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Frank Francisco began an official rehab assignment with Class A St. Lucie on April 17, then made one more appearance with the Florida State League club three days later.

So what's happened in the week since?

Pitching coach Dan Warthen said Francisco merely skipped the club's road trip and instead continued to pitch and progress in extended spring training games.

Warthen said Francisco's velocity is "creeping up" and he now has enough arm strength to throw an effective splitter. Francisco has not pitched on consecutive days yet, which likely is a prerequisite to be activated from the season-opening DL stint.

Warthen said he did not know a precise timetable for Francisco's return from the DL, where the reliever landed for elbow inflammation, but there is a maximum 30-day rehab clock. So Francisco should be back no later than May 17.

• Jenrry Mejia, working back from forearm tendinitis, is due to throw batting practice today for the first time since the injury arose during spring training.

• Tim Byrdak continues to progress from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Byrdak has reached 180 feet in his long-tossing on flat ground and should be on a mound during the upcoming week for the first time since the surgery.

• Pedro Feliciano, like Francisco, avoided the St. Lucie Mets' road trip and is pitching in extended spring training games, Warthen said.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.

FIRST PITCH: The Mets get their first glimpse of the Atlanta Braves this afternoon as Tim Hudson and crew visit Tradition Field.

Jeremy Hefner, who might be the rotation alternative if Johan Santana cannot get ready for the start of the season, pitches for the Mets, along with Rafael Montero and Bobby Parnell.

Monday’s news reports:

• Santana was displeased with all the attention he received Sunday, a day after Sandy Alderson said he the southpaw did not come into camp in pitching shape and suggested it might be 10 days before Santana stepped onto a mound. Perhaps driven by the negative attention, pitching coach Dan Warthen suggested, Santana threw off a mound Sunday for the first time since Feb. 19. Catcher Anthony Recker set up in front of the plate to cut the distance during the light session.

"What’s spring training for?" an agitated Santana asked reporters. "What’s practice? To get you better. That’s what I’m doing right now. That’s what I’m here for, and that’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I’m working on."

Columnist Joel Sherman in the Post isn’t impressed with how the Mets handled the Santana issue. Writes Sherman:

All in all, this was another Amway moment for the Mets. There was nothing technically wrong with how either party behaved -- like there is nothing technically wrong with partnering with a company that has been accused of being a pyramid scheme. It just looks terrible when this organization is trying to regain credibility that it is trustworthy and knows what it is doing.

Here were the Mets claiming to have both monitored Santana this offseason -- which Alderson said they did -- and being shocked he did so little work he was not ready to pitch at the outset.

Read more in the Record, Newsday, Post, Daily News, Star-Ledger and MLB.com.

• Kirk Nieuwenhuis suffered a left-knee injury stealing second Sunday. Read more in the Daily News and MLB.com.

• Dillon Gee tossed three scoreless innings in his first appearance against major leaguers since undergoing surgery at last year’s All-Star break and John Buck produced a three-run homer against his former club, but the Mets lost to the Marlins, 6-4, Sunday in Jupiter, Fla. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Post, Newsday and MLB.com.

• Warthen told Mike Kerwick in the Record he hopes to have Zack Wheeler (oblique) back on a mound midweek and in a game in about seven days.

• David Lennon in Newsday notes Mike Piazza did himself little favor with his autobiography if he hoped to be honored by the Mets. Writes Lennon:

The committee for the franchise's own Hall of Fame has yet to meet on any of this year's candidates, including Piazza, but the Mets weren't thrilled by some of the catcher's comments about the club in "Long Shot." COO Jeff Wilpon, who has the last word on both the Hall of Fame's recommendations and the retired numbers, was criticized in the book as Piazza claimed Wilpon urged him to play with an injury in a spring-training game because it was a sellout. Piazza also ripped longtime media relations director Jay Horwitz, who happens to be a member of the Mets' HOF committee, for not doing a better job of shielding the team's players.

"I felt he was more loyal to the writers and the broadcasters than he was to the players," Piazza wrote.

Are a few stinging sentences enough for one of the Mets' most popular stars of the past two decades to be alienated? That depends. Piazza also declined an invitation to attend SNY's unveiling of the team's 50 greatest players last year (he was No. 6) and team officials buzzed about that dis for months. There is little -- if any -- communication these days between Piazza and the Mets, who are confused as to why he's pulled away to this degree.

• Mets bullpen coach Ricky Bones has left camp to serve as the pitching coach for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

• Ken Belson in the Times takes a look at the team’s Mr. Met hats. Belson writes that teams are permitted to wear these new spring-training caps during regular-season games as well, although the Mets would not say if they planned to do so.

• Third base used to be a revolving door for the Mets. But since mid-2004, and presumably now for another eight seasons, it will belong to David Wright. So Jared Diamond in the Journal asked players who also man that position in camp what it feels like to be boxed out. The Mets are playing Wilmer Flores at second base, not third base, in Grapefruit League games -- although the in-season plan apparently remains for Flores to be used at both spots. Writes Diamond:

Since 2005, only one player has appeared in more games at any position for one team than Wright's 1,184 at third with the Mets: Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (1,197). And while Cano's impending free agency makes his future with the Yankees murky, Wright will likely be a Met for life. … That leaves any third baseman in the Mets system with two options: pray for a trade that may never come -- or find a new position.

"I can't be David Wright. I'm not trying to be David Wright," said Zach Lutz, who has played 269 minor-league games at third base over the past six seasons.

• Jeff Wilpon told Jon Heyman at CBSSports.com he is rooting for Jason Bay to succeed in Seattle. The Mets still owe Bay $21 million this year, but they deferred $15 million of that sum.

"I wish Jason nothing but the best," Wilpon said. "He was a great teammate. He did everything he could. He put in a lot of work, and he was always at his locker. He's a stand-up guy. It just didn't work out. It was best for him and for us to part ways. If he was a jerk, maybe I'd feel differently. But he's a great person. I'll root for Jason Bay 100 times out of 100 times."

• From the bloggers … The Eddie Kranepool Society suggests the Mets need Santana ready in July, at the trade deadline, not on Opening Day. … Mike V's Countdown to Opening Day at Mets Police stops off at 1998. It marked the first regular-season game played in New York City in March.

BIRTHDAYS: Jack Fisher, who lost 24 games for the ’65 Mets despite a 3.94 ERA, was born in 1939.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

best game ever tonight at 205 came after the real games were over! @givemethelefty was the ringer stepping in 4 David's team #notcountingit

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) March 4, 2013

YOU’RE UP: Who would you like to see step into the rotation if Johan Santana were not ready and Zack Wheeler was placed at Triple-A Las Vegas -- Jeremy Hefner, Jenrry Mejia, Collin McHugh or Aaron Laffey?

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.

FIRST PITCH: The Mets put their undefeated record on the line on Day 2 of the Grapefruit League season with a pair of games Sunday.

Terry Collins takes Matt Harvey and a split squad to Kissimmee to face the now-AL West-member Houston Astros. (See full travel roster here.)

