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BINGHAMTON 8, NEW BRITAIN 1: Zack Wheeler allowed one run over a career-high eight innings. The righty allowed two hits and struck out seven in his fourth straight victory. Wheeler's perfect first inning was a preview of the seven stellar innings that would follow. He struck out the first two hitters of the game and fanned three of the first four he faced. Wheeler opened the game by retiring 10 Rock Cats in a row before issuing a walk in the fourth. He worked around the free pass by inducing Deibinson Romero to bounce into a double play. New Britain starter David Bromberg struggled to match Wheeler early. After failing to score with the bases loaded in the first, the B-Mets cashed in with the bases loaded in the second. A wild pitch allowed Juan Centeno to score the first run. Wheeler (4-2) made the lead stand until the fifth, when the Rock Cats collected their first hit. Aaron Hicks walked and stole second. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored when Nate Hanson singled. Bromberg settled down after his first two shaky innings and posted four scoreless frames to cap his day. Reliever Blake Martin took over and posted a scoreless seventh before allowing a leadoff single to Raul Reyes in the eighth. Luis Perdomo entered and walked Eric Campbell to put two aboard. After Reese Havens sacrificed both runners ahead, Juan Lagares shot a groundball to second with the infield drawn in. Reyes, breaking home on initial contact, beat the throw from Shawn Roof, giving the B-Mets a 2-1 lead. Campbell scored later in the inning on a botched pickoff throw from catcher Danny Lehmann. Given a two-run advantage, Wheeler closed out an impressive day with a scoreless eighth. He allowed only four runners in the longest start for any B-Met this season. Binghamton scored five runs in the ninth against reliever Brett Jacobson. The righty walked five, hit a batter and served up a three-run homer to Reyes. Adrian Rosario replaced Wheeler for the ninth and posted a perfect frame. Jenrry Mejia makes his second Double-A start, and his fourth overall in the minors since returning from Tommy John surgery, at 10:35 a.m. Thursday opposite right-hander B.J. Hermsen. Box

ST. LUCIE 8, DAYTONA 7: Pedro Beato tossed a scoreless relief inning in his third rehab appearance in the Florida State League. St. Lucie rallied with three eighth-inning runs. Cory Vaughn (3-for-5) opened the frame with a single and scored on Francisco Pena's double. Blake Forsythe and Wilfredo Tovar added RBI singles. Vaughn and Pena also contributed back-to-back solo homers in the fourth inning. Box

SAVANNAH 6, CHARLESTON 3: The Gnats (28-17) took a 3-2 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. With one out and the bases loaded, Aderlin Rodriguez doubled to tie the score. Brian Harrison followed with a groundball double play that brought home a run. Savannah tacked on a single run in the second inning and two more in the fourth to build a 6-2 advantage. Gilbert Gomez, in his first game in the leadoff spot, drove in a run in both innings. He finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Gnats starter Domingo Tapia (4-2) tossed six innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six. Jared West retired the final six batters, striking out two to pick up his first save as a Gnat. Charleston scored the game’s first two runs in the top of the first on a two-run single by Ben Gamel. Box

Compiled from team reports

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

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

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

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

Compiled from team reports

Travis Taijeron’s alma mater, Granite Hills (Calif.) High School, has produced no shortage of major league talent. The list of former players at the El Cajon high school near San Diego includes Brian Giles, Marcus Giles, Shane Spencer, Tom Fordham, John Barnes, Mike Reinbach and Chris Jones.

The high school’s all-time home run leader, though?

That would be Taijeron, an 18^th-round pick by the Mets last year, who then became a New York-Penn League All-Star with the Brooklyn Cyclones after signing. Taijeron passed Marcus Giles’ 24 homers early in his senior season and went on to finish with 33.

The long-ball production has continued this season with low-A Savannah. Taijeron, 23, is hitting .291 with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 127 at-bats with the Sand Gnats. He also has walked 20 times and been hit with five pitches, resulting in a .405 on-base percentage.

Taijeron’s 2012 homer total is tied for the Mets organization lead with Buffalo’s Valentino Pascucci and St. Lucie’s Cory Vaughn, and is tied for second in the South Atlantic League, trailing only Charleston’s Tyler Austin, a 13^th-round pick of the Yankees in 2010, who has 11.

“I like to think I can do a little bit of both,” Taijeron said about maintaining a high average and also producing homers. “I do hit for power. My approach at the plate is not to try to go up there and hit home runs or anything like that. My approach is to get on base and to drive in runs. Every once in a while I just kind of run into it and put a good swing on a ball, or the pitcher makes a mistake, and I like to capitalize on it as best I can.”

Back in high school, Taijeron played catcher. He did so during his first season in college as well, at Grossmont Junior College. But when he moved to Southwestern College for his sophomore season, the program already had an established catcher. So Taijeron shifted to the outfield. He continued playing in the outfield during his final two college seasons, at Division II Cal Poly Pomona. He primarily has manned center field, with some exposure in left field, since turning pro.

There has been no catching duty with the Mets. Not even bullpen sessions.

“I really liked playing catcher. I actually really loved the position and everything,” Taijeron said. “But, at the time, [Southwestern] already had a catcher. I was the new kid on the team and everything. I think they went to the state finals that [previous] year, and he was one of the big leaders on the team. So it was best for the team that he stayed behind the plate and did his thing. He was one of the captains on the team. I was able to help the team out by moving to the outfield.”

As for potentially becoming another product of his high school to reach the majors, Taijeron said the outfield wall at the California school’s stadium always gave a reminder that was possible. The school recognizes the players who have made it to the big leagues with signs honoring them.

“The field has changed a little bit since then, but when I was at high school, we had all the baseballs on the outfield wall,” Taijeron said. “There were all the different players and the years that they played at the high school and all that.

“My team, they were a really good group of guys, who grew up together since Little League. And we always looked at those guys. We were at games when I was younger and saw them play, so we knew what we always wanted to do growing up. Seeing those guys was kind of a big motivation for us to try to get our names on the walls.”

Organization leaders

Average: T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .362; Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .339; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .314; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .313; Eric Campbell, Binghamton, .310; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .307; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .307; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, .294; Wilfredo Tovar, St. Lucie, .292; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, .292.

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

RBI: Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 26; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 25; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 23; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 22; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 22.

Steals: Luis Nieves, Savannah, 9; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 6; Pedro Zapata, Binghamton, 6.

ERA: Alex Panteliodis, Savannah, 0.89; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 1.89; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 2.05; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 2.40; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.45; Cory Mazzoni, St. Lucie, 2.55; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 2.72; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 2.80; Angel Cuan, St. Lucie, 2.84; Rafael Montero, Savannah, 3.05.

Wins: Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 4; Gonzalez Germen, Binghamton, 4; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 4; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 4.

Saves: Adrian Rosario, St. Lucie, 10; Fernando Cabrera, Buffalo, 8; Adam Kolarek, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 42; Matt Harvey, Buffalo, 38; Garrett Olson, Buffalo, 38; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 37; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 37.

Short hops

• Ex-Cub Bobby Scales, who signed with the Mets organization late in spring training and ranked third in the International League with a .339 average, has bolted from Buffalo. The second baseman/leadoff hitter worked out a deal with Orix to return to Japan. Scales played 80 games with Nippon Ham last season in that country. Oswaldo Navarro primarily will take over second base duty for Buffalo with Scales’ departure.

