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Mike Baxter can't remember the last time he had a catch at the wall like he did in the first inning of the Mets' 6-1 win over the Padres Friday night.

"That's probably the first time at this level," the outfielder said.

Then again, it'd be hard for any prior catch to top Friday's acrobatic snare. Baxter's fantastic grab started an inning-ending double play in the first inning that proved to be a momentum-changing play that helped galvanize the Mets to their win.

"Held them to the one run in the inning instead of a multi-run inning and I think it really lifted Dillon (Gee) and everybody else," manager Terry Collins said. "It was a tremendous play."

With runners on first and third and one out in a scoreless game, Jesus Guzman hit a deep drive to left that Baxter snared with his right arm extended before crashing into the wall. While the runner from third scored, Baxter was able to get the ball back in time to nail Yonder Alonso at first to end the inning. Gee, shaky in the first inning, didn't yield another run.

Baxter said the ball carried and he was able to get a decent break on the ball and make the big play. He also contributed by driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the third, and he later came around to score. He's hitting .352 on the year.

"For him to have a play like that and get me out of the inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."

IKE AND DUDA PITCH IN: David Wright can't be the hero every night, so when he has 0-for-3 games like he did Friday, the team needs others to step up. Friday night, that support came from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, who drove in three in the win.

"It's huge for our team," Collins said.

Davis drove in a pair of runs for the second straight day with his single in the fifth inning. Collins wondered if this is what Davis needs to get going offensively, as the team recently told him he won't be demoted to the minors despite his slow start to the year. He's 3-for-8 over the last three games and has boosted his average to .168.

"I've felt a little bit better, my swing feels a lot better," Davis said. "BP has been really good the last two days, it's just nice to contribute."

For Duda, his second-inning home run off the Subway sign in front of the second level of seats in right field snapped a span of 77 at-bats without a home run. Duda now has 23 RBIs, which is the second-most on the team behind Wright. He scored two runs in the win.

"I think for me to be a productive big leaguer I have to hit home runs," Duda said. "Just continue to battle and play the game hard."

As he's endured a rocky start to the 2012 season, Mets starter Dillon Gee has been battling himself, trying to find the right groove. He's placed self-imposed pressure, telling himself he needs good starts. It contributed to a 5.44 ERA entering Friday's start.

"Lately in those games I was up in the zone a lot and mechanically I felt out of whack," Gee said. "I wasn't in sync, my right foot didn't know what my left foot was doing, and I felt lost to be honest with you."

After battling through the first inning against the Padres on Friday, a quick chat with pitching coach Dan Warthen reinforced to Gee that he needed to slow down and focus on locating his pitches. Simple -- yet direct -- advice that helped the youngster.

Ultimately, Gee found his groove on the mound, located his pitches and delivered his second-best outing of the season as he threw seven innings of one-run ball in the Mets' 6-1 victory. He struck out a career-best nine hitters as he improved to 4-3.

It marked the first time he won back-to-back starts dating back to last June.

"That's what I want to be is a consistent guy that you know what you're getting every night out and lately I haven't been that guy," Gee said. "It really gets under my skin. That's what I want to pride myself on, going out there every five days and giving the guys a quality start and a chance to win every time out. Hopefully this is the beginning of that."

Gee started slow but improved as the game progressed. He benefited from a tremendous play from left fielder Mike Baxter in the first, as Baxter caught a ball at the wall that led to a double play to end the inning. A run scored, but Gee didn't yield another. He gave up four hits.

"For him to have a play like that and get me out of that inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."

Facing the weak-hitting Padres, Gee induced plenty of soft contact, and worked around jams.

In the fifth, he sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a fielder's choice to work his way out of two men on and no outs. In the seventh, with two on and two outs, he fanned Chris Denorfia on a fastball that just nipped the corner of the plate to end the inning with the Mets up 6-1.

"Late in the game it's almost like his sinker's better, his two-seam fastball is getting better and he's starting to locate it better and he knows he can make pitches," manager Terry Collins said. "He relaxed and says 'look, I have to make pitches to get out of this instead of throwing too hard.' He just lets his stuff work."

Since tossing a gem against Atlanta on April 16, Gee had struggled to match that outing, getting rocked several times. Friday night, he finally looked the part of that pitcher down in Atlanta, keeping it simple and finding that consistency.

"He pitched very good tonight," Collins said.