Meanwhile, back at Tradition Field, devout Ohio State fan Jonathon Niese as well as Dillon Gee pitch against Fred Wilpon’s alma mater, the University of Michigan. The Wolverines won two of three games from Fordham this weekend at the Mets’ complex.

Gee will pitch in his first game since undergoing emergency surgery during last year’s All-Star break to repair a damaged artery in his pitching shoulder. He already was throwing off the mound in September at Citi Field before shutting things down for the offseason, so Gee said he has zero concerns about this start.

“I feel great,” Gee said. “I feel normal. I’m not worried about it at all.”

Sunday’s news reports:

• Pedro Feliciano returned to camp Saturday after an examination at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Feliciano said he has an irregular heartbeat and small “hole” in the exterior of the heart. Feliciano will wear a heart monitor and is not yet cleared to resume baseball activities. Collins said the issue potentially is serious. Sandy Alderson plans to address the issue further with media this morning. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Newsday, Daily News, Post, Record and MLB.com.

• Outfielder Jamie Hoffmann also returned to camp after his initial physical required a follow-up exam in New York. Hoffmann said he was diagnosed with a non-alarming heart condition 10 years ago that routinely gets flagged when he switches teams.

• Zack Wheeler wowed in his Grapefruit League debut, limiting the Washington Nationals to one hit and one walk while striking out two in two scoreless innings. Collins nonetheless reiterated that Wheeler is ticketed for the minors to open the season, regardless of Johan Santana’s situation.

“He’s very similar to Doc,” Wally Backman told columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post, referring to Dwight Gooden. “I think Doc’s breaking ball was a little bit bigger, but this kid has got, to me, real high expectations.”

Said Joe McIlvaine, a scout for the Mariners who once drafted Dwight Gooden: “Easy gas. Wheeler is very similar to [Stephen] Strasburg. He threw about as hard. He’s the same type of breaking ball. The same type of elongated body. Strasburg is a little bit stronger, but he’s a little bit older. The only differential I would say at this point is that [Wheeler’s] control is not as good as Strasburg’s. That’s the biggest difference, and that’s why he is still in the minor leagues.”

Steve Serby in the Post has a Q&A with man-of-few-words Wheeler. The exchange includes:

Q: Tell me about the day you were traded to the Mets.

A: I rolled out of bed, saw it on Twitter. I went downstairs, it was on ESPN.

Read more on Wheeler’s Grapefruit League debut in the Star-Ledger, Times, Post, Newsday, Daily News and MLB.com.

• Also in the 5-2 win against the Nats, Ruben Tejada belted a two-run homer against Strasburg, Shaun Marcum surrendered three runs in two innings and Collin Cowgill delivered a game-deciding RBI double. Read more in Newsday.

• David Wright will get three more Grapefruit League starts before departing Saturday for the World Baseball Classic, Collins said. Read more in Newsday.

• The Mets signed 29-year-old first baseman Rhyne Hughes to a minor league deal. Justin Turner played with Hughes in the Baltimore Orioles organization and said the lefty hitter has power to all fields when on his game. Hughes’ career got sidetracked when the Orioles tried to expose him to right field and made him a part-time player, according to Turner.

• Jason Bay belted a two-run homer in his first at-bat as member of the Seattle Mariners. Bay is competing with Casper Wells for the final outfield slot. Read more in The Seattle Times and Newsday.

• Andrew Keh in the Times looks at the tradition of baseball players having offseason jobs. Collin McHugh works during the winter with a company that does fundraising for schools.

• Columnist John Harper in the Daily News contrasts John Buck with predecessor Josh Thole. “Josh just didn’t have a feel for calling a game,” a Mets person told Harper. “We needed somebody that was going to help make our young pitchers better.”

Jorge Castillo in the Star-Ledger has a Q&A with Buck about his Glove Guardian company.

• Should the Mets instruct Travis d’Arnaud to do swipe tags instead of blocking the plate in order to protect the young catcher? Mark Hale asks Paul DePodesta in the Post. “I’d say it’s to be determined,” DePodesta said.

• Columnist Bill Madden in the Daily News is critical of Wright’s agents over other clients being tied to a South Florida clinic.

• Minor league field coordinator Dicky Scott notes in the Star-Ledger that the plan is to keep prospect Wilmer Flores in the infield. “A lot of guys go to the outfield because they can really run – they’re great defenders -- and with other guys it’s because they don’t like fielding groundballs,” Scott told the newspaper. “We have a guy who has good hands, who can play multiple positions. I think we’re going to stick with that.”

• Mike Kerwick in the Record profiles pitching coach Dan Warthen, including his influence on a young Erik Hanson.

• From the bloggers ... With 1986 nearly three decades in the past, Shannon from Mets Police wonders when the Mets become one of those teams that never wins. … Mets Merized looks at center-field prospect Matt den Dekker.

BIRTHDAYS: Hall of Famer Eddie Murray turns 57.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Mets fans winning that one. RT @anthonydicomo: Wondering if @gregjohnsmlb received more Tweets from Mariners or Mets fans today. #Bay”

— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) February 24, 2013

YOU’RE UP: What record and ERA will Matt Harvey produce in 2013?

Please use the comments section to weigh in

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Pedro Feliciano returned to the spring-training complex he called home through 2010 this week and could not be happier.

“I feel like I’ve never been out -- like my old family,” said Feliciano, who signed a minor league contract to return to the Mets three weeks ago. “We had some other options. It never crossed my mind that I was going to get back here. But I’m here. I think it would be the perfect place to come back in and show the people I’m ready. I think I’m ready, like the old Feliciano.”

Feliciano defected from the Mets to the Yankees after setting a franchise single-season relief record in 2010 with 92 appearances.

He underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on Sept. 8, 2011. He never appeared in a major league game in pinstripes while collecting $8 million over two seasons.

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen recommended the Mets re-sign Feliciano.

And Terry Collins acknowledged Tuesday that Feliciano has a leg up to join Josh Edgin as the left-handers in the Mets’ bullpen if he looks anything like he did during his first tour of duty with the ballclub.

“Certainly I think he’s got a leg up to face that left-handed hitter,” Collins said. “He’s done it. He’s made a career doing it. He’s done a great job doing it. If there’s still something in the arm to continue to get that done, obviously he’s got to be that guy that you can use nightly to face one guy.”

Feliciano, 36, made seven relief appearances in the Puerto Rico winter league with Ponce this offseason. He had a 1.23 ERA while allowing two hits, one walk and one hit batsman in 7 1/3 innings. Lefty batters were 0-for-8 against him.

“I heard our scouts down there had him at the mid-80s, and I wanted to give him another chance,” Warthen said. “If he can throw like he did for us before, then he’s a valuable asset.”

Said Feliciano: “When I started in Puerto Rico, I was like 85. But, at the end, I was throwing harder. No one told me [precisely], but it feels good.”

Feliciano incredibly ranks 15^th in the majors in relief appearances among left-handers over the past five MLB seasons, even though he has not appeared in a major league game the past two years. Still, Feliciano does not link making 86, 88 and 92 appearances in consecutive seasons with the Mets with his subsequent shoulder surgery.