• Corner infielder Zach Lutz suffered the latest in a career-long string of unfortunate injuries. Lutz broke the hamate bone at the base of his hand swinging in a cage pregame Sunday. That requires minor surgery to remove the bone, and will cost six weeks. Lutz, who had been tormented by stress fractures in his feet earlier in his career, was limited to 61 games last season with Buffalo primarily because of a pair of concussions.

Lutz’s roster spot went to Corey Wimberly. He had been sidelined since suffering a broken fifth metatarsal in his left hand in an outfield collision during spring training with Vaughn while being borrowed from minor league camp for a Grapefruit League game at Disney against the Braves. Wimberly hit .238 in 172 at-bats with Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate last season while manning second base and all three outfield positions.

• Mechanical adjustments have led to a noticeable increase in velocity on right-hander Jeurys Familia’s fastball since the start of the season with Buffalo. Familia was sitting at 92-93 mph during early season starts, but now is hitting 98-99 mph with some regularity. Familia still has been working behind in the count too often. Although he allowed only one run and five hits in five innings at Charlotte in his latest start, Familia required 101 pitches. Stilll, Familia (4-1) has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in each of his past five starts. He has struck out 42 and walked 30 in 37 2/3 innings.

• Vinny Rottino upped his Triple-A hitting streak to 18 games Tuesday. That streak has wrapped around a cameo in the big leagues. Before the major league call-up, Rottino exclusively had played left field. Ex-San Francisco Giant Fred Lewis since was signed and has taken over that position, so Rottino mostly has shifted to right field. But the 32-year-old utility man did catch for the first time this season on Tuesday.

• Right-hander Jeremy Hefner, who tossed three scoreless innings for the Mets against the San Francisco Giants during an April 23 doubleheader, had his streak of outings in which he tossed at least seven innings snapped Tuesday against Gwinnett. Hefner was charged with six runs in 5 2/3 innings. His ERA rose from 1.77 to 2.72, which dropped him out of the top 10 in the International League entirely.

• Left-hander Josh Edgin (7.20 ERA with Buffalo) produced his first Triple-A save Sunday at Charlotte.

• The Bisons, in part because of nomadic Scranton/Wilkes-Barre playing a home series in Buffalo, have started a 16-game homestand.

• Sean Kazmar returned to shortstop for Binghamton on Saturday after missing 21 Double-A games with a left abdominal strain. It was the first time in nine professional seasons that Kazmar had been on the disabled list.

• Zack Wheeler (2-2, 2.05 ERA) showed no ill effects from the middle fingernail issue that caused him to miss a B-Mets start. After missing a turn, Wheeler reentered the rotation Thursday at New Hampshire and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking one in a 94-pitch effort over five innings.

• B-Mets center fielder Matt den Dekker has been hitting the ball with authority. Den Dekker has a 10-game hitting streak that has lifted his average to .294. He homered twice during a four-game weekend series at New Hampshire, including one Friday that snapped a 277-plate-appearance drought for the B-Mets without a long ball. Binghamton went on to post three homers Friday, then another three Sunday.

• First baseman Eric Campbell, an eighth-round pick in 2008 out of Boston College, is hitting .385 in 12 games since returning the DL for a right shoulder strain.

• Right-hander Kevin Mulvey, who has been working in relief with the B-Mets, landed on the DL with a right groin strain.

• Vaughn, who got off to a quick start with St. Lucie, has seen his average tumble to .234 during a seven-game stretch in which he is 1-for-28. Vaughn nonetheless has eight homers and 20 RBIs in 124 Florida State League at-bats this season.

• Center fielder Cesar Puello produced his first homer this season on Monday for St. Lucie. He had 10 homers last season in the Florida State League.

• With Chris Young and Jenrry Mejia temporarily working in St. Lucie’s rotation, the regular starters have needed to adjust. Yohan Almonte has piggybacked Mejia’s starts, while Angel Cuan has worked in relief of Young.

• Right-hander Domingo Tapia, who has received rave reviews from Mets brass, tossed 5 2/3 no-hit innings before being pulled from a start with Savannah on Friday. He walked three, and three errors were committed behind him, resulting in an unearned run.

• Third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez, whose average had tumbled to .190 with the Gnats, since has six hits in nine at-bats his past two games.

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

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

Friday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GWINNETT 5, BUFFALO 3 (10 innings): A comeback and sweep fell short courtesy of a walk-off two-run homer from reigning International League Batter of the Week Stefan Gatrell against Fernando Cabrera. Buffalo allowed nine total runs in the four-game series. The Bisons trailed 3-1 in the ninth. After Lucas May was hit with a pitch with one out, Omar Quintanilla plated the Buffalo catcher with a double that rolled to the center-field wall. Pinch hitter Bobby Scales followed with a single to score Quintanilla and tie the score. Buffalo had a pair of runners on in the top of the 10th, but Josh Satin and Zach Lutz were left stranded after drawing walks. In the bottom half, Cabrera nearly worked around a one-out single by Jose Constanza. But after striking out Luis Durango, the righty gave up his first homer of the season, to Gartrell. Bisons starter Jeremy Hefner matched a season-high by tossing 7 2/3 innings. It was the fifth time in Hefner's six starts that he has at least completed seven innings. He allowed two runs on six hits to keep his season ERA to a league-best 1.77. Trailing 1-0 early, Buffalo scored its first run in the sixth inning on Valentino Pascucci's team-best 19th RBI, but his first in nine games. Fred Lewis batted in the lead off spot for the first time this season and went 2-for-5. Box

BINGHAMTON 9, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2: Trailing by a run in the sixth, Juan Lagares laced a two-run, bases-loaded single to center to give the B-Mets the lead for good and make a winner of Zack Wheeler in his return from the disabled list. The B-Mets produced 14 hits and pitching staff racked up a season-high 15 strikeouts. The Fisher Cats had opened the scoring, plating a run in the fourth on a sac fly against Wheeler. The righty was activated from the disabled list before the game after missing one start with a right middle fingernail tear. The B-Mets answered with a run in the fifth. Lagares shot a seeing-eye single to center and advanced to third when Mark Sobolewski uncorked a throwing error on Eric Campbell's groundball. Juan Centeno bounced a groundout to shortstop to plate Lagares, tying the score at 1. After the Fisher Cats grabbed the lead with another sac fly in the fifth, the B-Mets pieced together a two-out rally to take the lead in the sixth. Raul Reyes and Jefry Marte started the charge with consecutive singles. After Reese Havens walked to load the bases, Lagares chased Jenkins from the game by lining a two-run single into center. It was Binghamton’s first hit with the bases loaded since April 28. They had been 0-for-11. Wheeler (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. Armando Rodriguez took over and struck out five over two scoreless innings. Binghamton added to its lead with more two-out hitting in the seventh. Josh Rodriguez doubled with two out and Reyes hammered an RBI single, giving the B-Mets a 4-2 lead. The B-Mets had a five-run ninth, pounding reliever Clint Everts for five hits and adding another against Matt Wright. After throwing a perfect eighth, Jeff Kaplan returned for the ninth. He loaded the bases to start the frame, but retired three straight to collect his first career Double-A save. The B-Mets (15-17) continue their four-game series against the Fisher Cats on Friday. Right-hander Gonzalez Germen makes his second Double-A start, against right-hander Deck McGuire. Box

