio Bastardo erased a 4-1 deficit.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis began that comeback with a two-out RBI single that chased Blanton.

Qualls entered with two runners on base and surrendered a single to right field by David Wright.

Andres Torres comfortably scored on the play, but Nieuwenhuis stopped at third base. That is, Nieuwenhuis stopped until Wright got into a rundown between first and second.

That’s when Phillies infielder Pete Orr intended to throw the ball to second base, but no one was covering. Orr regrouped and tried to fling a throw to third to catch Nieuwenhuis straying too far down the line. The throw missed its mark and ended up in foul territory as Nieuwenhuis trotted home to tie the score at 4.

Lucas Duda followed with a go-ahead RBI single against Bastardo.

Niewenhuis also scored in Denver from third base on a play in which Wright got caught in a rundown between first and second. That time a pickoff move by Drew Pomeranz initiated the rundown.

Nieuwenhuis and Duda added ninth-inning RBIs for a three-run cushion.

The Mets entered Tuesday night one shy of the major league lead for come-from-behind wins -- 10 by the Atlanta Braves.

TAKING THE FIFTH: Mike Pelfrey, lost for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was more valuable than commonly understood.

After two starts by Chris Schwinden in Pelfrey’s rotation spot, 41-year-old Miguel Batista took the latest turn. Hunter Pence launched a two-run homer in the first inning against Batista and Philadelphia added a pair of unearned runs in the second inning following an error by Jordany Valdespin.

Batista’s final line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

Manny Acosta stranded two runners inherited from Batista in scoring position by coaxing a weak groundout from the opposing pitcher Blanton, then striking out Jimmy Rollins to hold the Mets’ deficit to 4-1.

In three starts in Pelfrey’s absence, fill-ins have now allowed 15 runs (12 earned) on 21 hits and five walks in 13 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit five homers.

WHAT A RELIEF: For the second straight game, Tim Byrdak inherited a runner at third base with two in the eighth and recorded the out. This time, he coaxed pinch hitter Ty Wigginton into a flyout to center field.

After saves on three straight days from Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch handled the ninth and recorded his first Mets save.

SHORTCOMING: Valdespin’s first major league start at shortstop got off to a rocky start. The rookie, fresh off a heroic ninth-inning homer against Jonathan Papelbon on Monday, airmailed a throw to Ike Davis for a two-base error to open the bottom of the second inning and also could not hold a throw from catcher Mike Nickeas on a potential caught stealing of Orr during that frame.

Terry Collins said pregame Justin Turner already is scripted to start Wednesday at shortstop, with Ronny Cedeno expected back from the DL for Friday’s series opener in Miami. Cedeno is due to take over the position until Ruben Tejada’s return.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets will aim for their first three-game sweep in Philly since June 2006 when Cliff Lee (0-1, 1.96 ERA) returns from the disabled list to face Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.50) in Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. series finale. A sweep would send the Phillies four games under .500 for the first time since May 9, 2007.

At Class A St. Lucie, Jenrry Mejia is due to throw 75 pitches in a rehab start Wednesday. Chris Young, who should inherit Pelfrey’s rotation spot within a month, should be on the same pitch count Thursday for St. Lucie. Both pitchers underwent surgery on May 16, 2011 -- Mejia on his right elbow, Young on his right shoulder.

BUFFALO 4, GWINNETT 3: Rob Johnson's two-run single with two outs in the top of the eighth gave the Bisons the victory. The win was Buffalo's 12th comeback triumph already this season, accounting for two-thirds of the club's 18 wins overall. In the latest edition, the Bisons trailed 3-1 thanks to solid work from 2011 International League's Most Valuable Pitcher Julio Teheran. Buffalo was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and in danger of wasting Dustin Martin's one-out single in the eighth inning. Josh Satin drew a two-out walk and Matt Tuiasosopo battled back from down 0-2 in the count to earn another free pass from Gwinnett reliever Jaye Chapman. Fred Lewis had an easier time drawing his walk, watching four pitches sail outside the zone to force in a run. Down 3-2, Johnson gave the Bisons their only lead with a single through the left side of the infield. Buffalo's only hit with runners in scoring position gave the Herd a 4-3 advantage. Fernando Cabrera nailed down Elvin Ramirez's first Triple-A win with his seventh save. Ramirez came on with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and struck out Josh Wilson. Chris Schwinden started for Buffalo in his first game since a two-start stint with the Mets. He struck out eight batters but left after five innings with a 2-1 deficit. Buffalo scored their first run of the game in the third inning on Martin's sacrifice fly. Box

NEW BRITAIN at BINGHAMTON (ppd.): The contest will be made up as part of a doubleheader at NYSEG Stadium on Aug. 7 at 5:35 p.m. The B-Mets (14-15) will start their rain-shortened series against the Rock Cats on Tuesday. Left-hander Mark Cohoon takes the mound for Binghamton against left-hander Andrew Albers.