“No, no, no,” Feliciano said. “I think it just happened one day. I never had a problem with my arm. Just one day I felt it.”

(Read full post)

MIAMI -- Jeurys Familia allowed only one hit in four scoreless innings in his first major league start, but the rookie walked six batters. The Mets ended up losing Monday's series opener, 3-2, to the Miami Marlins. Ramon Ramirez surrendered a tiebreaking RBI double to Rob Brantly in the eighth.

Tonight, R.A. Dickey bids for his 21st win and makes his final case for the Cy Young Award. Dickey opposes rookie right-hander Jacob Turner at 7:10 p.m. Only three other pitchers in franchise history have reached the 21-win plateau. Tom Seaver had 25 wins in 1969, 22 in 1975 and 21 in 1972. Dwight Gooden had 24 in 1985. Jerry Koosman had 21 in 1976.

Tuesday's news reports:

• The entire Mets coaching staff -- pitching coach Dan Warthen, hitting coach Dave Hudgens, bench coach Bob Geren, third base coach Tim Teufel, first base coach Tom Goodwin and bullpen coach Ricky Bones -- will return next season. Wally Backman, who managed the Triple-A club this season before joining the Mets in September, has yet to be presented with a 2013 role. A team source told ESPNNewYork.com that Las Vegas, the Mets' new Pacific Coast League home, may not be attractive to Backman. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Times, Record, Post, Daily News, Newsday and Journal.

• Connecticut native Adam Greenberg, who was struck in the head with a pitch in his lone major league plate appearance -- on July 9, 2005 -- and subsequently developed vertigo will pinch hit for the Marlins today. He likely will face Dickey in the middle innings. The Mets will treat him like any other major league hitter.

Fred Van Dusen, the only other player in major league history to be hit with a pitch in his lone major league plate appearance and never play the field, will be on hand and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Writes Clark Spencer in the Miami Herald about Van Dusen attending:

Van Dusen couldn’t be happier. “It’s a good human-interest story,’’ said Van Dusen, who has never met Greenberg or spoken with him. “It’s a positive thing, and a lot of people who don’t understand baseball, they’ll applaud it greatly."

Van Dusen was 18 when he was called up by the Philadelphia Phillies late in the 1955 season. Now 75, retired and living in Tennessee, Van Dusen said he spent about a month on the Phillies bench before he was finally given a chance to play. It was on Sept. 11 of that season, in the ninth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Braves, that Van Dusen was sent in to pinch-hit. On the fourth pitch of the at bat, and with Milwaukee’s Henry Aaron and Eddie Mathews looking on from the field for the Braves, Van Dusen was hit by a Humberto Robinson pitch. Van Dusen took his base and was left standing at first when the inning ended. Though considered to be a top prospect, Van Dusen would not play again in another major-league game.

Read more on Greenberg in the Post.

• It appears highly unlikely Mike Pelfrey will return in 2013, but Terry Collins and Warthen wouldn't mind having him back -- as a back end of the bullpen option, perhaps. Pelfrey, who underwent Tommy John surgery on May 1, has to be cut loose in December. Otherwise, the Mets would have to pay him at least 80 percent of this year's $5.6875 million salary. Once a free agent, Pelfrey would be free to sign anywhere. And agent Scott Boras likely would try to place Pelfrey with a team to start on a one-year contract with a reasonable base salary (maybe $2 million) and performance-based incentives.

• Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon joined the team in Miami along with other Mets executives, including Sandy Alderson and assistant GM John Ricco. The group will begin to solidify an offseason plan.

• Warthen said the key to Dickey (20-6, 2.69 ERA) taking another leap forward this season was learning how to control the knuckleball up in the zone and using up-and-down movement in addition to side-to-side.

“The old adage is: See it low, let it go. See it high, let it fly,” Warthen said. “We’ve kind of capitalized on that thought process in keeping that knuckleball at a higher part of the zone a lot more often and getting a lot of strikeouts from it.”

“It wasn’t really an idea as much as we kind of stumbled upon it in Pittsburgh (May 22),” Dickey said about commanding the pitch up in the zone. “I figured out a mechanism to be able to keep it elevated and still take spin off of it. At least I thought I had, and was anxious to work on it in my bullpens subsequent to that outing.

“Sure enough, it seemed like we had identified something that I could do to change the elevation consistently when I wanted to. The thing about a knuckleball is a lot of times you’ll try things and it’ll do the opposite. It’s just the nature of that pitch from time to time. So when you find a way to do something and you can consistently do it with that, then you’ve found something good. From that moment on I really worked hard on it.”

Read more on Dickey's Cy Young bid in the Record.

• The proposed Major League Soccer stadium at Flushing Meadows Corona Park adjacent to Citi Field, which would house an expansion team, has community opposition. Writes Clare Trapasso in the Daily News:

Major League Soccer officials previously said they were looking to build a 25,000-seat stadium on eight acres at the Fountains of Industry site in the park. That estimate later ballooned to up to 13 acres. But officials insisted that they are committed to finding replacement park land. “We are in the process of starting conversations with community leaders to identify parcels,” MLS spokeswoman Risa Heller said in a statement. “MLS is also committed to replacing and upgrading existing community soccer fields as well.”

TRIVIA: Of the 11 ballparks that opened since 2001, Marlins Park this season has produced the worst attendance. Which new ballpark did it displace with that distinction?

Monday's answer: Jose Reyes entered the final series leading the Marlins in steals with 38, but not by much. Emilio Bonifacio swiped 30 before his season ended Aug. 21 with a right knee injury.

MIAMI -- Terry Collins' entire staff will return for next season, the manager announced before Monday's series opener against the Marlins.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen is the longest-tenured member of the staff, having ascended from Triple-A when Willie Randolph as well as Rick Peterson were axed in the 3 a.m. ET firing back in 2008. Hitting coach Dave Hudgens is completing his second season. Bench coach Bob Geren, third base coach Tim Teufel, first base coach Tom Goodwin and bullpen coach Ricky Bones all are concluding their first year on the staff.

Among NL teams, the Mets offensively enter the final three games ranked 11th in runs scored (641), 10th in batting average (.249) and 13th in homers (134). Pitching-wise, they are 11th in ERA at 4.11 -- although the starters rank seventh (3.85) and the relievers rank 16th/last (4.67).

Wally Backman, who managed at Triple-A this past season, said no role has yet been presented to him for 2013.

"I like this organization. I'd like to finish my career in this organization," Warthen said. "I'm very happy where we are as far as our young arms coming up. I think there's a great deal of future -- a good future. ... With the [Zack] Wheelers and some of the guys we're seeing right now, I think that we have a very bright future. And I'm glad to be a part of that. ... [Matt] Harvey pitched better here than he did in the minor leagues. So I think there's some very positive, wonderful things happening here.

"I'm anxious to see a little more of Zack Wheeler. I've only seen him go to the mound and compete one time in my life up close and live. Whether it was [outgoing Triple-A pitching coach Mark] Brewer or [pitching coordinator Ron] Romanick, they say that this kid's arm is even better than Harvey's. [Jeurys] Familia, I've been so excited to see him pitch. He's made a lot of rookie, or very young, mistakes or nervous mistakes. But the stuff that comes out of his hand is electric to me -- it's 95, 96 with movement, a very easy, relaxed motion. So you see a huge future in that.