ST. LUCIE 4, BREVARD COUNTY 3: Chris Young, in his first minor league start since shoulder surgery last May, tossed five scoreless innings. Ronny Cedeno, on the DL with a side-muscle strain and hoping to be activated this weekend, played a full game at shortstop and went 0-for-4. Danny Muno's solo homer in the top of the ninth gave St. Lucie a 4-1 lead, and the Mets needed that run to hold on. In the bottom half, Adam Kolarek left two runners in scoring position with two out for Adrian Rosario. Rosario issued a walk to load the bases, then surrendered a two-run single before notching his 10th save by retiring Nick Shaw on a groundout. Cory Vaughn returned to the lineup after missing two games with a glute bruise suffered while sliding. Box

SAVANNAH 7, HICKORY 2: Domingo Tapia and Marcos Camarena combined to take a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and the Gnats overcame five errors. Brian Harrison went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Dustin Lawley had three hits and scored twice. The Crawdads were hitless until Jeremy Williams' leadoff single in the seventh against Camarena. Tapia was charged with one unearned runs on no hits and three walks while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings. Second baseman T.J. Rivera had two of Savannah's five errors. The Mets' last minor league no-hitter came on Aug. 23, 2009, by Brandon Moore with the Brooklyn Cyclones in a seven-inning game. Box

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 6, SYRACUSE 5: Buffalo (16-11) scored two runs in the sixth inning and two more in the eighth for its sixth win in the last seven games. Eleven of the Herd's wins have come in games in which it has trailed. On Thursday, Syracuse took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth before the Herd rallied. Rob Johnson homered to lead off the frame and pinch hitter Michael Fisher scored all the way from first on Dustin Martin's double to tie the score. In the eighth, Bisons manager Wally Backman went to the bench three times to scratch across a pair of runs. A single from Brad Emaus and a double from Johnson had the Herd set up at second and third with no outs. Pinch hitter No. 1 Valentino Pascucci struck out and pinch hitter No. 2 Bobby Scales was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter No. 3 Lucas May then beat out a potential inning-ending double play to allow a run to score. Vinny Rottino added much-needed insurance with an RBI single. It proved to be the game-deciding run. Rottino had two hits, extending his hitting streak to a Bisons season-high 14 games. The win for Buffalo went to reliever Jack Egbert, who got the Herd out of a jam in the seventh. Fernando Cabrera pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Jeurys Familia started for the Bisons and allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings. He also had an RBI double in the second inning -- the sixth RBI by a Bisons pitcher this season, matching last year's total. In two games since being activated from the DL, Johnson is 5-for-7 with double, triple, homer and two RBIs. Mets right-hander D.J. Carrasco joined the Bisons on his rehab assignment and allowed a sixth-inning homer to Carlos Maldonado. He also picked up a strikeout in one inning. Box

BINGHAMTON 7, AKRON 3: Collin McHugh tossed 7 1/3 strong innings and Raul Reyes ripped a three-run homer as the B-Mets avoided getting swept in the four-game series. Facing spot starter Mason Radeke, the B-Mets took advantage of a rare Akron error in the first. A two-out walk to Reese Havens started the rally and shortstop Juan Diaz’s fielding error on Jefry Marte’s groundball set the table for Reyes. It was Akron’s 14th error as team, fewest in the Eastern League. Reyes cashed in by ripping his first long ball of the season. Binghamton doubled its lead in the fourth against former B-Met Jose De La Torre. Juan Lagares greeted the reliever by doubling. Travis Ozga brought him home by banging a double. Juan Centeno pushed Ozga to third my dribbling a single to the pitcher’s mound. Matt den Dekker plated Ozga with a sac fly. Josh Rodriguez gave Binghamton a six-run edge my lacing a double. Pedro Zapata and den Dekker laced back-to-back doubles to tack on another run in the sixth. It was all McHugh needed to rack up his team-leading fourth win. After side-stepping trouble in the first two innings, the righty cruised from the third onward. He retired 18 of 19 Aeros before Michel Hernandez doubled in the eighth. McHugh’s night was done after allowing run-scoring hits to Tim Fedroff and Juan Diaz. McHugh’s 7 1/3 innings were the most by any B-Met starter this year. He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five while walking one. Erik Turgeon took over and allowed an RBI single to Jared Goedert before getting two outs to end the frame. Robert Carson tossed a perfect ninth to cap the victory. Box

JUPITER 6, ST. LUCIE 1: St. Lucie's seven-game winning streak was snapped despite Cory Vaughn delivering his team-leading seventh homer in the fourth inning. Vaughn drilled Matt Neil's offering over the left-center fence to cut the deficit to 3-1. Mets left-hander Angel Cuan (2-1) was dealt the loss, despite tossing six innings and allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Ryan Fraser allowed one run on three hits in two relief innings. John Church pitched the ninth and gave up two runs on one hit. Jupiter took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on home runs by Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto. The Hammerheads picked up a run in the fifth after a balk was issued to Cuan to allow Yeison Hernandez to score from third. Hernandez delivered an RBI single in the seventh off Fraser to extend the lead to 4-1. Jupiter loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Third baseman Wilmer Flores' throw toward second base on a potential double-play chance sailed into right field. The error allowed two runs to score. Box

SAVANNAH 3, DELMARVA 1: Domingo Tapia was dominant over 7 1/3 innings, in the longest start this season by a Gnats pitcher. The Gnats (16-11) won their fourth straight. Tapia gave up a pair of singles in the first inning, but escaped trouble with the help of third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez, who threw out a runner at the plate for the inning’s second out. That began a stretch during which Tapia (2-1) set down 14 batters in a row through the end of the fifth. The Gnats opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Brandon Brown led off with a double and scored on DH Travis Taijeron’s single. Albert Cordero gave the Gnats a 2-0 advantage with a solo homer in the second. It was his first longball this season. Savannah made it 3-0 in the sixth. Taijeron reached on an infield single and scored on Charley Thurber’s triple. The Shorebirds (13-13) scored their only run in the eighth. After Tapia recorded the first out of the frame, a single and walk chased him. Reliever Estarlin Morel walked No. 9 hitter Mychal Givens to load the bases. He then gave up a sacrifice fly to Glynn Davis. With the tying run at first base, Gnats left fielder Gregory Pron made a diving catch to take a base hit away from the subsequent batter, Sammie Starr, to end the frame and preserve a two-run lead. Morel worked an uneventful ninth to wrap up his second save. The Gnats look for the sweep Friday when right-hander Tyler Pill (2-1, 2.11) opposes right-hander Tyler Wilson (3-1, 2.45). Box

Compiled from team reports

Right-hander Greg Peavey’s transition to Double-A pitching has been near spotless.

Two starts.

No runs.

And the Eastern League’s pitcher of the week award.

The 23-year-old Peavey -- a sixth-round pick out of Oregon State two years ago -- has displayed solid control, too. He has walked only one batter in 10 2/3 innings. In fact, he has walked only 27 in 147 2/3 professional innings.

“Throwing strikes has always been emphasized throughout my career,” said Peavey, who possesses a low-90s fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. “Especially with my pitching repertoire, it’s built around throwing strikes. So trying to get ahead of hitters has always been very important to me.”

Peavey has been in the spotlight for a while.

Growing up in Vancouver, Wash., he was part of a Hazel Dell Little League program that reached the 2000 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

“The best part of it was the very first day,” Peavey recalled. “I remember it to this day. During the opening ceremonies, we got to meet Kevin Costner and George Brett. Getting to shake those guys’ hands, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I thought I made it, you know? I was 12.”

Peavey’s father Tom -- who once was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 68^th round of the 1969 draft as a right-handed pitcher, but who did not sign -- was praised for his sportsmanship during the Little League World Series.