PITTSBURGH -- Andres Torres was apologetic for his 1-for-33 slump, as Terry Collins started Kirk Nieuwenhuis in center field and Mike Baxter in left field and gave Torres a day off from the lineup Tuesday.

"To be honest, I haven't done what I'm supposed to do," said Torres, whose average has sagged to .189. "This game you have to make your job. You have to get it done. And I feel bad that I haven't performed like I wanted. But I'm here. I just have to find a way to get on base and get hits and things like that."

"A little bit of over-swinging, which can happen," Collins said about Torres' struggles. "He's done a good job of getting himself into some good counts. He's just not getting some results that he wants or that we need to have. ... He's all full of energy. Everything is max, max, max effort. So I just thought today we'll go with another route and give him a day off."

Asked if Torres was locked in to being a starter, the manager added: "Well, everything is going to be reevaluated as we go. But we know how we play when he gets on base. It's quite obvious, when he gets on, we score, and we play very good. He's played very good center field. But right now he's mired in a real tough slump, so I just thought I'd get somebody else in there to see if we can get this thing kick-started a little bit."

Baxter took over in Torres' leadoff spot. The reason?

"He's getting on base," Collins said. "That's the spot, if you get on, we've got a chance to score some runs. So I thought I'd lead him off."

As for Monday night's costly faux pas in which Baxter and Nieuwenhuis converged on a fly ball and it dropped, Collins added: "You've got to get past it. That's what you have to do at this level. You can't let it linger. You've got to go out and learn from your mistakes. I want them both in the lineup. It wasn't just because of last night. I just think right now, with Andres struggling the way he's struggling, that this is our best chance to score."

PITTSBURGH -- Mike Baxter will lead off and man left field as Andres Torres does, in fact, take a seat for Tuesday's game at Pittsburgh. Baxter last led off in 2010 with Triple-A Portland in the Padres system -- he did it three times that season.

David Wright, meanwhile, has the fourth-highest average among qualifiers through his team's first 42 games since 1980 -- .415. He only trails Paul O'Neill (.471, Yankees, 1994), Rod Carew (.441, Angels, 1983) and Barry Bonds (.423, Giants, 1993).

Mike Baxter, lf
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, cf
David Wright, 3b
Lucas Duda, rf
Daniel Murphy, 2b
Ike Davis, 1b
Ronny Cedeno, ss
Mike Nickeas, c
R.A. Dickey, rhp

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

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

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

Tuesday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PITTSBURGH -- Left fielder Mike Baxter never heard center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis calling for the ball.

Nieuwenhuis never heard Baxter, either.

The result: Neil Walker’s eighth-inning shot to left-center bounced off Nieuwenhuis’ glove as he bumped Baxter, resulting in a three-base error. Walker then scored the game-deciding run in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 victory against the Mets on Clint Barmes’ sacrifice fly.

“I didn’t hear it,” Baxter said about Nieuwenhuis’ call for the ball. “I should have taken a look. It’s 100 percent my fault. That’s a fundamental of baseball. Kirk has the right of way on that ball. I’ve got to get out of his way on that ball. That one hurts.

“I was calling for it. But it’s irrelevant, to be honest with you. As ‘off’ (corner) outfielders, your job is to know where he’s at and, if he’s going to make a play on it, you get out of the way. You’ve got to take a look. In hindsight, that’s the right way to play it -- take a look, see where he’s at. We practice taking our eye off the ball on routes anyway. You kind of give a look and see if he has a bead on it. If he does, just get out of the way so that doesn’t happen.”

Terry Collins put the onus on both players -- Baxter for not deferring, and Nieuwenhuis for dropping the ball. Collins had used both players as pinch hitters in the top of the eighth and kept them in the game in the outfield.

Collins spoke with Baxter once he returned to the dugout after the half-inning.

“I just wanted to make sure that we get it straight so it doesn’t happen again, that’s all,” Collins said. “Make sure the communication is better than it was. That’s all. It’s one of the things that really happens at the major league level in a situation where you’re out there with a lot of noise. Mike’s calling it. Kirk’s calling it. I just told Bax, ‘You’ve got to somehow realize the center fielder is coming.’ But he said, ‘I was calling it, calling it, calling it. I thought he was too far away.’ Anyway, it didn’t matter. We’ve got to catch the baseball.”

Nieuwenhuis also blamed himself.

“I should have looked over at him, took a peek, saw where he was at,” Nieuwenhuis said. “That’s my fault.”

As for who was calling for the ball, Nieuwenhuis said it actually was pretty loud at PNC Park as the ball was in the air and they converged, making it difficult to hear.