"Along with [R.A.] Dickey and hopefully [Johan] Santana coming back, and [Dillon] Gee coming back healthy, I think we have a chance to be a very solid pitching organization for a number of years to come."

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ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones had a quiet weekend before capacity crowds at Turner Field, but the Atlanta Braves nonetheless beat Jenrry Mejia and the Mets, 6-2, Sunday to win the rubber game. Playoff-bound Atlanta, which staved off division-title elimination for another day, won its major league-record 23rd straight game started by Kris Medlen.

The Mets, who had their rookies dress up as referees with skimpy black skirts for the trip to Miami, now open their final series of the season tonight in Miami. Jeurys Familia makes his first major league start tonight in Miami. Familia (0-0, 8.64 ERA) opposes Josh Johnson (8-14, 3.81) at 7:10 p.m. at Marlins Park.

Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon is due to meet the Mets in Miami, according to Star-Ledger beat writer Andy McCullough.

Monday's news reports:

• In an exclusive interview with ESPNNewYork.com, David Wright expressed uncertainty about his future with the ballclub. He indicated he wants his next contract to take him to retirement. He also noted he would not be inclined to discuss an extension during next season -- so it's an agreement this offseason or he's headed to free agency. Read the news story and additional comments.

Tim Marchman in the Journal makes the case for trading Wright this offseason. Writes Marchman:

A going-nowhere team like the Mets has every reason to move a valuable player like Wright for young talent. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, it no longer will be possible for one team to seriously outbid others for amateur draft picks or international prospects. Recent successes like Matt Harvey aside, the Mets don't have a great record of scouting or developing players, so if they want good, cheap young ones around whom to build a winner, some of them are probably going to have to come from outside the organization.

There are really only two reasons not to trade Wright. One is that it would damage the team's hopes of contending during what's left of his prime, but they don't have any. The other is that it would outrage fans and leave Citi Field quieter than a toaster, but as the Journal has reported, it already is. The only way to win back the public will be to win, and even if the Wilpon family announces tomorrow that the team has been sold to a mad Russian oil tycoon, that's going to take a couple of years, by which time Wright likely won't be what he was.

• Josh Thole was struck in the head with a fourth-inning foul ball off Medlen's bat. Despite initial concerns, Thole appears relatively unscathed. He may have escaped with no more than a cut on the back of his right ear. Read more in the Record.

• Sandy Alderson joined the Mets on Sunday for the final four games of the season. He planned to meet with Terry Collins today or tomorrow in part to discuss the fate of the coaching staff. A team source told Post beat writer Mike Puma it would be surprising for pitching coach Dan Warthen to be dismissed.

• Mejia allowed a three-run homer to David Ross and was charged with four runs in five innings. Still, the performance was reviewed positively by Collins. Mejia began the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He is due to pitch in winter ball as a starter in his native Dominican Republic for Licey, but will be capped at 20 to 25 innings, Collins indicated. Read more in Newsday, the Star-Ledger, Post, Record and Daily News.

• Chipper finished the weekend 1-for-10 with two walks. His final plate appearance against the Mets -- and, for that matter, his final regular-season plate appearance at Turner Field, since the Braves close the season on the road -- ended with Justin Hampson walking him.

"The word that I’ve been using all week is overwhelming," Jones told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his treatment from Braves fans. "I don’t know if I’m worthy of all this. I have my faults and whatnot, but when you’ve got that much love in the building, you feel like you’re 10 feet tall. And when 50,000 people are chanting your name at the same time, that’s pretty cool. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I got chill bumps more than a few times today. And, as much as I tried to shrug it off and downplay it, there were a couple times where it was a little too much to handle.” Read more in the Times.

• Familia and Elvin Ramirez are expected to pitch in relief in winter ball for Gigantes in the Dominican Republic.

TRIVIA: Who leads the Marlins in steals this season?

Sunday's answer: Wright drove in the lone run on Opening Day, in a 1-0 win against the Braves on April 5. The RBI single came against Tommy Hanson in the sixth inning and plated Andres Torres.

ATLANTA -- Sandy Alderson joined the Mets on Sunday and accompanied the team to Miami for the final series of the season. In Florida, the GM will discuss the future of the coaching staff with Terry Collins, the Post's Mike Puma tweeted.

Puma wrote: "Collins and Alderson will discuss coaching staff on Mon. or Tues. A Mets official says he would be 'surprised' if Dan Warthen gets fired."

Jeremy Hefner was knocked out of Thursday's game without recording an out in what became an eight-run first inning and the Mets were swept in embarrassing fashion before a sparse crowd at Citi Field with a 16-1 defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets, who officially were eliminated from postseason contention, got a postgame chewing out from manager Terry Collins. He deferred questions about whether the team had quit to the players, who denied it.

The Mets now try to avoid last place in the NL East when they play host to the Miami Marlins this weekend. The Amazin's enter the weekend a half-game up. Jon Niese (11-9, 3.46 ERA) opposes right-hander Jacob Turner (1-2, 3.75) at 7:10 tonight.

Friday's news reports:

• The Mets used 10 pitchers in Thursday's loss, a franchise record for a nine-inning game. Philadelphia had not swept the Mets in a three-game series in Queens since Sept. 14-16, 2007 -- when Jimmy Rollins' "team to beat" prognostication began to be achieved. The official attendance was announced at a season-low 20,100 tickets sold, although no more than a few thousand appeared to actually have attended last night's game. The Mets failed to exceed three runs for the 16th straight home game, two shy of matching the 1915 Yankees' major league record.

R.A. Dickey told Mike Puma in the Post: “If you think we’re just a piece away, then you are fooling yourself. We’ve got to do a lot of things better.”

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

• Left-hander reliever Josh Edgin, who surrendered a homer to Ryan Howard for the second straight day, is being shut down for the season. That was resolved before Edgin allowed Thursday's ninth-inning grand slam to Howard in the series finale. While his overall innings count is comparable to 2011, Edgin has made 26 more appearances than a year ago. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Dickey, who is sitting at 18 wins, will face Miami on Saturday rather than Sunday. Dickey and pitching coach Dan Warthen made the suggestion to Collins. It will allow Dickey to pitch next Thursday's home finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates rather than the follow night at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves, against whom the knuckleballer has struggled. Overall, Dickey has three starts remaining. Read more in Newsday.

• Keith Hernandez’s signature mustache will be shaved off in an event before next Thursday’s home finale. "I can always grow it back," Hernandez told Neil Best in Newsday. "It doesn't take very long if I don't like it. … It just looked noticeable that I'm gray and this is my true color and that's probably one of the reasons why -- just to shave it off and see how it looks. I am completely gray now. I look like Charley Weaver on ' Hollywood Squares.'" Schick will sponsor the event and donate money to the Jacqueline Hernandez Adult Day Care Center at Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn. The center is named after Hernandez’s mother. Read more in the Times and Daily News.

