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We’re 35 games into the season and there are all sorts of ways by which we could evaluate how the Mets offense and pitching are faring.

But what about their defense?

Let’s take a closer look at the Mets from that perspective, using both some basic statistics, and some advanced work from Baseball Info Solutions (BIS), a company that charts games for major league teams and media.

BIS, a company based just outside Allentown, Pa., tracks every play of every game in multiple ways.

It compiles data for a stat known as Defensive Runs Saved, which measures a fielder’s ability to turn batted balls into outs and succeed at other skills pertinent to his position (such as having a deterrent throwing arm, turning double plays, or successfully defending bunts).

It also has a group of video scouts who tag plays into categories – about 30 categories of Good Fielding Plays (which they call GFPs) and 50 categories of Defensive Misplays & Errors (DM & E).

Thirty five games is not meant to be a predictive sample, but it does allow us enough to make a basic assessment of what has happened.

The Mets Have Some Imperfections
The Mets may have overachieved on the mound and at the plate to get to 20-15, but they’ve underachieved in the field.

The Mets rank second-worst in the majors in Defensive Runs Saved this season with their defense viewed as having cost the team 23 runs.

The primary reason for that is that they rank third-worst in Defensive Efficency, a stat tracked by Baseball Prospectus, that shows how often the defense turns batted balls into outs. The Mets have done so on 69 percent of batted balls against them.

An average team will have a defensive efficiency of 71 to 72 percent. The difference comes out to about one play per game. Over a full season, that adds up.

In 2010 and 2011, 20 of the 27 teams to finish with winning records finished in the Top 15 in defensive efficiency. The teams that finished in the bottom five averaged 70 wins.

The Mets have two issues that are likely going to force their pitchers to get extra outs this season, both on the right side of the diamond.

Lucas Duda is having a very difficult time in right field and the BIS video trackers have not been kind.

Duda has been credited with just one GFP and, after his miscue Monday led to two extra bases on a single that rolled by him, he now has eight DM&E.

A good rightfielder will have about a 1:1 ratio. Duda isn’t close. Duda also rates below average when it comes to deterring runners from taking an extra base on base hits and fly balls.

Those misplays play a part in his ranking fifth-worst in the majors and worst among right fielders with –8 Defensive Runs Saved.

The other problem the Mets have is in converting double plays, though this is something that has looked better to the eye recently.

Second baseman Daniel Murphy has made significant improvements to his pivots and flips in the last week, but still lags behind the best in double play conversions (situations in which he was either a pivot or relay man with a man on first base and less than two outs).

He has converted 13 out of 30. The average second baseman turns them at a rate such that he’d have converted 19. Murphy still has a ways to go.

But there has been improvement and sometimes it takes awhile for the numbers to catch up and recognize that.

Murphy had three misplays related to attempting to convert a double play in his first four games of the season. He hasn’t had any since then.

But They Have Two Gold Glove Candidates…
Two Mets have played very good defense this season. One has been heralded for this quite a bit, David Wright. The other is pitcher R.A. Dickey,

A revision of BIS’s scoring system gave Dickey the lead among pitchers in Defensive Runs Saved last season with 10. He has two already this season, putting him on pace for similar numbers.

Dickey put on as solid a defensive display as a pitcher can in Saturday’s win, with three assists and a putout, including perfect execution of a tag play at third base and the trapping of another runner off second after fielding a comebacker.

That earned him a video montage on that night’s Baseball Tonight and praise from analyst Rick Sutcliffe.

"When you don't throw 90 miles-per-hour, you have to do the little things," Sutcliffe said that night. "R.A. does just that."

Dickey nearly broke the Mets 49-year-old record for assists by a pitcher last season with his MLB-leading 58. He’s already totaled 14 in his seven starts in 2011, tied with Mark Buehrle and Justin Masterson for most in the majors.


Wright has been far better through the first 35 games of 2012 than he has been in recent seasons.

Wright has made six GFPs in the last four games, giving him 16 for the season. Saturday, he earned a Web Gem (and a GFP) on Saturday for his perfect throw from foul territory that retired Marlins leftfielder Austin Kearns.

His latest GFP was the diving stop on Norichi Aoki in the eighth inning of Monday’s win over the Brewers.

Wright’s Good Play/Misplay ratio is 2-to-1 (16 GFP, 8 DM&E), far better than his 31 GFP, 32 DM&E tally last season and among the best in the game. It's on par with the player considered the NL's best defender-- Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

The biggest difference from last season to this season has been in Wright’s throwing arm, which has been repeatedly praised on game telecasts for being sharper.

Wright had 10 throw-related DM&E last season and had two in his first six games in 2012. But he’s had just one in his last 26.