Entering the final game of pool play, Peavey’s Hazel Dell squad could have advanced even with a loss against Iowa because of tiebreaker rules, as long as they scored two runs or fewer. The elder Peavey would not accept advancing by throwing a game. They were beaten by the Iowa squad, 6-4. Hazel Dell instead was eliminated.

Said Peavey: “A lot of people were confused as to why we would want to do that, but that was the type of guy my dad was and the coaching staff was -- ‘This is Little League baseball. We’re going to play it straight up. We didn’t just come here to roll over. We came here to win.’ Iowa beat us, and they got to go unfortunately.”

Little League President Stephen Keener said after Hazel Dell’s elimination, according to the local Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian: “I don’t think there has ever been a Little League manager in the history of the World Series who has more clearly demonstrated the ideals of Little League Baseball than Tom Peavey.”

Peavey, only 12 at the time, said he didn’t fully understand what his father had chosen to do until a couple of years later.

“We actually had no idea,” Peavey said. “I remember them telling us after we had lost and everything. But it didn’t really hit me until I was about 14. I didn’t really understand how the whole thing worked.”

Several thousand community members greeted the team at the Portland International Airport upon the team’s return home. They had a parade in the team’s honor the following day, with an estimated crowd exceeding 5,000.

“That was when you could come to the actual gate and could wait outside for people,” Peavey said. “There were thousands of people waiting outside for us. We rode in a limo. It was pretty incredible. It was just amazing the support that came from that city.”

Those same players went on to win the Babe Ruth World Series as 13 and 14 year olds. The latter tournament was held in Albany, N.Y.

Peavey’s father, a retired police officer, now works a desk job for the gang task force for the city of Portland. After bypassing the Expos out of high school, the elder Peavey played at Washington State University, where he suffered a shoulder injury that scuttled any second chance at a professional career.

Peavey visited Washington State during his college recruiting process, but ultimately chose Oregon State, which was coming off its second national championship. Eligible for the draft after his sophomore college season because of his age, Peavey was selected in the 32^nd round by the Houston Astros but did not sign. The Mets took him the following year in the sixth round and inked him for $200,000.

Now with Double-A Binghamton, Peavey to this day signs autographs will the middle initial “S.” That’s because he liked how it looked when he practiced while being asked to sign at the Little League World Series.

“I added the middle initial,” said Peavey, whose actual full name is Gregory Scott Thomas Peavey. “And then I realized it looked kind of cool. So I stuck with it. The middle initial is still there to this day.”

Organization leaders (through Monday)

Average: Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .438; T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .419; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .360; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, .350; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .341; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, .339; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .311; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, .308; Dustin Lawley, Savannah, .295.

Homers: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 4; Adam Loewen, Buffalo, 3; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 3; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 3.

RBI: Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 12; Adam Loewen, Buffalo, 9; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 8.

(Read full post)

David Wright went 3-for-5 with a homer in his return to the lineup with a fractured right pinkie, Jon Niese tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Mets blanked the Phillies, 5-0, Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets already have clinched the series win. They had been 1-7-1 in their past nine series at Philly. Mike Pelfrey opposes Cole Hamels this afternoon, with the Mets aiming for their first sweep in Philly since June 13-15, 2006.

Today is Jackie Robinson Day across MLB.

Sunday's news reports:

• Terry Collins said that on Friday he believed Wright almost definitely would land on the disabled list this weekend. The Mets even flew in Josh Satin to be prepared for that seeming eventuality. Yet Wright returned to the lineup and blasted his 16th homer at Citizens Bank Park, the most by any visitor at the stadium since it opened in 2004. Read more in Newsday.

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

• Steven Marcus in Newsday inquires about why the Mets have retired only one player's number -- 41, for Tom Seaver. Casey Stengel's 37 and Gil Hodges' 14 as well as the universally recognized Robinson's 42 also are retired. The Mets placed Gary Carter's No. 8 on the outfield wall for this season -- appearing as it does on the patch on the Mets' uniforms.

"I think the general point of view is we don't want to get to the point where it's somewhat gratuitous and you've got dozens and dozens of people whose numbers are retired,'' Mets executive VP Dave Howard told Marcus. "Historically, from a Mets perspective, this is a very high honor. Certainly from a player standpoint, it's only been Tom Seaver. He's in a class by himself.''

Added Keith Hernandez to Marcus: "Too many teams are retiring too many numbers. They lose their import. So I'm in the camp that it should be something that is special, it shouldn't be marginalized. Who wouldn't want to have their number retired? But it's not something that I think about.''

One obvious number to consider is Mike Piazza's No. 31. Newsday's David Lennon tweeted earlier this year that the Mets are expected to retire Piazza's number after he is inducted into Cooperstown.

• Columnist John Harper in the Daily News discusses the ramifications of Wright's speedy return and Saturday's series-clinching win. Writes Harper:

Injuries are a delicate subject around the Mets, after all the problems they’ve had in recent years. In some cases they made matters worse by allowing the likes of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and even Wright last season, with his broken back, to play hurt, so now they tend to proceed with extreme caution. That’s why it was a bit surprising, even for Collins, to hear him say on Wednesday that he had a “gut feeling” Wright would play with his broken finger here on Friday.

Even if it wasn’t the manager’s intent, that put a certain pressure on his star player. If Wright couldn’t play, he would look less than tough, at least in the eyes of many fans who took Collins’ gut feeling to heart. Perhaps that’s why Wright sounded a bit defensive when he couldn’t play on Friday, repeatedly saying he couldn’t “functionally” grip or swing a bat because of the swelling in his finger. But then it felt good enough on Saturday to try it, and in a way he made his manager look like a prophet with his big day that raised his batting average to .588.

• Columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post writes that Wright's leadership is clear:

David Wright sent a message to his teammates yesterday: Play hard, play through pain, or go home.

• Mike Kerwick in the Record says Citi Field spectators should not boo Jason Bay. Writes Kerwick:

Here's my advice to Mets fans: Shackle your venom. And give the guy some space. Was it just a coincidence that Bay hit no homers in six games at Citi Field, then blasted one during his first at-bat in a visiting park? Possibly. On Friday night, he said the first week of games was not enough to cause his shoulders to slump. But he has also admitted he hears the boos. Bay is a decent person. And most decent people sag when exposed to this degree of enmity. I can't help but think the booing, on some subconscious level, penetrates his psyche.

• Bobby Parnell recorded the ensuing four outs after Niese departed, including covering the eighth inning for a second straight day. Between the Grapefruit League and regular season, Parnell has not allowed a run in 17 1/3 innings. Read more in the Record.

• Niese has carried a scoreless effort into the seventh inning in both of his outings. Read more in Newsday and the Post.

• In the court filings made late Friday regarding the settlement of the lawsuit against Fred Wilpon and family over Bernard Madoff accounts, one reason trustee Irving Picard cited for settling was the Mets owners' tight finances made getting more money via further litigation dicey. Writes Anthony M. Destefano in Newsday:

In federal court filings late Friday night, trustee Irving Picard said the "restrictive" cash flow, as well as the owners' obligations to banks that lent them money, contributed to doubts that further litigation against Fred Wilpon , Saul Katz and their partners in Sterling Equities would produce a bigger payout. "We have become satisfied that defendants' cash flow and lender covenants would not have enabled me to recover more for the [Madoff] customer fund in the foreseeable future by litigating to the point of judgment," Picard said in an affidavit. The settlement "is a practical and fair compromise" that avoided "a protracted and expensive trial and lengthy appeals," Picard explained in a statement.

Richard Sandomir in the Times also notes the trustee's language in expressing concern about collecting debt from the Wilpons.