• Adam Loewen went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI as Canada beat Great Britain, 11-1, in a World Baseball Classic qualifier Thursday in Regensburg, Germany. Check the boxscore here.

• The Marlins have some tumult, too. Bob Nightengale in USA Today reported Marlins president Larry Beinfest will be fired. Writes Nightengale:

The Marlins are planning to fire president and team architect Larry Beinfest, perhaps as soon as next week, according to two high-ranking executives with knowledge of the move but not permitted to speak publicly because the final decision will be made by owner Jeffrey Loria. Beinfest would be replaced by Dan Jennings, the Marlins assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel.

• Mets general counsel David Cohen has a Q&A at Law.com. One exchange:

Q: What are some issues that can arise during a game?

Cohen: "Most people probably think that if someone gets hit by a foul ball or if there's a slip and fall, they call the legal department, but that's not what we do. Issues that might arise include unauthorized or 'ambush' marketing going on somewhere in the stadium.

• Jeurys Familia will get late-inning work down the stretch.

• There was no need for Frank Francisco on Thursday night, but he apparently was unavailable anyway with elbow tendinitis. On the closer’s body of work this season, Collins said pregame: “I’d have to say for the majority of the year, he pitched pretty good.” Writes Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger:

That is debatable. Francisco, 32, possesses a bloated 5.53 ERA. He’s still striking out more than a batter per inning (47 in 42S innings), but he’s allowing runners on a base at a greater rate than ever before. His 1.606 walks plus hits per inning is a career-high. But Collins can recall moments of brilliance plucked from the wreckage. He mentioned Francisco’s strong, three-batter stint last weekend against the Brewers. “Look at the game in Milwaukee,” Collins said. “He was lights out. All three of his pitches were working, and command was there. The next day, he couldn’t open and close his hand.” Francisco stopped short of calling the season frustrating, but, he said, “it’s been tough. Every time I fail, I try to find a way to get up and keep fighting. But it’s tough.”

• Niese, who aims for his 12^th win tonight, which would achieve a new career high, largely has had a positive season. Writes Mike Kerwick in the Record:

His ERA almost is a full point lower (3.46) than it was last season (4.40). He has thrown more innings in 2012 (177) than in any other season of his major league career. His WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched) has dipped from 1.41 to 1.18. And yet with only a few starts remaining -- including tonight’s against the Miami Marlins -- Niese is not sure how to evaluate his first 28 starts. He is not disappointed. But he is not happy either. “I feel like it was just an OK season,” Niese said before the Mets’ 16-1 loss to the Phillies on Thursday night at Citi Field. “With the six-man [rotation] at the end of the year, it kind of shortened the innings a little bit. I would have liked to have gotten to the 200-innings mark. Obviously with the mix-up with the rotation, that didn’t allow us to do it.”

TRIVIA: In what slot in the batting order has Jose Reyes started the most this season?

Thursday's answer: Behind Chipper Jones (49), Howard has the most homers against the Mets among active players. Thursday's slam was his 34th career long ball against the Mets.

Jenrry Mejia struggled on the two-year anniversary of his last major league start. Mejia was charged with five runs on six hits and five walks in three-plus innings as the Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-6, Saturday night. The final two runs charged to Mejia scored when Jeremy Hefner entered and tossed a wild pitch, then served up a homer to Rickie Weeks. Thirty-six of Mejia's 68 pitches were balls -- 53 percent.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday to pull even for the NL's second wild-card slot, and moved the Brewers closer as well. L.A. and St. Louis each are 76-70. The Pittsburgh Pirates (73-71) are two games back, followed by the Brewers 2½ back at 73-72 and the Philadelphia Phillies three back at 73-73. The Atlanta Braves (83-63) firmly hold the first slot.

The Mets complete their three-game series in Milwaukee today with Chris Young (4-7, 4.39 ERA) opposing Wily Peralta (1-0, 3.46) at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Sunday's news reports:

• Ike Davis' ninth-inning two-run homer, while inconsequential to the outcome, did tie the first baseman with David Wright for the team RBI lead with 81. Davis now has 27 homers, tied with Eddie Murray for the fourth most in franchise history by a first baseman. Carlos Delgado had 38 apiece in 2006 and '08, while Dave Kingman had 37 in 1982.

Wright, meanwhile, went hitless with two walks Saturday. He remains seven hits shy of matching Ed Kranepool's career franchise record of 1,411. “I hope I get there,” Wright told Don Burke in the Post. “Obviously, it means a lot to me personally. You just blink and, all of sudden, you have however many hits it is. ... It’s obviously very nice. But it’s difficult because of the difficult second half we’ve had. I’m proud of the fact I’ve been able to stay healthy and be as consistent as I think I have for the last eight or nine years. You’re going to have some years, some weeks that are better than others. But I take a lot of pride in going out there and trying to prepare myself to play at a certain level."

Wright also has 40 doubles, two shy of matching his career high and four shy of matching the franchise record, set by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.

• Dan Warthen reiterated his thoughts from season's past that he views Mejia long term as a reliever. “I think that he works hard to throw the baseball,” the pitching coach told Andy Martino in the Daily News. “It’s my opinion. With that, it is hard for me to fathom that he is able to go out there and year after year throw 200 innings.” Read recaps of Mejia's Saturday performance in the Post, Star-Ledger, Times, Newsday and Record.

• Terry Collins recently suggested the effect of concussions may still neurologically be affecting Jason Bay and slow his ability to react to pitches. Bay indicated he is unaware of that being the case, if it is so. “Terry’s asked me that, and I have nothing to quantify that with,” Bay told Pat Borzi in the Times. “How do you know? I don’t feel like it has. A lot of people look for a lot of reasons as to why things may or may not have come down as they historically have. Albeit that’s a viable scenario, but I can’t tell you from one day to the next how it felt. Those things did occur, but if I knew the answer, I would have fixed it by now.”

• Young, if he logs 3 2/3 innings pitched today, will reach 100 innings in a season for the first time since 2008. He will receive a $150,000 bonus for achieving that total. Young's contract called for a base salary of $1.1 million. He already has earned $425,000 in bonuses for innings pitched and $750,000 in bonuses for games started. Read more on Young in the Star-Ledger and Record.

• The Mets are expected to start R.A. Dickey, who is bidding for his 19th win, in Monday's series opener against the Phillies at Citi Field. Matt Harvey makes his final 2012 start Tuesday, then Jeurys Familia should get his first major league start Wednesday.

• Andy McCullough notes in the Star-Ledger that Daniel Murphy has made strides as a second baseman. Writes McCullough:

According to advanced defensive metrics, Murphy remains below average at the position. He has cost the team nine runs according to defensive runs saved, an advanced metric which relies on video scouting to determine how much a player’s defense is worth. Only two other National League second baseman, Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks and Houston’s Jose Altuve, have cost their teams more. Murphy also ranks third in baseball in errors by a second baseman. He has made 15. Of course, some of those numbers are fickle. Murphy does look less mechanical in the field. He’s more fluid and less defensive when turning double plays. He was injured last August because he was out of position when an opponent slid into second.