“Neither one of us heard each other,” Nieuwenhuis said. “It was pretty loud out there in the outfield by the stands a little bit. But it’s part of the game. You’ve got to deal with it. It’s not an excuse. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make that play. It’s a routine play.”

WHAT IT MEANS: Johan Santana could not protect a four-run lead and the Mets dropped the ball in the eighth inning -- literally -- en route to 5-4 loss against Pittsburgh in Monday’s series opener.

Santana served up a game-tying two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Michael McKenry in seventh inning.

In the eighth, after each pinch-hitting in the top half, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Mike Baxter headed to the outfield. They miscommunicated on Neil Walker’s leadoff fly ball to left-center and Nieuwenhuis dropped it for a three-base error. Walker then scored the decisive run on a sacrifice fly by Clint Barmes against Jon Rauch narrowly ahead of a throw from right fielder Lucas Duda.

It was the second time this season Nieuwenhuis had a high-profile drop while manning center field. Against the Giants on April 21, Nieuwenhuis overran a ball to prolong the game, although the Mets salvaged that one, 5-4, on San Francisco miscues.

NOT WRIGHT: David Wright went 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI to lift his average to .415, but he also committed his second and third errors this season.

Wright’s RBI single had lifted the Mets to a 4-0 lead against Pirates starter Erik Bedard.

Neither error proved costly. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning shortly after Wright’s throwing miscue to first base, Santana coaxed a 6-4-3 DP to preserve a two-run lead. In the seventh, after Santana served up the game-tying two-run homer and a walk, Wright misfielded a grounder that advanced the potential go-ahead run into scoring position. But Bobby Parnell struck out Andrew McCutchen and Tim Byrdak fanned Pedro Alvarez to keep the score tied.

LEADING MAN? Andres Torres went 0-for-4 with a walk. He twice struck out and also popped out on a bunt. Torres is now hitless in 14 at-bats and 2-for-38 in his last 11 games. His eighth-inning fielder’s choice stranded the go-ahead run at third in the eighth.

OUT: Scott Hairston was pulled for the bottom of the sixth inning, with Vinny Rottino moving from first base to left field and Ike Davis entering the game.

It was not immediately known if that was a strategic move or Hairston needed to be removed.

Davis and Lucas Duda consecutively were retired in the top of the seventh inning with two runners aboard while facing lefty reliever Tony Watson as the Mets failed to build on a 4-2 lead at the time.

AHOY: Ronny Cedeno returned to Pittsburgh, where he had been the starting shortstop last season and hit .249. He went 2-for-4.

WHAT’S NEXT: R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.76 ERA) opposes right-hander James McDonald (3-2, 2.68) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

PITTSBURGH -- Former major league umpire Rocky Roe was Terry Collins' roommate at Eastern Michigan University, so the Mets manager always has tried to be deferential to umpires.

And Collins appreciated a reciprocal gesture at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Brian Knight, a third-year umpire who hails from Montana, apologized Sunday morning for the blown ninth-inning call the previous night that resulted in Mike Baxter being erased from the bases as the potential tying run in what became a 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays.

"The one thing I've always truly believed, and obviously times are changing due to the technology, but I've always believed in the human error in our game," Collins said. "There hasn't been one game in all the years I've been watching this that you've put a pitcher in, or you've made a move -- or you pinch hit somebody, and the guy struck out with the bases loaded -- where the umpire came over, took his mask off and said, 'What are you, (expletive) crazy making that move?' Not one time has that ever happened.

"So I said, 'Look, nothing needs to be said. We all know what the result was. It's past us. There's nothing we can do about that now.' And I believe that. I believe there's always room for the umpire-manager disagreement. Everybody wants to curb that. Everybody wants to keep the game flowing. They don't want to have those kind of confrontations."

Collins said the Sunday morning conversation did not include whether Knight really did have the ability to ask for help from other umpires to determine whether Baxter was in fact tagged by Toronto shortstop Yunel Escobar. Still, Collins added, in informal conversations with other people since Saturday's incident he was told "that they can always ask."

Regardless, Collins said a mea culpa such as occurred this weekend is extremely rare from an umpire, so he genuinely appreciated Knight's gesture.

ESPN senior baseball editor Matt Meyers and ESPNNY.com blogger Mark Simon team up to offer their thoughts on a few issues relevant to the upcoming week for the Mets.