The one blemish for Wright is that he’s average when it comes to Defensive Runs Saved, as he has 0 this season.

The average Mets fan would likely disagree with that and something to watch over the last 127 games will be how that number bounces around with the visible improvements Wright has made.

The Shift is Working
You’re going to hear a lot about shifts this week, because the Mets are playing two teams -– the Brewers and Blue Jays -– who use it a lot.

But the Mets have also employed it a decent amount. BIS tracks defensive shifting with video review and ranks the Mets 12th in shifts used with 31 (about one per game), all against left-handed hitters.

BIS breaks this down further, noting that the Mets have used the “Ted Williams Shift” against a batted ball 17 times this season.

That’s a shift in which the shortstop or third baseman plays behind or to the right of second base, and the second baseman moves into shallow right field.

That defensive alignment worked in that it got outs on three of four line drives hit against it, and 11 of 13 ground balls.

The strategy has been to use it against the most extreme pull hitters, like Braves catcher Brian McCann, who had three ground outs and two line outs into the shift earlier this season.

Defensive Storylines to Watch
A few defensive storylines are still in development mode for the Mets. We’ll check in on those later this season.

1-- How the Mets fare in centerfield. Angel Pagan’s penchant for letting balls bounce off his glove and roll away led to the Mets ranking well below average in just about every metric related to this position last season.

So far, the combo of Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Andres Torres have rated about average, with the most egregious miscue being Nieuwenhuis’s misplay of a potential game-ending blooper against the Giants. He does rank among the leaders in the majors in Web Gems with three.

2-- How the Mets fare against basestealers. The Mets have allowed 30 steals this season, tied for fifth-most in the majors. They’ve nailed 23 percent of attempts, tied for seventh-worst among the 30 teams.

3-- How Ike Davis handles first base. Davis has rated about average so far in Defensive Runs Saved and Good Play/Misplay Ratio (11 GFP, 5 DM&E).

Davis’ trademark, his ability to snatch foul balls on the verge of going into stands, has happened twice this season. He and Travis Ishikawa are the two first baseman credited with a pair of GFP for such a play.

In-Depth runs every Tuesday

A tight groin couldn't keep Miguel Batista from pitching a gem.

Batista tossed seven scoreless innings and picked up his first win of the year in the Mets' 3-1 victory over the Brewers Monday night. He yielded just four hits and beat the Brewers for the first time 1999, when he was with the Montreal Expos.

Batista said he's had the groin issue for about five to six days and it hasn't improved or regressed. He can feel the pull, but there is no pain. He's going to keep an eye on it and the doctor told him they will evaluate how he's feeling Tuesday. Batista spoke to reporters with a wrap around his left leg and groin after the game.

During the game, Mets manager Terry Collins noticed Batista limping and was concerned about the 41-year-old. Batista quickly assured his manager that everything was OK.

"I told him it's been going on for a while so don't worry about it," Batista said.

While Collins said he pulled Batista because the starter's groin started to tighten up, the 41-year-old had already thrown 108 pitches. Milwaukee did not manage many well-hit balls against Batista, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against him.

"He struggled early with his command, he was behind a lot, but he made key pitches when he had to and what he does is he has the ability to expand the strike zone," Collins said. "When he needs it, he makes a quality pitch."

THE SQUEEZE: The Mets executed a perfect suicide squeeze in the sixth.

With the Mets leading 1-0 with Daniel Murphy on third and one out, Ronny Cedeno faked a bunt on the first pitch. After seeing that, Collins called for the squeeze, believing he could take advantage of the situation. Cedeno laid down a beautiful bunt to the left of pitcher's mound and Murphy scored before opposing pitcher Yovani Gallardo could make a play.

"The execution was perfect," Collins said. "I had the right guy at the plate. I don't there is a better execution of fundamentals of the game than Ronny Cedeno. He's as good as it gets."

BAY CLEARED: Left fielder Jason Bay has been cleared to resume baseball activities and will begin those tomorrow. He has a fractured left rib and believes he'll head down to Florida to start working with Single-A St. Lucie after the Mets conclude this four-game homestand Thursday. He's been out of action for more than three weeks but said he feels better.

He expects his rehab to be a progression, including running and hitting, although he's not sure exactly what activities will take place and when. Collins said Bay will play in some minor league rehab games before he returns to Flushing.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets rebounded from a disappointing series in Miami to beat the Brewers 3-1 at Citi Field on Monday night.

BACK AT IT: Before the game, Mets manager Terry Collins said he would stick with Frank Francisco as the closer. Francisco was tagged for two losses over the weekend and blew a save against the Marlins, giving up five earned runs over 2/3 innings in two games.