• Domingo Tapia tossed seven scoreless innings as Savannah won via shutout for the second straight day. Read the full minor league recap here.

• On the club's 50th anniversary, there is an excerpt in the Daily News about the creation of the Mets from the book, "The Mets: A 50th Anniversary Celebration," written by Andy Martino and Anthony McCarron.

TRIVIA: Johan Santana and Niese started the Mets' two shutouts at Citizens Bank Park. Which Mets pitcher started the last shutout at Veterans Stadium, the home of the Phillies through 2003?

Saturday's answer: Jason Bay's homer Friday against Cliff Lee was the outfielder's 19th long ball as a Met.

PAWTUCKET 9, BUFFALO 6: Given new life in the fifth inning, the Red Sox scored five unearned runs to hand Buffalo its third straight loss and fifth in six games. The Herd was nursing a 2-1 advantage until Pawtucket loaded the bases with walks to Alex Hassan and Daniel Nava and an intentional free pass to Ryan Lavarnway. Two batters later, Lars Anderson hit a sharp grounder that made it through Herd first baseman Zach Lutz. The error allowed two runners to score as Pawtucket regained the lead. Two pitches later, top Red Sox prospect Will Middlebrook made the miscue really hurt with a three-run homer off reliever Jeff Stevens. After the Bisons cut the PawSox lead to 6-4, Pawtucket pulled away with three seventh-inning runs. All four hits in that rally were grounders that found their way through the infield. In defeat, Bobby Scales collected four hits for Buffalo and finished a triple away from the cycle. The veteran had a two-run homer in the seventh, during a failed comeback bid. Scales now leads all International League hitters with a .567 on-base percentage. Garrett Olson, who suffered the loss, was charged with four runs (one earned) in 4 1/3 innings. The Bisons bullpen allowed five runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings. Prior to the game, the Bisons activated catcher Jean Luc Blaquiere. Buffalo had a roster spot as infielder Josh Satin was placed on the Mets' 24-hour taxi-squad list. New in 2012, major league teams can place minor league players on a taxi squad for 24 hours as part of consideration for a promotion. That way, minor league teams can replace that player and play their game at full strength. Chuck James threw two scoreless relief innings to increase his season total to five scoreless frames spanning four appearances. Box

PORTLAND 5, BINGHAMTON 3: The Sea Dogs took advantage of seven walks -- three in the decisive sixth inning, during which Portland scored three runs and broke a tie. B-Mets starter Darin Gorski cruised through three innings. However, the southpaw ran into trouble in the fourth. Following a leadoff walk to Juan Carlos Linares and a wild pitch, Bryce Brentz laced an RBI double. Brentz scored on Oscar Tejeda’s double, giving Portland a 2-0 lead. Binghamton answered against Portland starter Billy Buckner in the fifth. Buckner walked Josh Rodriguez and Juan Centeno singled. Sean Kazmar then lined a two-run double off the left-center wall. The B-Mets nearly cracked a half-inning later. After Heiker Meneses was hit by Gorski, Derrik Gibson pushed a bunt up the third-base line. Gorski cleanly fielded the roller, but his throw to first tailed toward the runner. Gibson ran into Allan Dykstra’s left arm and the ball rolled down the line. When the dust settled, Portland had runners at second and third, Dykstra was pulled from the game and Gorski’s day was done. The southpaw struck out five while allowing two runs over four innings in a no-decision. Kevin Mulvey entered and escaped unscathed. After recording a strikeout, he walked Linares intentionally to load the bases. The gamble paid off when Brentz flied out and Reynaldo Rodriguez grounded out to end the inning. Binghamton threatened in the top of the sixth, but failed to come through against reliever Will Latimer. The lefty allowed the first two batters to reach, and move to second and third, but Latimer battled back to strand both. Mulvey (0-1) then walked the first three batters he faced on 14 pitches to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth. Edgar Ramirez entered and allowed a two-run double to Gibson to break the tie game. In the eighth, Juan Lagares greeted Josh Fields with a double and scored on Oswaldo Navarro’s single to cut Portland’s lead to two. The B-Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Fields caught Eric Campbell looking to end the game. The B-Mets (3-5) look for the series split Sunday. Greg Peavey gets the nod for Binghamton against right-hander Chris Balcom-Miller. Box

ST. LUCIE 2, PALM BEACH 1: Yohan Almonte limited Palm Beach to one run in 5 1/3 innings, while relievers Taylor Whitenton and Jeffrey Kaplan combined to strike out six and yield one hit the rest of the way. Wilmer Flores' sacrifice fly in the fifth broke a 1-all tie. Box

SAVANNAH 6, AUGUSTA 0: Domingo Tapia tossed seven scoreless innings and Marcos Camarena had two no-hit relief innings as the Gnats shut out Augusta for the second straight day. Savannah had a six-run fourth inning that included a two-run triple by T.J. Rivera as well as five walks, a passed ball and two wild pitches. Box

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 5, ROCHESTER 3: Valentino Pascucci's solo homer in the eighth put Buffalo up for good. The victory was the Bisons' third straight. Pascucci had 21 homers for the Bisons a season ago and got this campaign started right with a long ball on Opening Night in Pawtucket. On Sunday, with the score tied at 3 in the eighth, Pascucci crushed a 2-2 pitch from reliever Casey Fein to center field. It was Pascucci's 40th long ball with the Bisons. He becomes the 12th player to reach that milestone in the team's modern era. Buffalo also used the long ball to get an early lead. Trailing 1-0, Adam Loewen and Matt Tuiasosopo hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth for a 3-1 advantage. Rochester tied the score with two runs in sixth inning, but that was the only time it threatened against Bisons starter Jeremy Hefner (1-0). In his Herd debut, Hefner worked seven innings and struck out four. With Fernando Cabrera earning saves on Friday and Saturday night, Bisons manager Wally Backman turned to lefty Daniel Herrera to close Sunday's victory. Herrera struck out a pair over the final two innings. The last time the Bisons got back-to-back home runs was July 20, 2011 in Syracuse, with Pascucci and Jason Botts combining for the honors. With Herrera's two scoreless innings, the Bisons bullpen has now started the season with 14 scoreless frames. Bobby Scales had two more hits. He drove in the team's final run with an RBI single in the ninth. Box

AUGUSTA 8, SAVANNAH 5: Augusta scored five unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to come from behind and split the season-opening four-game series. Savannah third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez delivered a three-run homer for the second straight day. Rodriguez has nine RBIs. Down 3-1, the Gnats put together a three-run fifth. Cam Maron led off with a walk, DH Brian Harrison singled and then Rodriguez lofted the three-run shot over the left-field wall. Savannah added a run in the sixth on Maron's sacrifice fly to build a 5-3 lead. The GreenJackets scored three times in the top of the seventh off the Savannah bullpen. Jose Cuevas, who tied Friday’s score with a two-run single in the ninth off reliever Estarlin Morel, doubled in two runs Sunday off Morel, putting Augusta in the lead. The GreenJackets tacked on two more runs in the eighth. Savannah reliever Carlos Vazquez, who allowed two walks and a single in the seventh, was charged with his first loss. The game began as a duel between two hard throwing young right-handers -- Domingo Tapia for Savannah and Kyle Crick for Augusta. Crick lasted just 3 2/3 innings, walking three and hitting two batters, but gave up only one run on three hits. Tapia lasted five innings, fanning three and walking one. He was touched for three runs on four hits. The Gnats begin a three-game series Monday, when the Rome Braves visit. Savannah will send right-hander Tyler Pill to the hill against left-hander Carlos Perez. Box

Compiled from team reports

Only hours remain in spring training for the Mets. The Amazin's complete their Grapefruit League schedule against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees at noon today in Tampa, then fly home. Next up: Johan Santana versus Tommy Hanson on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.