ST. LUCIE 5, DUNEDIN 4: Francisco Pena delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly as the Mets rallied with a two-run eighth inning. St. Lucie (25-6) trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the eighth. Wilmer Flores then hit a leadoff solo homer. Richard Lucas followed with a double down the left-field line and reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Cesar Puello. Pena then lined a pitch into left. Lucas tagged up from third and was able to beat the throw at home to give the Mets a 5-4 lead. The Blue Jays put together a comeback bid in the ninth as Ryan Schimpf doubled with one out to put runners at second and third against Adam Kolarek. Adrian Rosario issued an intentional walk to the next batter to load the bases. Rosario was able to induce a shallow flyball out for the second out. Rosario then induced a grounder to retire Michael Crouse to close the game as Danny Muno flipped to Robbie Shields at second for the force. Rosario earned his eighth save. Taylor Whitenton (2-1) picked up the victory in relief. He tossed 2 1/3 innings and allowed one hit and had one strikeout. Yohan Almonte received a no-decision. He allowed four runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Almonte allowed four consecutive hits in the first inning as the Blue Jays jumped to a 3-0 lead. But he was able to settle down and retired 13 straight. The Mets responded with a three-run first to even the score. Richard Lucas reached on an error that allowed Shields and Flores to score. Puello delivered an RBI single to plate Lucas with the third run. Flores went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Erik Goeddel opens a series at Brevard County on the mound Tuesday. Box

SAVANNAH 5, LAKEWOOD 0: Savannah pitching faced one batter over the minimum, retiring 27 of 28 Lakewood batters. The Gnats (19-12) have won five of the first six games on their seven-game homestand. Jacob deGrom made his Savannah debut and was perfect into the fifth inning. With two outs in that frame, he gave up a double to Maikel Franco, who was the only runner of the night for Lakewood (10-19). DeGrom, the Mets’ ninth-round pick in the 2010 draft out of Stetson, retired 20 of 21 before departing with his pitch count approaching 80. The Gnats scored the game’s first runs in the seventh. With one out, BlueClaws starter Ethan Stewart walked three batters to load the bases. Lakewood then called on reliever Gabriel Arias. Albert Cordero swung at the first pitch from Arias, sending a sharp groundball inside the first-base bag and down the line for a two-run double. Luis Nieves followed with a bloop single, plating two more runs for a 4-0 lead. Nieves finished 3-for-3 with three singles. Reliever Carlos Vazquez, who entered for deGrom for the final out in the top of the seventh, retired all seven batters he faced to earn his third win. He struck out two. In the eighth, Brian Harrison doubled, driving in Travis Taijeron to cap the scoring. Box

Compiled from team reports

Chris Schwinden has been demoted to Triple-A Buffalo, creating a void in the rotation for Tuesday's start in Philadelphia. The Mets have promoted utility player Vinny Rottino

The Mets did not immediately announce Tuesday's starter. Options would include Jeremy Hefner and Miguel Batista.

Schwinden had an 11.25 ERA in two starts.

Rottino provides a third catcher who also can play corner infield and outfield positions. He actually has not been asked to catch during the regular season this year with the Bisons. Rottino, 32, was hitting .317 with one homer and 14 RBIs in 27 Triple-A games.

Chris Schwinden lasted only four innings and served up two homers in a game for the second time on the six-game road trip. Meanwhile, Manny Acosta, who combined with Schwinden to surrender an 11-run inning in Denver, also again struggled. As a result, the Mets lost to the Astros, 8-1, Wednesday and were swept in the three-game series. The Mets finished their trip 2-4. It marked the Mets' final visit to Houston before the Astros relocate to the American League West.

"I think that series in Colorado -- and it's not an excuse, because there's a lot of teams that have to play in Colorado -- but I think that series took a lot out of us," said David Wright, who went 4-for-10 with two walks in Houston. "And then, coming here, I don't want to say we weren't prepared, because we were prepared. We just didn't match the energy and the execution that we had in Colorado. You know, we knew we were going to have some ups and downs, especially with a lot of the young guys that we have on this roster playing right now. But this is what we need to fix if we want to become the team that we think we are capable of becoming. There are way too many inconsistencies right now. It seems like we play great for a series and then poorly for a series. And we're going to have to straighten that out."