Collins said the team wanted to see if Francisco could make some changes, but it did not appear they worked too well Monday. He entered the game in the ninth to protect a 3-0 lead, coming out to a chorus of boos. Three of the first four Milwaukee batters reached, including a RBI single by Cory Hart, and Milwaukee brought the go-ahead run to the plate twice.

He struck out Brook Conrad looking for the second out and retired George Kottaras on a long fly to right-center to end the game.

BATISTA'S BRILLIANCE: Miguel Batista pitched one of the team's best games of the year as he held the Brewers scoreless over seven. He gave up just four hits, and Milwaukee did not hit many balls hard during the course of those seven innings.

The Mets had been searching for some consistency out of the spot in the rotation vacated by Mike Pelfrey, and Batista has been been able to provide that. In his two starts since joining the rotation, he's tossed 12-1/3 innings and surrendered just two runs against two playoff teams from 2011. He recorded his first win of the year.

THE DANIEL MURPHY SHOW: Daniel Murphy provided almost all of the offense on this night. His RBI single gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the fourth and he scored the team's second run on a suicide squeeze by Ronny Cedeno in the sixth. His grounder to second in the eighth ultimately led to a run, although it was more luck than anything else. Read on ...

WHEN IT'S GOING GOOD, IT'S GOING GOOD: In the eighth, David Wright was caught in a rundown trying to score on Murphy's grounder. As he tried to run to home, Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez simply dropped the ball and Wright scored to make it 3-0. Wright's hitting .398.

QUITE CHILLY: Ryan Braun was booed heavily on Monday night, his first appearance in Flushing since he tested positive for elevated testosterone this offseason. Braun went 1-for-4. Former closer Francisco Rodriguez also received a chorus of boos when he was introduced.

BACK IN ACTION: First baseman Ike Davis and third base coach Tim Teufel both missed Sunday's game with the flu, but they were back at it Monday. Davis went 0-for-4.

UP NEXT: The Mets will go for the sweep of this two-game series when Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.78 ERA) takes on former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.35) at 7:10 p.m.

The Mets went an improbable 5-1 in the past week and won series from two teams that made the 2011 postseason. Let's review their accomplishments, with help from Baseball-Reference.com here.

Stat of the Week
Elias reports that the Mets' sweep of the Phillies was the third time in team history that the Mets won a road series of at least three games despite trailing in each of those games. The others were in July 1986 in Cincinnati and in August-September 1987 in San Diego.

Snake Charmers

The Mets won two of three games from the Diamondbacks last weekend, bouncing back from a series-opening loss to take the last two games.

By doing so, the Mets won their third homestand of the season, albeit this one a three-gamer. They won only three homestands over the entire 2011 season.

With his win Saturday, Johan Santana improved to 3-0 for his career against the Diamondbacks. He’s halfway to the most consecutive wins to start a career against the Diamondbacks. Roy Oswalt and Tim Hudson each started 6-0 in their careers against Arizona.

Santana yielded only two ground balls in the game, matching the fewest he’d allowed in any start as a Met. The only other Mets start in which he allowed only two grounders was Opening Day in 2009, when he gave up only two in a 2-1 win over the Reds.

In addition to getting the win Sunday, R.A. Dickey survived another game without striking out as a hitter. Dickey has not struck out in his first six starts in 2012.

Dickey and Dwight Gooden are the only pitchers in Mets history to have their first six appearances of the season, all as a starting pitcher, all be strikeout-free. Gooden did so in both the 1984 and 1987 seasons.

In the series finale, the Mets won in a tidy 2:16. It was the second-shortest game in the history of the Mets-Diamondbacks rivalry, surpassed only by a 5-0 Mets win June 10, 2006 (2:14).

The Mets ended this series not having homered in six straight games, far from the club record of 17 straight games without a homer.

Let’s go for a 'Spin
Elias reports that Jordany Valdespin is the first player whose first career hit was a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later since Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins on June 20, 2003 (versus Tampa Bay).

That earned our Mets Moment of the Week status and gave us a chance to look back at other Mets pinch-hit homer notes.

It marked the 27th time the Mets got a go-ahead pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning or later. The Mets didn’t have any from 2006 to 2010, but now have them in consecutive seasons. Scott Hairston hit one last July 8 against Giants closer Brian Wilson.


It was the first go-ahead pinch-hit home run to drive in at least three runs in the ninth inning or later since Benny Agbayani’s pinch-hit grand slam in the second game of the 2000 season in Japan, the first to drive in exactly three since a walk-off home run by Jim Tatum against the Astros in 1998.