Check back at ESPNNewYork.com later today for a revealing feature on Santana, ESPN Stats & Information's Mark Simon looking at upcoming Mets statistical milestones, scouts breaking down the Mets pitching staff and an in-depth series preview with Atlanta Braves info.

Wednesday's news reports:

• After all the talk about potential DL trips, it turns out the only players landing there apparently will be Pedro Beato (shoulder) and D.J. Carrasco (ankle). Closer Frank Francisco, lefty specialist Tim Byrdak and center fielder Andres Torres all are ready to break camp with the team. Francisco threw a bullpen session Tuesday, two days after receiving a cortisone shot in his ailing left knee. The closer said he is pain-free, despite some residual inflammation. Sandy Alderson acknowledged the issue could linger -- "especially for a guy who weighs 260 pounds," the GM told reporters.

Byrdak recorded three outs in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, exactly three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Torres, who had resumed game action during the weekend on the minor league side, had two plate appearances Tuesday in his first Grapefruit League game since March 20, when he suffered a strained left calf. He singled against Ivan Nova and was hit by a pitch. Read more on the positive health resolutions in the Star-Ledger, Record, Journal, Daily News, Post and Newsday.

• As a result of the trio's health, Vinny Rottino and Daniel Herrera have been dispatched to Buffalo. The Mets also had held back Kirk Nieuwenhuis in Port St. Lucie after the center-field prospect's Triple-A teammates had departed, but Nieuwenhuis was cleared by late Monday to head north to join the Mets' top minor league affiliate.

• Because the three players avoided the disabled list, the Mets will only need to clear two 40-man roster spots -- for backup lefty-hitting outfielder Mike Baxter and spot starter/long reliever Miguel Batista.

• Ike Davis hit a walk-off homer and the Mets beat the Yankees, 7-6, Tuesday in the first spring-training meeting between the clubs in Port St. Lucie since 1995. Mike Pelfrey limited the Yankees to a Nick Swisher solo homer and one other hit while striking out five and walking none in four innings. Read more in Newsday, the Times, Post and Star-Ledger.

• Swisher reminisced to David Waldstein in the Times about growing up at the Mets' spring-training complex. Writes Waldstein:

From age 8, when his father, the former major leaguer Steve Swisher, was a minor league manager with the Mets and later a coach with the big-league club, Swisher was a fixture at the Mets’ spring training. There were the days when he won $100 off Todd Hundley, joked around with the eccentric Bill Pulsipher and took what he estimated were a million swings on the back fields. Returning here Tuesday as a 31-year-old Yankees right fielder brought back a stream of memories for Swisher, who celebrated his return by hitting a home run in a 7-6 loss to the Mets in the same park where he used to shag fly balls as a youngster.

• Paul DePodesta, who oversees the Mets' farm system and amateur scouting, participated in a chat at Baseball Prospectus. DePodesta addressed the new collective bargaining agreement, which will restrict Mets spending on draft picks. He also discussed left-handed prospect Josh Edgin's future, 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo (who will participate in extended spring training rather than break camp with full-season Savannah), the plan to give Jordany Valdespin limited exposure to center field while keeping him primarily in the middle infield, the elimination of the Mets' Gulf Coast League team, and under-the radar-prospects. On that last subject, DePodesta identified Domingo Tapia and Rafael Montero as legit prospects not getting hype. "Both guys have a chance to emerge as our next group of top-tier potential major league starting pitchers," DePodesta predicted. "They have power stuff. Tapia routinely touched 100 mph last summer. And both pound the strike zone."

DePodesta added that while the organization is committed to building from within, they also realize they need to strategically add capable free agents. "It's awfully difficult to build a championship-caliber club just with your own minor league players (though the Rockies basically did)," DePodesta said. "But if we can build up a core, and we absolutely believe we can and we will, then we will have plenty of capacity to make strategic free-agent or even trade decisions."

On top prospect Zack Wheeler, DePodesta said: "Like most young pitchers with big stuff, it's just a matter of consistency. He has a major league repertoire right now. In fact, it's better than most major league starters. The difference is simply how consistently he's able to make the ball go where he wants and do what he wants. He's making progress and isn't far off, and we'll see stretches this year when he's locked in and looking like a big leaguer."

DePodesta said his children have selected Lucas Duda as the player most likely to pick up the Linsanity mantle.

• Read ESPNNewYork.com's position-by-position analysis of the Mets, including scout comment.

• Matt Harvey will start Buffalo's opener Thursday at Pawtucket. He will be followed in the Bisons' rotation by Jeurys Familia, Chris Schwinden, Jeremy Hefner and Garrett Olson. "It's a huge honor," Harvey told Mike Harrington at the Buffalo News' Bisons blog. "I wasn't sure going into spring training exactly where I was going to start [between Buffalo and Binghamton]. Wally [Backman] told me the whole time I had a good chance of going with him. As soon as they told me, I was extremely honored and happy."

Double-A Binghamton, which opens at home, will have Collin McHugh on the mound Thursday, in Game 1. Lynn Worthy profiles the B-Mets in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Wheeler, Edgin, Juan Lagares, Matt den Dekker and Darin Gorski highlight the Double-A roster.

See the full minor league roster assignments here.

• The Mets will have a group seating/party area between the old and new left-field walls at Citi Field, with ticket prices ranging from $100 to $200 per person and including food and drink. Meanwhile, executive VP Dave Howard acknowledged Tuesday that Opening Day is not yet sold out. Read more in the Times, Post and Newsday.

• Rhiner Cruz, the hard-throwing right-hander plucked from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, has made the Opening Day roster of the Astros. Cruz will need to stick with Houston at the major league level for the full season in order to officially become Houston property.

• Among Post baseball writers, Ken Davidoff and Mike Vaccaro predict the Mets finishing fourth in the NL East, ahead of the Braves. George King, Mike Puma, Joel Sherman, Kevin Kernan and Dan Martin pick the Mets for the basement.

Kernan has a National League preview. Kernan's Mets comment: "Offense will be fine if Wright is healthy because Ike Davis and Lucas Duda can crush, but this is a transitional season. Not enough pitching. Looking forward to seeing Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia join the rotation and watching Zack Wheeler grow."

Sherman has these Mets predictions in a 2012 crystal ball column:

Johan Santana needs two DL stints to survive just a 15-start season, but uses his savvy to go 8-5 with a 3.58 ERA when he does pitch. Jon Niese’s command and maturity catch up to his competitiveness and stuff, allowing him to become a 15-game winner with an ERA in the threes. Andres Torres tanks and the Mets turn to Matt den Dekker, who proves to be Devon White Lite: Long legs and a long swing leading to ace defense, bunches of strikeouts and some lefty pop. Ike Davis and Lucas Duda each top 30 homers, but Davis does it with Gold Glove contention defense while Duda is so troublesome in right the Mets are forced to consider whether he can play there long term. The same goes for Daniel Murphy as a definitely-can-hit, but-can’t-field second baseman.

Frank Francisco’s knee issues and inability to deal with the running game leads to Terry Collins going with a hot-hand approach at closer and no Met recording more than 18 saves. Ruben Tejada is not Jose Reyes, but he proves himself an everyday major league shortstop by making all the plays defensively while maintaining a good on-base percentage in the .350 range. David Wright is helped by the shortened Citi Field fences and rebounds to a .285, 24-homer season, but nothing helps Jason Bay, who finishes with just 10 homers.