TRIVIA: Which season did the Brewers switch from the American League to the National League?

Saturday's answer: Along with Carlos Gomez, the Mets sent Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to the Minnesota Twins in the Feb. 2, 2008 trade that returned Johan Santana.

Lucas Duda produced an RBI double and solo homer and the Mets snapped Milwaukee's nine-game home winning streak with a 7-3 victory Friday night at Miller Park. The Mets had produced an 0-6 homestand before winning the opener on the road.

Jenrry Mejia now makes his first major league start in exactly two years. He last started against the Pirates on Sept. 15, 2010, before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Mejia,who prefers a starting role, opposes right-hander Shaun Marcum (5-4, 3.71 ERA) at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Saturday's news reports:

• Sandy Alderson told the Post about the staff: “I think the coaching staff has done a solid job. Obviously we haven’t gotten the production out of the bullpen we would have liked, but I am not sure that is related to any coach. But Dan [Warthen] has done a nice job over the last couple of years, and I do believe he has developed a rapport with many of the pitchers.”

The newspaper interprets that to mean the coaching staff should return fully intact. Alderson speaks in lawyer-like fashion though, so that's hardly definitive based on that comment. In fact, it's probably more likely the coaching staff does not return 100 percent intact.

Alderson told the Post that he will discuss the coaches with Terry Collins in the next week to 10 days.

• Mejia had dramatically more success at Triple-A Buffalo this season as a starting pitcher than working in the bullpen, even though he is often projected as a reliever. He had a 2.75 ERA in 10 starts and a 5.48 ERA in 16 relief appearances with the Bisons. Despite the disparity, Wally Backman does not rule out Mejia adapting to bullpen duty. Backman recently noted to ESPNNewYork.com that Mejia contributed 5 1/3 scoreless innings over his final three relief appearances with Buffalo before the Mets returned him to the rotation. Backman figures Mejia may work in relief for the Mets in 2013 if for no other reason than one area of depth with the club is starting pitching.

“You know what? He had never really relieved before, until he got to the big leagues for the short time [in 2010],” Backman said. “They sent him back to Triple-A and he started. And then he got hurt. So this year he started as a starter. And [then] we put him in the bullpen. And, believe it or not, I think it was his last three outings in the bullpen, he was pretty good. Then we all of a sudden started him again. To me, he was figuring it out."

Mejia is scheduled for three starts before the season concludes. Read more in Newsday, the Post, Record and Star-Ledger.

• Read Friday's game recaps in the Times, Star-Ledger, Daily News and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

TRIVIA: Who else was traded by the Mets in the deal that sent now-Brewer Carlos Gomez to Minnesota for Johan Santana?

Friday's answer: Dwight Gooden is the last Met to win the Cy Young Award, in 1985. Gooden went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA that season.

WASHINGTON -- Johan Santana surrendered a grand slam to Michael Morse and two-run homer to Bryce Harper while allowing six-plus runs for a franchise-record fifth straight start. The Mets went on to lose Friday's series opener, 6-4, to the Nationals.

Jon Niese now tries to prevent the Mets from dipping eight games under .500 for the first time since completing last season with a 77-85 record. Niese (9-6, 3.67 ERA) opposes right-hander Edwin Jackson (7-7, 3.74) in today's 7:05 p.m. game at Nationals Park.

Saturday's news reports:

• Pitching coach Dan Warthen briefly mentioned Santana's back during a postgame interview, but Santana insisted he was healthy despite an 8.27 ERA in 10 starts since his June 1 no-hitter. Mets brass likely will huddle to discuss Santana, with shutting down the southpaw among the topics to consider, although it would seem likely Santana gets another opportunity with an extra day of rest Thursday at Citi Field against Colorado. Santana, though, has not been dismissive of shutting down his season before his teammates -- receptiveness that suggests it probably will happen at some point before the Mets wrap up their season in Miami Oct. 3.

Santana noted he began throwing during the offseason six weeks earlier than normal because he was working back from shoulder surgery. Warthen also faulted throwing only three in-game innings during a rehab assignment with Brooklyn for a current lack of stamina.

"The point is there's a light at the end of the tunnel because you know he's healthy," Terry Collins maintained.

Read more on Santana/game recaps in the Post, Times, Newsday, Star-Ledger, Record and Daily News.

• Nats manager Davey Johnson successfully requested Santana cover a shiny portion of his glove -- a maneuver the Mets were sensitive about given R.A. Dickey was instructed to remove bracelets made by his daughters two days earlier in Cincinnati. Read more in Newsday.

• More instantly replay, at least unofficially, is coming to Citi Field this season. Major League Baseball will experiment with technology to determine fair and foul balls. The technology will be tested, not influence game decisions. A competing system will be tested at Yankee Stadium. Writes Jayson Stark at ESPN.com:

"Hawkeye," the camera-based technology used in tennis, will be tested at Citi Field, both during Mets games in September and on off days. A radar-based system, similar to the technology used to track shots in golf telecasts, will be tested at Yankee Stadium. That technology, officials said, has not previously been used to review calls in any sport. Baseball also plans to test both systems during the Arizona Fall League and present the results at the next owners meetings in November. There is no timetable for making a decision on when, or even whether, to begin using one of the two systems to review calls in major-league games, officials said. However, commissioner Bud Selig has said he hopes to expand replay to include fair/foul calls and possibly trap/catch calls as soon as next season.

Collins said pregame Friday that he now supports instant reply for fair/foul calls. "For years and years and years, the answer was no, I wasn't in favor of it," the manager said. "I thought this was a game played by human beings who make mistakes. But now the technology is so good, it can happen so fast, you might as well use it. Get the calls right, because with what's happening now, we're seeing tough calls that can change the course of a pennant race."

Read more in the Star-Ledger, Newsday and Daily News.

• Right-hander Collin McHugh gets the start as Triple-A Buffalo faces Red Sox-affiliated Pawtucket at Fenway Park today, in the seventh-annual "Futures at Fenway" doubleheader. Boston's Class A Lowell team faces Hudson Valley in the first game. McHugh tossed six scoreless innings at Fenway Park last year while pitching for Double-A Binghamton against Portland. “There’s a little bit of awe that takes place when you’re standing out there warming up,” McHugh told Mike Harrington in the Buffalo News. “I’m warming up down the left-field line and the [Green Monster] wall is right over here to my left and I’m looking at it thinking, ‘Whoa, how many balls have been hit and smoked off that wall or over it over the years?’ But you’ve got to be able to calm yourself and focus one pitch at a time.”

• A battle between Cablevision and WPIX could result in Mets fans who have the cable provider being unable to watch this weekend's games, writes Cynthia Littleton in Daily Variety.

• 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo had a grand slam as part of a six-RBI night as Brooklyn beat Tri-City, 12-4. Jenrry Mejia limited Lehigh Valley to one run in six innings and Lucas Duda homered in Buffalo's 4-2 win. Read Friday's full minor league recap here.

• The Mets expect Kirk Nieuwenhuis (right foot) to be available for a September call-up.