Valdespin hit the home run against a split-fingered fastball. Only two other Mets in the past four seasons have golfed a splitter located knee-high or below for a home run. The other two were Gary Sheffield in 2009 and Daniel Murphy last season.

Lastly, Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has now given up five go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later against New York teams. Two have been to Mets (Omir Santos in 2009 and Valdespin). Three were against the other New York team (whose players we won’t mention here).

Ful’Phil’ing Victories
The Mets rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Phillies 7-4 on Tuesday. The 10th comeback win of the season marked the first time in team history that the Mets won 10 of their first 30 games in come-from-behind fashion.

The last time the Mets trailed AND were being shut out by four or more runs in Philadelphia and came back to win was May 15, 1999, when they rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win in Philadelphia 9-7. The Mets won that day despite Mike Piazza hitting into a triple play.

The Mets completed the sweep with a 10-6 win in Philadelphia in the series finale Wednesday. It gave them their first sweep of a series of three or more games in Philadelphia since 2006.

The Mets won all three games by at least three runs, the first time they’ve won three straight games in the same series in Philadelphia, all by three runs or more.

Be like Ike
Ike Davis shook out of a slump with a three-run home run against Jose Contreras. The homer came against a pitch that was middle of the plate, knee-high.

That’s the one spot he’s done well this season. Davis is 7-for-15 this season in at-bats that ended with a pitch located knee-high in the middle of the plate. He has a combined nine hits in all other areas of the strike zone.

The chart on the right shows Davis’ performance by strike-zone location this season.

Joshing Around
On Tuesday, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton became the 16th player to hit four home runs in a game. There was a Mets connection to this one. The last home run came against former Mets reliever Darren O’Day.

Prior to Hamilton, the last three players with a four-homer game all went on to play for the Mets -- Mike Cameron, Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado. Two other “eventual Mets” also had a four-homer game -- Gil Hodges and Willie Mays.

There is a Mets pitching connection to each of the past four four-homer games.

Jon Rauch, then with the White Sox, allowed Cameron’s first home run while pitching for the 2002 White Sox. Green’s first of four home runs came against Glendon Rusch, who was a member of the 2002 Brewers. Future Met Jorge Sosa allowed the first two of Delgado’s home runs while pitching for the 2003 Rays.

The Mets have never had a four-homer game. They’ve had eight three-homer games. Six Mets -- Jim Hickman, Dave Kingman, Claudell Washington, Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter and Edgardo Alfonzo -- hit three homers in a game and had at least one other plate appearance with a chance at a fourth, but failed to hit it.

Vintage Metsiemetric of the Week
The Mets won the last two games of the Diamondbacks series without recording an extra-base hit. They hadn’t won back-to-back games without recording an extra-base hit since May 1995.

The Mets have registered back-to-back wins without recording an extra-base hit eight times.

Our weekly time-machine trip takes us to the first instance -- June 10 and 11, 1968, when they beat the Dodgers, 1-0 and 3-0 in Los Angeles. The Mets combined for 16 singles in those two games, winning on the strength of shutouts from Tom Seaver and Dick Selma.

In conversations with other teams at the GM Meetings in Milwaukee this week, a source confirmed the Mets informed other teams that Daniel Murphy is "available."

That does not mean Murphy ultimately will be traded, but does explain why Sandy Alderson did not fully commit to Murphy being the primary second baseman assuming Jose Reyes departs and Ruben Tejada becomes Reyes' successor at shortstop.

Still, the expectation is Murphy remains a Met and, in fact, emerges as the second baseman. Despite twice getting injured manning second base, Murphy's bat is an asset. Even more valuable is Murphy's salary. He is not yet eligible for arbitration, meaning his salary will be close to the major league minimum.

In revealing the Mets are making Murphy available, an executive from another team cautioned that his organization will leave Milwaukee with the names of roughly 100 players who are "available" around baseball. For most of those players, nothing materializes trade-wise.

Murphy, by the way, recently expressed confidence the Grade 2 strain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee that he suffered in early August is largely behind him. He did not require surgery.

Daniel Murphy will appear alongside Shane Victorino and Clay Buchholz on next Friday's episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Here is the official press release with details:

TY PENNINGTON AND JEWEL HOST

“EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION VETERANS DAY SPECIAL”

BENEFITING VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11

The Entertainment Industry Foundation Enlists Whoopi Goldberg, George Lopez, J.R. Martinez, Rachael Ray, Sherri Shepherd, Robin Williams and Major League Baseball players Clay Buchholz, Daniel Murphy, Shane Victorino To Participate in the Broadcast and Encourage Donations Benefiting Veterans Groups

ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is teaming up with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to present a one-hour special, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition A Veterans Day Special,” airing on Veterans Day, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network. Hosts Ty Pennington and singer/songwriter Jewel, will take us back to some of the most heartwarming military stories featured over the years. The EMHE crew will also pay a visit to select heroic families to find out what they’ve been up to since the makeover and how they are paying it forward by helping their fellow veterans. The special will culminate in a celebratory event that will feature an audience of active-duty service members and veterans in addition to a live musical performance by Jewel.