Here's Puma's Mets preview. And here's Davidoff wondering if New York could become a Mets town again.

• Andy Martino in the Daily News writes Jon Niese's deal will be close to the five-year, $28.5 million guarantee the Texas Rangers gave to left-hander Derek Holland, but "not necessarily quite that lucrative."

• Omar Minaya, now a lieutenant to GM Josh Byrnes in San Diego, tells Christian Red in the Daily News that Ruben Tejada will be a capable alternative to Jose Reyes. “He’ll surprise you,” Minaya told Red. “Listen, you’re not going to replace Jose. But I don’t think Ruben is of that mindset. Ruben is a fine shortstop. He’s a young kid who can throw, catch, who is going to hit the ball into the gap. He’s a well-rounded baseball player.”

• Columnist John Harper writes in the Daily News the Mets really could use the Yankees' Brett Gardner. Meanwhile, he quotes Alderson on the lack of Yankees first-team players who attended the game in Port St. Lucie as saying: “That’s an issue for Major League Baseball, not for us. But I don’t know whether Yankees fans are happy to see a Yankee uniform or would prefer to see somebody recognizable in the uniform.”

TRIVIA: Who has been the only player other than Reyes to bat leadoff for the Mets on Opening Day since 2005?

Tuesday's answer: Schwinden led Buffalo in strikeouts last season with 134, in 145 2/3 innings.

Center fielder Matt den Dekker and right-hander Matt Harvey were the only prospects not on the 40-man roster to be invited to major league camp.

Several other minor leaguers, though, have been invited to a top-prospect camp at the team's complex in Port St. Lucie, ahead of the regular reporting date for farmhands.

The list of participants:

Right-handed pitchers
Yohan Almonte
Gonzalez Germen
Erik Goeddel
Michael Hebert
Cory Mazzoni
Collin McHugh
Rafael Montero
Dylan Owen
Greg Peavey
Tyler Pill
Domingo Tapia
Logan Verrett
Zack Wheeler

Left-handed pitchers
Mark Cohoon
Angel Cuan
Darin Gorski
Chase Huchingson
Jack Leathersich
Alex Panteliotis

Catchers
Juan Ceteno
Albert Cordero
Blake Forsythe
Kai Gronauer
Dustin Lawley
Cam Maron
Francisco Pena

Infielders
Phillip Evans
Jefry Marte
Danny Muno
Aderlin Rodriguez
Wilfredo Tovar

Outfielders
Darrell Ceciliani
Brandon Nimmo
Cory Vaughn

Mets VP Paul DePodesta, who oversees the farm system and amateur scouting, takes time with ESPNNewYork.com to break down the organization's minor leagues.

You have almost completed a full minor league season, had a draft. What’s the state of the farm system in a general sense?

“I certainly think we’re making progress. It’s been probably well-documented from the draft, and even to what we did at the trading deadline. One of the things we really sought out is potential impact talent. To the extent that it works out, we won’t know for a while. But it’s certainly been a target. And we’ve been able to bring some of these guys into the system. Some other guys that already have been in the system, we’ve been able to move them along fairly rapidly. I think in that sense I’m very pleased. I think the overall depth of the system is pretty solid. Our goal is to certainly make it better.

“On the impact end, I think we’re making some progress. Again, I think there was probably a little bit more here when we first arrived than was sort of generally accepted. There were a couple of guys last year that didn’t have great years who I think have high-end talent. So when we came in, they weren’t heralded as maybe they should be. A guy like (right-hander) Jeurys Familia, he has a chance to be a big-time guy, and probably hasn’t gotten at least that type of attention. Having him now with (2010 first-round pick Matt) Harvey and having (fellow right-hander Zack) Wheeler (from the Carlos Beltran trade) behind those guys, it’ll start to show what kind of talent he is. Overall, I’m pleased. There’s certainly still room for us to get better, both on the scouting side and on the development side. But I like where we are as of right now.”

In terms of the upper levels of the system, is it bad luck with injuries to players such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis (shoulder surgery), Zach Lutz (pair of concussions, broken ring finger)? Or have there been a lack of available players to where you had to, say, call up a third catcher?

“I think there are a couple of things. One is, a lot of the talent at the upper levels we have seen here (in the majors). I’d say Dillon Gee, Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, I mean those guys were all projected to be at Buffalo this year and have been pretty significant contributors at this level so far. Beyond that, the saving grace for me in (corner infielder Zach) Lutz and (outfielder Kirk) Nieuwenhuis and (Fernando) Martinez and all the guys who have had some injuries is when they’ve played, they’ve all played extraordinarily well. Nieuwenhuis is a guy who is a really interesting case. Admittedly, from my standpoint, he’s not a guy I knew a lot about. I didn’t see him as an amateur at Azusa (Pacific University) when he was coming out. But he’s one of those guys from sort of a smaller school, and as he’s been in the minor leagues and moved up levels, he continues to get better at every level. His production continues to increase at every level, which is rare. So I’m excited about him. It’s really too bad he had the shoulder injury and is going to miss the rest of the year. I think he certainly has a bright future.

“I think at the Double-A level, a lot of the guys we had there weren’t necessarily ready to come here. But (infielder) Josh Satin had a terrific year and is now in Triple-A and hasn’t missed a beat. (Middle infielder) Jordany Valdespin had a great year, and has actually played shortstop extremely well and has gotten better month after month and is now, I think, absolutely a viable major league shortstop. (Second baseman) Reese Havens is sort of like Lutz and Nieuwenhuis. When he’s played, he’s been awfully good. And then on the pitching side, we did fill in an awful lot at Triple-A with some veterans. Gee was sort of the one young guy we felt like was poised and ready. One guy that had a real breakout year was (right-hander) Chris Schwinden. He’s put himself now in a position to help us.

“And then in Double-A we had some nice talent, but guys who were not quite ready to be here and we were probably pushing them even a little at Double-A -- guys like (left-hander Robert) Carson and now, through the course of the year, with Familia and Harvey there. Some other guys have had nice years. (Right-handers Brandon) Moore and (Collin) McHugh have pitched well. Both (right-handers Brad) Holt and (Josh) Stinson I think have pitched well now that they have been moved to the pen, which we all think is their ultimate roles. They seem to have adjusted well to that transition.

“But admittedly once (Jenrry) Mejia went down (with Tommy John surgery) and Gee came up, we didn’t have the stable of young, major league ready pitching. We were a little thin. But I think that layer that’s right behind them has a chance to be pretty darn good.”

You still project Mejia and Familia as rotation as opposed to bullpen guys?

“Yeah, I do. We’ll see as it happens. I think any player development system’s hope is you get to a point where players sort of force themselves on the major league roster -- they sort of force the front office to make a move for them because their performance is so dominant and they’re so clearly ready to be here, as opposed to bringing guys up just because you need them, you don’t have anybody else and something has happened. If we can get to that point on a pitching staff where our starting five is so good that some of these other guys are ready and knocking at the door, who knows what role they may end up in at that point? History will tell you a lot of quality minor league starters end up being quality bullpen guys. But as we sit here today, we certainly still project those guys as starting pitchers?”

If you conceivably are going to devote a lot of dollars to Jose Reyes in the offseason and you have to be more creative at other positions, are there any minor league players who have yet to make their debuts who can be introduced early next season and have an impact? Maybe Josh Satin?