• A major league source said Scott Hairston has not been placed on waivers, which would be a prerequisite to trading him, if the Mets were so inclined. Hairston, meanwhile, told ESPNNewYork.com the team has not engaged him in any conversations about an extension.

• Brian Costa in the Journal offers a reminder that it's vital to get Frank Francisco back on track -- the closer is owed $6.5 million next season. Writes Costa:

Entering Friday, in his first season with the Mets, Francisco had a 6.25 ERA and was allowing 1.83 walks and hits per inning. His fielding-independent pitching mark, which removes the impact of defense from the equation, was 4.58. All three of those statistics were the highest among major-league relievers with at least 10 saves. To put it another way, for those not so mathematically inclined, Francisco has been pretty much indisputably the worst closer in baseball. Not coincidentally, the Mets have the worst bullpen in the game, with a 5.10 ERA entering Friday. If it holds through the end of the season, that figure would make this relief corps the worst in franchise history.

Fortunately for the Mets, only one reliever is signed through next season. Unfortunately for the Mets, that is Francisco. He is owed $6.5 million in 2013, up from $5.5 million this year. And it is unlikely the Mets will be able to afford to acquire a better closer and make Francisco a $6.5 million setup man. They have too many other roster needs, don't figure to be flush with cash and have two prospects, Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia, who could develop into closer-types. What the Mets need over the next six weeks, then, is for Francisco to remind them why they signed him in the first place, if only for peace of mind going into 2013.

Read more on Francisco in the Times and Post.

• Jon Rauch, who has picked up a pair of saves this week bailing out Francisco, has allowed one earned run in 14 1/3 innings over his past 20 appearances. Read more on Rauch's recent success in the Record.

• A team official told Andy Martino in the Daily News that 39-year-old lefty reliever C.J. Nitkowski will receive a September call-up "if he keeps doing what he's doing" with Buffalo.

TRIVIA: Which players' numbers did the Montreal Expos retire before relocating to Washington?

Friday's answer: Beyond the current six members of the expanded rotation, Mike Pelfrey, Dillon Gee, Miguel Batista and Chris Schwinden have started games for the Mets this season.

WASHINGTON -- No one was forecasting Johan Santana will be shut down for the season after Friday's latest subpar start. But pitching coach Dan Warthen indicated at the very least that team brass would need to have a "powwow" to discuss the topic. And Santana, rather than be dismissive of that as an option, seemed receptive to halting his season before the end of September if a meeting of minds arrives at that decision.

Santana on Friday became the first pitcher in franchise history to allow six or more earned runs in five straight starts. He insisted his surgically repaired left shoulder is healthy, and assigned the latest damage to bad pitch location on homers to Michael Morse and Bryce Harper.

"You know, my season has been a roller coaster," Santana said after being charged with six runs in five innings as his ERA swelled to 8.27 in 10 starts since his June 1 no-hitter. "A lot of ups and downs. Good days. Bad days. But I'm very positive about everything, because I'm coming back from a major surgery, and I've been able to be out there every five games. ... Right now my shoulder is fine. I don't have any issues with it. It's just that it has been a long season for me."

Would Santana resist if team brass felt it was beneficial to cut short his season to ensure maximum health for 2013? (Santana is due to make $31 million next year, including the buyout of the following season.)

"This is a decision, whatever it will be, it's going to be together. It's not going to be based on me or them," Santana said. "I think it has to be in a way where we'll talk together and see how we feel. Whatever they want to do, as long as it works out for everybody in the long term, I think it will be fine."

Said Warthen about a potential shutdown: "We'll have to talk about that, and we'll have to talk to Johan and see how the body feels, how the arm feels, how he feels mentally. I'm not going to discount anything. I'm not going to say one way or the other. We'll all sit down and have a powwow, I would imagine as soon as we get home and see Sandy [Alderson] and make the discussion and then talk to Johan and see how the back is and everything else -- see how sore he is."

Santana began throwing last offseason on Dec. 15, six weeks earlier than normal, as part of his rehab program, so he may now be gassed. And Santana only had one three-inning rehab assignment with Brooklyn before returning from the DL. He then tossed only 43 pitches in last weekend's start against the Braves. So Santana's pitch count may not be built up enough to have prolonged success in a game just yet.

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SAN DIEGO -- Edinson Volquez forced in a pair of runs on bases-loaded walks in a four-run second inning and Jeremy Hefner limited his former organization to one run in six innings in what's likely his final start for the near term as the Mets beat the Padres, 6-2, Saturday at Petco Park.

On a big pitching day in the system, with Zack Wheeler and Johan Santana scheduled to appear in minor league games, Matt Harvey makes his third major league start in today's finale to an 11-game road trip. The Mets already having secured a winning record on the three-city jaunt. Harvey (1-1, 1.59 ERA) opposes Padres right-hander Jason Marquis (4-6, 4.08 ERA) in the 4:05 p.m. ET game. Harvey's home debut is scheduled for Friday against the Braves.

Sunday's news reports:

• With a five-run cushion in the ninth, Terry Collins tried to avoid using Frank Francisco, because the closer's right lat muscle barks after he is used. But after Bobby Parnell surrendered a ninth-inning homer and allowed two more baserunners to reach, Collins had to summon Francisco, who notched a save in his first appearance since June 22.

• Daniel Murphy went 4-for-4 with a walk, while Mike Baxter walked in each of his five plate appearances, tying a franchise record for bases on balls. Josh Edgin contributed two scoreless relief innings. Read game recaps in the Post, Star-Ledger, Times, Newsday and Daily News.

• Harvey has already demonstrated a baseball sophistication beyond his rookie status, including noticing a teammate tipping pitches and sharing the info with pitching coach Dan Warthen. Writes Andy Martino in the Daily News:

Warthen is on the top step of the dugout, watching one of his pitchers face the D-Backs, but there is something his veteran eye does not catch. Harvey joins him, and points to the mound. “I think his glove flashes a little bit,” the kid tells the lifer. “Do you see that?” This is not a widely known term, but Harvey understands it. When a pitcher comes set and adopts a breaking ball grip, his glove can expand, or “flash,” as his fingers move. As this happens, he tips his pitch to an astute hitter. Warthen looks at the mound, then back at Harvey. The rookie is right. “He’s as old school as he can be,” Warthen says. “Listens, watches, but doesn’t talk a lot. He’s actually a very loquacious young man, but he just follows his instincts and watches the game intently.”

Writes columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post about Harvey:

Harvey keeps a book. That is not unusual. Some of the best pitchers in the game, kept notes on opposing hitters and wrote themselves reminders on how to keep their mechanics in line. Curt Schilling kept just such a journal, using it as a workbook. Harvey keeps his journal on his iPad. He calls it his Pitching Bible. Harvey’s journal is only for him, a reminder of what he must do to have success as a pitcher. After his last outing, Harvey’s notes included this key point, stay more over the pitching rubber, don’t rush. Harvey explained the adjustment to The Post in a quiet corner of the visitor’s clubhouse. “I need to have almost a hesitation, a pause,’’ he said. “Sometimes you jump out too fast before your hand gets out of your glove. Sometimes I will go to the plate and my hand is still in my glove, instead of staying over the rubber and getting a release with that hand and arm.’’