Throughout the episode, celebrities will shine a light on issues veterans face after serving in the military, as well as the strengths and skills returning veterans bring to the work force and their communities. The Veterans Day program will include appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, George Lopez, J.R. Martinez, Rachael Ray, Sherri Shepherd, Robin Williams and Major League Baseball (MLB) players Daniel Murphy of the Mets, Shane Victorino of the Phillies and Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox. The celebrities will encourage the public to donate via phone and web at www.riseandhonor.org.

Net proceeds raised during this one-hour special will benefit the following veteran-serving organizations: Fisher House Foundation, Hire Heroes USA, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, USO (United Service Organizations), Volunteers of America, and Welcome Back Veterans. These organizations provide vital services and support to our nations veterans and their families including housing, job placement, career readiness, health care, rehabilitation and mental health treatment. This television event is made possible due to the generous support of ABC, The Clorox Company and MLB.

“We are thrilled to partner with ABC and the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ team to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Entertainment Industry Foundation President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. “We hope this inspiring program will rally Americans to give back to our military families and support organizations that provide vital services to our veterans and their families.”

“We’ve highlighted the difficult struggles our veterans often face when returning home. We are so proud to take this a step further with a moving tribute to our nation’s heroes, while inspiring Americans to give back to those who’ve given our country so much,” said George Verschoor, Executive Producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” "In 200 episodes, we've seen thousands of armed forces volunteer to help us rebuild homes and lives. Now we're thrilled to be able to honor all veterans with this television special,” said Brady Connell, Executive Producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Less than one percent of America’s men and women currently serve in our military. For many, the return to civilian life is marked with physical and emotional wounds. As of June 30, 2010, Veterans Affairs treated 594,000 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran patients. Of those, 295,000 were diagnosed with at least one mental health condition such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In addition, some face a grim economic reality. As recently as January 2011, the unemployment rate among veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was 15 percent; that’s nearly double the national average. Furthermore, their sacrifice extends beyond themselves to their families as more than 700,000 children have experienced one or more parental deployments.

“All across the country, we have talented and dedicated veterans who have been unemployed for far too long,” said Hilda Solis, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. “These service men and women are right here and ready to get back to work. They just need a little help from all of us to find a good job at a fair wage and successfully transition from military to civilian life. We applaud ABC and the Entertainment Industry Foundation for broadcasting this special show to raise awareness of the needs of our returning veterans and their families.”

EIF, in collaboration with ABC, hopes to raise funds to combat challenges facing our veterans as well as educate Americans on how they can support our heroes through
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition A Veterans Day Special.” For more information and to make a donation to support veterans and military families, please visit www.riseandhonor.org.

ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION

The Entertainment Industry Foundation, as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.

ABOUT EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION

The Emmy Award winning reality program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, now in its 9^th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Fridays from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

ABOUT FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION

The foundation builds “comfort homes” on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times- during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness and disease, or injury. Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 12,000 families and has provided more than 3 million days of lodging to family members since 1990.

ABOUT HIRE HEROES USA (HHUSA)

HHUSA offers transition assistance, job search assistance and job placement services to those who have honorably served in the US military and their spouses.

ABOUT INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND (IFHF)

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. Begun in 2000 under the auspices of the Intrepid Museum Foundation and established as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, the Fund has provided close to $120 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans.

ABOUT USO

The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times a year at hundreds of places worldwide. A private, nonprofit organization, the USO provides a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. It also provides critical support to forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.

ABOUT VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA (VOA)

Volunteers of America is a national, faith-based organization dedicated to helping America's most vulnerable groups—including seniors, at-risk youth, the homeless and disabled-- to rebuild their lives. Responding in particular to the challenges facing female veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, many of whom suffer Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Volunteers of America is building housing villages for female veterans whose families are at risk of disruption. Single mothers and other female veterans who are finding it difficult to transition back in to civilian life are targeted and provided support services on site.