Thursday's news report:

• Terry Collins offered no assurance Schwinden would remain in the rotation after a second straight underwhelming appearance in the spot vacated by Mike Pelfrey, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday. Mets officials have an off-day Thursday to sort through the options. In Schwinden's two starts in Pelfrey's absence, the Rockies and Astros combined to score 26 runs in those games. Wright did say that Schwinden was sick.

Jeremy Hefner, who tossed three scoreless innings during the doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants on the last homestand, would be one logical alternative. Miguel Batista is in the bullpen as a long reliever/spot starter and could always take over the role, especially since the Mets are going to soon need to open a bullpen spot for D.J. Carrasco anyway. Heck, Carrasco did log three innings for Class A St. Lucie in one rehab appearance last week.

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

• Chris Young may be ready in a month, but he is not scheduled to proceed to a minor league game for his next outing. Young threw a 75-pitch simulated game Monday. His fastball velocity was about 85 mph, according to one Mets official.

• Collins adamantly said last week that Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia are staying put at Triple-A for the majority of the season, not considerations to plug Pelfrey's rotation spot. And that's the proper call. Read my take here.

• Harvey's latest outing at Triple-A was cut short Wednesday because of a 23-minute rain delay. He tossed four innings, too short to qualify for the win in Buffalo's 5-2 victory against Syracuse. Harvey allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches (36 strikes). Newly installed Mets rules prevent a minor league starter from returning to the mound after a rain delay if he already has logged two innings. Writes Mike Harrington in the Buffalo News about the hoopla surrounding Harvey:

Harvey said he's trying to keep an even keel in preparing for each outing but is aware there's a lot more external noise in Triple-A. "You really do everything you can to not pay attention to it," Harvey said. "It's there so I'm not going to completely try to avoid it. You can bring it in a little and use it as fire to succeed and do the best I can."

"Matt just needs to throw quality start after quality start," [Wally] Backman said. "If he goes out there and does that eight or nine times in a row, it's going to make people wonder and think. But I don't think [a callup] is going to happen right now. It's still a learning process."

Read Wednesday's full minor league recap here.

• Tim Byrdak and Astros slugger Carlos Lee jawed during Wednesday's game.

• Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Wade Miley topped Kirk Nieuwenhuis for NL Rookie of the Month. Miley faces the Mets on Friday at Citi Field.

• Lucas Duda was due to return for the series finale in Houston after a two-game absence because of the flu, but the right fielder was pulled from the starting lineup shortly before the first pitch. Duda was limited to a pair of pinch-hitting appearances in the series. He walked on Monday and struck out Tuesday. Read more in the Star-Ledger and Record.

• Before his ties to the Mets, Rusty Staub originally played in Houston. Actually, the Astros first were known as the Colt .45s when Staub arrived in the majors in 1963. Staub actually will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's Astros home game, as Houston -- like the Mets -- celebrates 50 years of baseball existence.

Here's Staub's observation as the Astros move to the American League, severing the annual home-and-home series with the Mets: “In the early years the teams were always compared -- which city was going to be better in the long run,” Staub told Roger Rubin in the Daily News about the Astros and the Mets. “The Mets went for credibility with names, but Houston looked better with a group of young players like Joe Morgan, me, Sonny Jackson and Dave Giusti. We changed owners and all of us ended up getting traded. Then the Mets changed philosophies and went young with Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and it sent them to that incredible 1969 World Series.”

• Mark Winegardner in ESPN The Magazine tells the story of how Bobby Bonilla and the Mets came to strike that deal that now pays the former outfielder $1,193,248.20 per year for 25 years. He also discusses how Bonilla wondered about the security of future payments as Fred Wilpon and family went through the Bernard Madoff trials and tribulations. Writes Winegardner:

Last July, in her New York office, a financial planner by the exquisitely apt name of Jennifer Prosperino received her weekly call from a longtime client. He was a semiretired man in Florida who'd grown up evading gunfire in the South Bronx, where he'd lived in firetrap apartment buildings with junkies in the hallways. He slept with a baseball bat in his bed, dreaming of a better life. His first question for Prosperino was the one he always asked: "Am I going to be okay?" Days earlier, the client, employed part time by his former union, had received a check from the New York Mets for $1,193,248.20 -- the first of 25 annual, identical payments he is guaranteed from a club he last played for in 1999. That means Bobby Bonilla, 49, will make more money than 17 players on the Mets' Opening Day roster.

TRIVIA: Which player has the most homers in Citi Field's three seasons as a Diamondback?

Wednesday's answer: Art Howe's hitting coach with the Mets in 2003 was Denny Walling. Vern Ruhle served as the pitching coach.