Read more in the Record.

• Santana makes a scheduled three-inning appearance for the Brooklyn Cyclones at 5 p.m. today. Santana will face the Auburn Doubledays, which is actually the New York-Penn League team for which the southpaw made a combined 16 starts during his first two professional seasons, in 1997 and '98, as an Astros farmhand. Santana eventually was a Rule 5 pick out of Houston's minor league system on Dec. 13, 1999, by the Marlins on behalf of the Twins.

With Santana due to return to the majors on Saturday against the Braves, Hefner should be available in the bullpen by Wednesday. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Daily News and Newsday.

• Edgin has been unscored upon in nine straight appearances. Collins said pregame he will be wary of overusing Edgin in Tim Byrdak's absence with a shoulder issue. But the manager said after the rookie tossed two scoreless innings Saturday: “I wanted to win tonight’s game. The way their lineup is set up, those left-handed hitters at the top of the order, I wanted him to face them.” Writes Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger:

The day Josh Edgin’s life changed, he sat in front of a computer, still covered in sweat and grime from a day spent working on a directional boring crew in the swamps of South Carolina. On June 10, 2010, the second day of the MLB Draft, he spent his day laying pipe in the muggy weather, shoveling dirt and batting away gnats. He got paid about $650 a week. He intended to finish out his degree that fall at nearby Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. His career as a mediocre college starter was over. Real life would now begin.

When he got home, he turned on his computer, just to check if his name was called in the draft. With the 902nd pick, early in the 30th round, the Mets chose him. Edgin soon got a call from area scout Marlin MacPhail. Two days later, he recalled, they met at a nearby Chili’s, where he signed a $1,733 bonus and reported a few days after that for work as a pitcher in the lowest rungs of the Mets’ minor-league system, Class A Kingsport.

Read more in the Times, Post and Newsday.

• Wheeler makes his Triple-A debut at 1:05 p.m. today in Buffalo against Syracuse, the top affiliate of the Washington Nationals. "I've just got to go out there and pitch the same game that I've been pitching and get my offspeed over for strikes and early and show them that I have something other than my fastball so they can't just sit on that," Wheeler told Amy Moritz in the Buffalo News. "Hopefully it will work out for me. ... You know, I'm a hard-throwing guy. This offseason I worked hard to develop my off-speed pitches, getting those over for strikes early in the count so you can kind of put them away a little bit later. My slider's come a long way, and that goes well with my fastball and helps me strike out a lot of guys."

• Wally Backman was suspended three games for his incident with Syracuse manager Tony Beasley during Friday's Triple-A game. Watch the video here.

• 2012 first-round pick Gavin Cecchini suffered a fractured tip of his middle finger Wednesday when he was struck with a pitch while playing for Kingsport. The Louisiana prep product's season may be over.

• Chris Schwinden tossed six scoreless innings and Lucas Duda had an RBI double in Buffalo's 1-0 win against Syracuse. Greg Peavey tossed his second career complete game in Binghamton's win in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Read Saturday's full minor league report here.

• The Mets plan to introduce the logos for the Citi Field-hosted 2013 All-Star Game during a press conference Tuesday. However, at least one of the primary images apparently has made its way onto the internet. Items with the logo apparently already have been on display at the Mets' team store in Manhattan. Check it out via The Mets Police here.

• Mike Kerwick in the Record catches up with Don Bosco product C.J. Nitkowski, who is attempting a comeback as a sidearm reliever at age 39 with Binghamton.

TRIVIA: When Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran collided in right-center on Aug. 11, 2005 at Petco Park, who was the third starting outfielder that day?

Saturday's answer: Baxter was drafted by the Padres in the fourth round in '05 out of Vanderbilt. He began his college career at Columbia.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Scott Hairston hit a game-tying homer in the eighth, then a go-ahead homer in the 10th and the Mets narrowly held on to beat the Giants, 8-7, Monday night at AT&T Park.

Tuesday's news reports:

• Hairston remains a Met as the trade deadline approaches at 4 p.m. ET today. And Terry Collins expects the same roster tonight, for Game 2 of the series against the Giants. Read more in the Record.

• No matter what happens with Hairston, Matt Harvey is set for his second major league start. Harvey faces Tim Lincecum on Tuesday night. Count columnist Bob Klapisch in the Record among those impressed with Harvey. Writes Klapisch:

Harvey isn’t just some overhyped prospect being pimped by desperate ownership. To the contrary: Rival executives believe the 23-year-old right-hander is the most gifted rookie pitcher the Mets have produced since Doc Gooden. Granted, that’s a crazy endorsement for a kid who’s made exactly one major league start. But Harvey’s debut against the Diamondbacks last week was that breathtaking -- 11 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, featuring a fastball that ranged between 95-98 mph. Only Stephen Strasburg, David Price and Jeff Samardzija have better average velocity than what Harvey unleashed against Arizona. And his success wasn’t just married to pure heat. Harvey practically destroyed hitters with an 88-90 mph slider that one talent evaluator called, “unhittable” because of its blistering spin rate.

Said Dan Warthen to columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post: “I’d like to see a little more mixture of his pitches. I’d like to see him throw more changeups to the 3-4-5 hitters. If he throws 10 a game, I’m very happy. There is no reason for him to throw changeups to the 7-8 hitters where his stuff is better than them. I’d also like to see him command his fastball a little bit better.’’

Read more on Harvey in Newsday and the Record.

• Andres Torres was greeted warmly by Giants fans, then was forced to leave Monday's game in the eighth inning because he was unable to swing from the left side of the plate due to a right thumb injury suffered three innings earlier. Ex-Met Angel Pagan suffered a hand injury too, although Pagan's apparently was self-inflicted in frustration.

Meanwhile, who won the Torres/Ramon Ramirez-for-Pagan trade? Probably the Giants, but it's nothing to shout from the top of Nob Hill about. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Frank Francisco's rehab assignment for a strained left oblique will resume with scheduled outings Tuesday and Wednesday with Double-A Binghamton. Johan Santana is expected to throw a bullpen session Thursday for the first time since landing on the disabled list.

• Mike Baxter had a pinch-hit single in the 10th in his return from a separated shoulder. Baxter should be in the starting lineup tonight against Lincecum. Read more in the Post and Newsday.

• Josh Edgin picked up his first major league win and Manny Acosta ended up with the save despite issuing two walks and surrendering a run in the 10th. Read game recaps in the Times, Newsday, Post, Star-Ledger, Record and Daily News.

• Jason Bay snapped an 0-for-23 drought, one shy of matching his career high, in the victory. Read more in the Times.

• Jenrry Mejia went three innings and tossed 57 pitches in return to a starting role with Triple-A Buffalo. Read Monday's full minor league recap here.

• Zack Wheeler's Triple-A debut is expected to occur Sunday, after one final start for Binghamton tonight.

TRIVIA: Which players went unused by Collins in Monday's 10-inning win.

Monday's answer: Ike Davis was the last Met to have a multi-homer game against San Francisco. Davis homered against Matt Cain and Santiago Casilla on July 17, 2010.