ABOUT WELCOME BACK VETERANS (WBV)

Welcome Back Veterans is a MLB Charities initiative, in partnership with the Robert R.McCormick Foundation, designed to support returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families in helping them make a successful transition to civilian life. The program is supported by MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network. Welcome Back Veterans has granted $12 million in grants to non-profit agencies targeting veterans’ and their families’ greatest needs, focusing on treatment and research of PTSD and TBI. Beneficiaries include the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, which is dedicated to providing free and confidential clinical care and support services to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Funds have been contributed by MLB and McCormick Foundation, including funds raised through auctions of game-used products and a donation of sales from Stars & Stripes caps.

Terry Collins’ plan for Lucas Duda in 2012?

“Right now I’m looking at Lucas Duda as the right fielder -- as of tonight,” Collins said.

The manager did allow for the possibility of flipping Jason Bay to right field and Duda to left field, but did not portray that as the most likely scenario.

If the arbitration-eligible Angel Pagan is nontendered after making $3.5 million this season, the likelihood is the Mets go outside the organization for a center fielder.

Collins explicitly said he had no interest in Bay in center field flanked by Daniel Murphy and Duda.

“I’m not sure I could see that,” Collins said.

There’s a whole winter of potential trades to go, but if Jose Reyes departs, it stands to reason Ruben Tejada mans shortstop and Murphy gets second. If Reyes stays? Well, it becomes more interesting.

“I wish I could answer it,” Collins said about Murphy’s position. “I just know he’s going to be somewhere. I don’t know where it’s going to be yet, but I’ve got to get his bat in the lineup. I think there’s a chance to have some changes on the club that I just think there’s going to be a place. I don’t know where it is yet.”

• Josh Satin is confirmed to play for Caracas in Venezuela this winter. Satin hopes to play the outfield rather than first base, to become more versatile for a potential 2012 utility role.

• Jason Bay was back in Friday’s lineup after missing all three games in St. Louis due to illness.

Seems like eons ago, but the Mets did have a second-base competition in spring training -- even if it seemed preordained Brad Emaus would be the victor. After all, Emaus was selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Toronto Blue Jays, the organization for which J.P. Ricciardi previously served as general manager. And it was an opportunity for the front office to prove its wisdom in addition to the previous attachment to Emaus.

Assuming Jose Reyes does re-sign with the Mets, and assuming Lucas Duda continues to show the capacity to man right field -- certainly both plausible assumptions -- another second-base competition is setting up for spring training 2012.

Three familiar faces presumably would be in the mix: Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada.

Murphy ranked fifth in the National League in batting average at .320 at the time he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee after getting slid into by Atlanta speedster Jose Constanza at Citi Field on Aug. 7. Murphy officially will drop from the league-leader list after five more Mets games, when he no longer has the 3.1 plate appearances per team game required.

Bottom line: Murphy’s bat needs to be in the lineup somewhere in 2012.

Terry Collins left open the possibility of the Mets revisiting using Murphy in the outfield. But if the manager studies his Mets history books, he may think again about that remark. Regardless, assuming Ike Davis is OK for the start of next season, which the Mets maintain will be the case -- surgery or no surgery -- that likely pushes Duda to right field and keeps Murphy in the infield. (Duda is likely to play winter ball in right field for Tim Teufel-managed Caracas in Venezuela this offseason.)

Murphy is an ideal piece for the 2012 Mets, even if he has fielding shortcomings. He will only have two years, 109 days of major league service time after this season -- keeping him short of being arbitration-eligible and ensuring his salary remains set by the team, likely under $500,000. (Murphy is on the major league DL this year and accumulating service time. Last year, however, the Mets took him off a rehab assignment and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo shortly before he suffered a serious knee injury with the Bisons, when Nationals farmhand Leonard Davis slid into him at second base. So Murphy was treated as a minor leaguer rather than a rehabbing major leaguer and did not gain MLB service time while injured during the second half of 2010.)

Turner, meanwhile, was snubbed for a September call-up last season, then was dispatched to Buffalo out of spring training this year. Yet he has emerged as one of the more popular Mets among the fan base. Turner has proven he can handle the majors and should be a component of the 2012 roster. Still, he could end up in more of a reserve role.

Turner has gotten particularly beat up this season, so team insiders wonder if he might be better served having a part-time role. As his RBI knack suggests, Turner could be a valuable right-handed bat for the bench. And he certainly would be capable of spelling Murphy at second base against some left-handers and could get limited starts at third base should David Wright require rest.

Turner has fewer major league service days than Murphy, also making him cost-effective at less than $500,000 in 2012.

Of course, if Reyes does return and Collins sticks to his articulated plan of limiting him to 150 games in an attempt to guard against injury, that means the Mets will need a bona fide backup shortstop. Turner certainly can fill in for a half or full game at points, but starting 12 games or so a season at shortstop probably is asking too much given his range.

Does that mean there’s a place for Ruben Tejada?