“You mentioned Satin. I think he’s a guy who can contribute here. I think (Monday call-up) Mike Baxter is a guy who can contribute here. He has a different story because we just recently acquired him. I think Lutz is a guy. I think Nieuwenhuis is certainly a guy that can help. And I sort of hesitate to say this, because you never know what’s going to happen when guys do move to the pen -- but sometimes those guys can really come quick, because if they have the stuff, and they have the command, it almost doesn’t matter if it’s in A-ball or Double-A or in the big leagues. It plays and will continue to play at each level.

“In that respect, we’ll see what Stinson is able to do and we’ll see what Holt is able to do as they continue to adjust to that role. One other guy, and I hesitate to say it, because it’s a long way away, is Josh Edgin. He’s a left-handed reliever currently in St. Lucie. He started the year in Savannah. But he’s got major league stuff and he’s left-handed. Again, you just never know how quickly those guys can come. He’s in Port St. Lucie right now, which is why I’m squeamish about talking about 2012."

If Baseball America re-ranked the farm system after the trade deadline and placed Zack Wheeler No. 1, does that mean you made a great trade? Or is it a commentary on the system a little?

“I don’t know. Harvey is awfully good. It’s starting to show at Double-A too. His last few starts have each gotten better, and his last one was just absolutely dominant. Technically, he’s a little closer. Some of their midseason lists, I don’t know if it was Baseball America or somebody else’s, I think Harvey was maybe a couple of slots ahead of Wheeler. I think it’s debatable. We moved Familia to Double-A before Harvey. Certainly part of that was for development reasons. He was just ready earlier. But I don’t know why his ceiling is different than those guys. He throws just as hard. He’s got a good slider. He’s generally in the zone. He’s awfully good too. Look, Wheeler was the No. 6 pick in the country (in 2009). Harvey was the seventh (in 2010). Maybe that gives Wheeler an edge.”

Does something have to give with Fernando Martinez? Or he does have an option for next year, so he could go back to Triple-A in 2012 if need be?

“He has another option after this year.”

St. Lucie’s Wilmer Flores has been ranked atop many rankings in the past. What is his future? Will you move him from shortstop?

“We’ll see. I think with any of these guys, when we’ve considered position changes, it will be well-discussed. We have talked about it with (Wilmer Flores) at different times. We’ve talked about the benefits of him staying at shortstop and it will help him regardless of where he moves. We do think that the next move, if there is a move, and I think it’s probably likely at some point, it will be in the infield. The play at shortstop has been solid. It actually has been quite solid. The question is whether or not we think it’s going to hold up, and ultimately from his standpoint where he’s most comfortable.

“He’s played some third in winter ball. There’s been some talk about second base. We’ll discuss this as we sort of wind down the season and head into the offseason. I think we feel like regardless his time at short has been well-spent, and will continue to be well-spent if he continues to stay there. To his credit, he’s really played it well.

“He just turned 20 years old. And one thing I feel strongly about, and one thing I think we feel strongly about organizationally, is that one of the things that improves dramatically with repetitions is infield defense probably as much as anything in the game. Guys might get a little bit better in the outfield. They get better with routes and jumps. But there are limitations in terms of how much better they can get. Hitting is tough. There are limitations with how much better a guy is going to get. But infield defense, there are just a lot of stories of guys who made 30, 40, even 50 errors in the minor leagues and went on to become very solid defensive infielders in the major leagues.”

I had just heard the range, the foot speed and first step weren’t where it would need to be for shortstop.

“And that could be. I think that’s probably a question. I don’t think the question right now is with the hands or with the arm. It’s an untraditional arm stroke, but he gets it over there and it’s accurate for the most part. I think you’re right. I think that’s a fair point about whether or not he stays there. I think that will be probably the defining question in terms of whether or not he stays there.”

People have visions of a rotation in two or three years of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia. As a development person, I’m sure you want to go 4-for-4. But if you hit on two of those four in the rotation, would you be thrilled? What’s good return on that type of inventory?

“I think that’s probably fair. If we hit one out of every two, I think we’d be thrilled. We feel it’s a very good group. We’re going to try to add to the group. Maybe this time next year we’ll be talking about (second-round pick) Cory Mazzoni in that group or (44^th overall pick Michael) Fulmer right behind those guys. Who knows?

“We’ve actually got a lot of good arms in short season that were here before I got here that are young, young kids, but with power arms and have a chance to come quickly. Guys like (U.S. Virgin Islands native) Akeel Morris, Miller Diaz, Domingo Tapia, there are a handful of them. These are guys who are consistently throwing in the mid-90s, some of them touching high-90s. Tapia is throwing 100 mph this year. Every outing has been in the upper 90s.

“One thing you can be sure of is we’re going to continue to try to stockpile them, sort of knowing that we’re not going to be 100 percent on these guys. I use this in a much broader context than just those four that you mentioned that are at the upper levels, or close to the upper levels, but shoot, I think we’d be killing it if we hit at 50 percent.”

Was there anyone signed internationally this year, even if it was a low signing bonus, that you were particularly pleased you got?

“There are a handful actually. There’s one who is already over here in the States and has moved past the GCL and is into Kingsport. Rafael Montero is a right-handed pitcher. He’s a little older. He’s 20 already and I think was just about 20 or already 20 when we signed him. But he has a good arm, a good feel and it’s a legitimate three-pitch mix. It’s low- to mid-90s. Good body. Good command. He’s an interesting package.

“I was just down in the Dominican last week and saw some of the kids we had signed. Pedro Perez, who we signed, is technically a shortstop. He’s playing third base. A switch-hitter. He’s a good-looking young hitter. And there’s an outfielder named Vicente Lupo -- the kid who got really sick last fall. Really, really sick. He’s an outfielder from Venezuela. He was the one who had malignant hypothermia. He’s back and playing. He’s swinging the bat well. There’s another pitcher named Luis Mateo, who is also a little older. He’s 21. He has really good power stuff. He’s actually still in the Dominican. All those guys were signed this year.

“I believe there’s an outfielder name Mikais de la Cruz, who is in the Dominican, that I believe was signed in this cycle but before I got here. The international market, the fiscal year is July 2 to July 2. So I’m not counting anybody we have signed in the last month. It’s everybody we signed pre-July 2. There are a handful of them, but Montero has certainly been the quickest mover.

“There’s also a Cuban second baseman we signed named Jorge Rivero, who we’ve already brought over. He’s playing in the GCL and is swinging the bat pretty well. He’s also older. He’s 21, I think. He’s a good-looking hitter.”

"In-depth" appears Tuesdays during the regular season

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

“Just 99,” Cruz said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Organization leaders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short hops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

The Mets have named left fielder Lucas Duda and left-hander Mark Cohoon as their Sterling minor league players of the year.

Duda hit a combined .304 (129-for-425) with 23 homers and 87 RBIs in 115 games between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo. Cohoon went a combined 12-5 with a 2.57 ERA between low-A Savannah and Binghamton. Cohoon, who celebrates his 23rd birthday Wednesday, produced three straight scoreless outings in the South Atlantic League before the promotion to the B-Mets.

The Mets also named a Sterling winner for each minor league affiliate:

Buffalo: right-hander Dillon Gee
Binghamton: center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis
St. Lucie: shortstop Wilmer Flores
Savannah: right fielder Cesar Puello
Brooklyn: center fieldre Darrell Ceciliani
Kingsport: third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez
Gulf Coast Mets: right-hander Domingo Tapia
Dominican Summer League: center fielder Eudy Pina and catcher Hector Alvarez

The group will be honored before Wednesday's Mets-Pirates game.