Collins recently said he cannot foresee Tejada as a backup next season -- that at age 22 next season Tejada would be better served playing every day in Triple-A. But Collins said Tejada’s recent play certainly would force him into the second-base competition in spring training. And with Reyes back from the DL, Tejada will share time at second base with Turner the remainder of this season.

Of course, all this talk can change in a heartbeat. If Davis were not to be ready for Opening Day, perhaps Murphy shuffles to first base.

Injuries always change plans.

Remember spring training 2010? The debate was who would claim the last roster spot between Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto. It turned out both made the team when Murphy suffered the first of his spate of knee injuries during the final week of spring training, while in a rundown.

“In-depth” appears Tuesdays during the regular season

Ruben Tejada's second error on Thursday allowed the San Diego Padres to score the go-ahead run and split a four-game series with the Mets. The Mets now open a weekend series at Arizona, which leads the National League West. Read the series preview here.

Friday's news reports:

• Angel Pagan hopes to return from back spasms Friday.

• Justin Turner analyzes Daniel Murphy's technique on the play Murphy injured his left knee. Turner tells David Lennon in Newsday: "I drop my left knee down all the time, and I think the difference between when I drop my knee down and what (Murphy) did is he didn't get his knee all the way on the ground. "His knee was kind of up in limbo, so when he got slid into, that really wrenched his knee. When I put my knee down, my knee is on the ground, so when they slide into me, they're sliding into me -- my knee is not going to go anywhere."

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

• David Wright says there's no need to check out the wild-card or division standings. Writes Larry Brooks in the Post:

David Wright says he isn't going to spend much time at all peeking at the standings, and that's probably a very good idea given the cold reality the Mets haven't been this far out of first place at this point of the season since 2003, which was the first year of the brief Art Howe Era (pronounced Error) and a year before the third baseman's major league debut. "When you're in the position we're in right now, it doesn't matter what anybody else is doing, you just have to win games," Wright said after yesterday's 3-2 defeat to the Padres that put the lid on both a disappointing 3-6 homestand and on any talk of mounting a charge at the wild-card playoff berth. "If you look at the standings, you just see what an uphill battle we face."

BIRTHDAY: Barry Manuel, who appeared in 19 games in relief during the 1997 season, was born in 1965.

The Mets overcame a two-run deficit in the ninth against ex-Met Heath Bell to defeat the San Diego Padres, 9-8, and return to .500.

Tuesday's news reports:

• Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy officially landed on the disabled list, with Ruben Tejada and Mike Baxter taking those roster spots.

• How will Reyes' value as a free agent be affected by two DL trips in a month for a left hamstring strain? Intuitively, it has to drive down his price and improve the Mets' chances of re-signing the shortstop, right? Well, since it only takes one team to be super-aggressive, or even reckless, a major league executive is not so sure. "I think it will have a minor impact," a front-office executive from another club predicted. "Teams get crazy in free agency. And the tools, upside, positional scarcity still remain. It only takes one team. And it's hard to make the case that Carl Crawford as a left fielder had more upside than Reyes as a shortstop, especially if he wins a batting title."

• David Lennon in Newsday notes the contrasting spins of the two parties who will be negotiating when bidding commences after the season -- Reyes' camp minimizing the issue and the Mets noting recurring injuries are part of Reyes' package.

Agent Peter Greenberg told reporters at Citi Field on Monday: "He's not Cal Ripken, but I think he's been a lot healthier than a lot of people give him credit for. When he's out of the lineup, obviously the team misses him, so it gets blown out of proportion because he is so important to the team. I think if you look over the course of time and compare him to a lot of players, he's as healthy or healthier than a lot of players in the league."

Said GM Sandy Alderson: "This is definitely a setback for him and for us, but as with all players, you've got to accept certain aspects of their performance, their makeup, their physical characteristics and evaluate it accordingly."

• Andy McCullough quotes Reyes in the Star-Ledger saying: “You see Carl Crawford this year? He pulled a hamstring, too. It can happen to anybody.”

• Murphy could wind up in the outfield next season. Basically, assuming Ike Davis is healthy and nothing disrupts David Wright's tenure with the club, the open positions would be second base or outfield. Murphy said the left knee MCL tear is less severe than the right knee MCL tear he suffered last season at Triple-A Buffalo, so he knows this story will have a positive ending. "I know how this story ends," Murphy said. "My right knee felt great this year. I know that this injury isn’t as severe. So I know I’ll be back."

Watch video of Murphy discussing his injury and future here.

Read more on Murphy/Reyes in Newsday, the Post and Star-Ledger.

• Lucas Duda had the two-run walk-off single. Read game coverage in the Times, Record, Newsday, Post and Daily News.

• The Queens native Baxter, a waiver claim from the Padres, had a run-scoring double in the eighth inning in his first Mets at-bat. Baxter won a CHSAA championship in 2002 at Shea Stadium with Archbishop Molloy. He then attended Columbia University for a year before transferring to Vanderbilt, where he played with current Rays pitcher David Price. Read more in the Post and Times.

• Jason Bay became the third Canadian to reach 200 homers. He became the first player to hit No. 200 of his career in a Mets uniform since Carlos Beltran on Aug. 26, 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

• Alderson said Mets staff will reconvene Wednesday or Thursday to put a plan in place for Johan Santana, who will not resume throwing at least until then.

• Gary Carter's next MRI at Duke University will be on Oct. 11. He will begin taking a high-dosage chemotherapy pill next Tuesday. The latest MRI revealed the malignant brain tumors had diminished by 80 percent.

BIRTHDAYS: Tommie Agee was born on this date in 1942. The '69 Met died in 2001. .. Reliever Pat Mahomes turns 41.

Daniel Murphy, his left leg propped up after taking a seat with the assistance of crutches, discusses the season-ending tear of the MCL in his left knee.

Daniel Murphy said he was relieved that the injury was confined to the MCL in his left knee, and did not affect the ACL or meniscus. He had a similar injury to the MCL in his other knee last season.

“I’m frustrated I’m going to have to miss the rest of the year,” Murphy said. “But, considering, it’s probably the best news I could have gotten. I know how this story ends. My right knee felt great this year. I know that this injury isn’t as severe. So I know I’ll be back. It’s just frustrating I have to take these two, maybe three months at the most, I feel like, to get healthy.”

Murphy did not assign any blame to Atlanta’s Jose Constanza, who slid into him.

“It was just an aggressive slide,” Murphy said.

Ike Davis will be back next season at first base, so Daniel Murphy will need to reinvent himself again. And that position very well could be the outfield, Terry Collins said.

“We’ll have to see what the makeup of the club is going into the wintertime -- in Dan Murphy’s case about how we’re going to get his bat in that lineup somewhere,” Collins said. “… We’ve got to be open minded enough to think the outfield may be a spot.”

Still, even if Murphy’s medial collateral ligament tear in his left knee heals quickly enough to allow for participation in the fall instructional league or in winter ball, Collins does not want Murphy playing that soon.

“Not this year,” Collins said. “He’s got 400 at-bats. I don’t think he has to prove anything. If we decide that Dan Murphy -- wherever it might be next year, whatever spot -- with his work ethic, he’ll get it done starting in January. He’ll be in St. Lucie, where I will be, in January, hopefully, and we’ll start the process then.”

Murphy recently had asked for increased pregame repetitions at second base, sensing that might be the position where he would be asked to play in 2012. Now, both of his MCL tears -- last year in Triple-A and Sunday against the Braves -- have come on slides into him at second base.

“It’s something that reinforces the fact that these guys, as great athletes as they are, you just can’t go out there and play some position you’re unfamiliar with,” Collins said. “Game action teaches you stuff. I’ll talk to Dan about it, but the position his leg was in on that play, I’ve played a lot of second base, it never was in that position. He’s got to understand where he needs to be, where his feet need to be. And it all comes with the more reps he gets out there. And, unfortunately, due to what’s happened this year, Dan never got them. I think had he stayed at second base throughout the summer … I doubt you would have seen that yesterday.”

Sandy Alderson noted Murphy will be a regular player for the Mets somewhere next year, although he did not indicate it would be exclusively one position. Murphy's 2008-09 dabbling in left field did not go particularly well, and he eventually returned to the infield.

“Any time you’re fourth of fifth in the league in hitting, you need to try to find a place for that player to play,” Alderson said. “And so I think he got to that level, and that’s how we view it.”

Still, Alderson added: “I’d be surprised if we went into spring training saying, ‘You’re going to do this exclusively,’ but it’ll depend on what happens in the offseason and what our specific needs are.”

Asked about constantly having to reinvent himself position-wise, Murphy said: "I think it's encouraging that the organization is going to give you a chance to play again. I'll be 27 years old with two knee injuries. And it sounds like they're going to give me a chance to play every day somewhere. I'll take it."

The Mets placed Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy on the disabled list Monday, a day after both left Sunday’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves with injuries.

Murphy suffered a Grade 2 strain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season. Reyes suffered a left hamstring strain, the same injury that landed him on the disabled list in June.

Both players ranked in the top five in the National League in batting.

Shortstop Ruben Tejada and outfielder/first baseman Mike Baxter were promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to fill those roster spots.