What should the Mets do about the logjam that will come with Jason Bay’s return?

Meyers: Bay has done nothing in his time with the Mets to prove he is deserving of playing time. Therefore, I would mix and match him in left with Kirk Nieuwenhuis, giving Bay the lion's share of playing time against lefties.

Because of Nieuwenhuis' superior defense and speed, I think the Mets are actually a better team with him in the lineup, and simply giving the left field job to Bay would be a mistake.

However, Bay did have a .918 OPS against lefties in 2011, so he could have some value in a limited role.

Furthermore, the Mets actually have incentive not to play Bay since his 2014 option vests if he gets more than 500 plate appearances, and the club actually has good reason to bench him since he is by no means the superior player.

If it were up to me, Lucas Duda would be the everyday left fielder, where his poor range and arm would be less of a liability, and Nieuwenhuis would be in right. However, that doesn't seem to be Terry Collins' inclination, so I'm answering based on what seem to be his preferences.

Simon: I would give Bay a week's worth of games to see if he's the same Bay we saw prior to the DL stint. If so, then there's a mix-and-match plan to be created among what's there, with the one lineup constant being Duda, who would replace a demoted Ike Davis at first base.

I feel like there's an inevitable Nieuwenhuis regression coming so I wouldn't be overeager to play him every day.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how valuable will Mike Baxter be over 162 games?

Meyers: I'll say a 3. To me, Baxter is just a decent 4-A player who can fill in when you need him, but not the kind of guy you plan around. Sure, he's had some big pinch-hits, but I think that's more of a fluke than an indication of some special ability to pinch-hit.

Simon:I'll say a 5.5. When Baxter makes contact, he hits ropes. He's not quite a game-changing piece in the late innings, but he can be a valuable weapon.

If the theme of the season is stealing games, perhaps Baxter swipes two or three with big hits before the year is out.

Make a prediction for the week:

Meyers: I think Ike Davis is going to end up getting sent to Triple-A, and this could end up being the solution to the question above, because the Mets might decide to keep Baxter up when Bay returns, demote Davis and play Duda at first base.

Davis has not only been one of the worst players in the majors, but he has minor league options. He looks lost at the plate, and might be better served working on some things in a low-pressure environment.

Simon: Last week, we said the Mets would be the first team to score against Aroldis Chapman, and turned out to be right.

We'll try to go 2-for-2 with this pick: Jeremy Hefner will beat the Padres at week's end for his first major-league victory. San Diego enters the week with a .220 batting average and is the ideal opponent for a confidence-building start for him.

A snapshot review of the Mets-Blue Jays series, with the help of Baseball-Reference.com

Stat of the Series
David Wright passed Jose Reyes to move into second place on the Mets all-time career hits list with his three hits this weekend in Toronto.

He's at 1,302 now, 116 shy of all-time leader Ed Kranepool.

Wright reached 1,300 career hits in this series, doing so in his 1,142nd career game.

That’s not necessarily so fast within a historical context, but Wright did reach 1,300 hits quicker than a few notables, among them: Chipper Jones, Manny Ramirez and Carlos Beltran.

Clobbered
In Friday’s loss to the Blue Jays, the Mets allowed at least 14 runs in an interleague game for the seventh time in team history. That’s tied for the second-most such games with the Astros. Only the Cardinals, with nine, had more interleague games in which they allowed that many runs.

This game featured a host of weird combinations and accomplishments.

The Mets allowed 14 runs and their pitchers combined to record 11 strikeouts. It was the second time this season that they allowed at least 14 runs and had 11 strikeouts in a game. They also did it against the Braves on April 18.

Prior to this season, they had only achieved that combination once in their 50-year history-- against the Reds on April 29, 1978.

Jonathon Niese allowed eight runs and whiffed six in three innings. That’s the most strikeouts by a Mets pitcher who allowed at least eight runs, while pitching three innings or fewer.

The Mets best pitcher Saturday was their catcher, Rob Johnson, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Johnson, the first Met to ever play pitcher and catcher in the same game, became the first player to record a strikeout as both a catcher (on the receiving end) and a pitcher in the same game since Scott Sheldon of the 2000 Rangers.

The Sun Will Come Out To’Morrow’
The Mets had no chance, save for their ninth-inning rally against Brandon Morrow on Saturday.

Morrow allowed no runs and three hits, with eight strikeouts in a 2-0 win. He’s the first pitcher to throw a shutout against the Mets allowing that few hits with that many strikeouts since Dontrelle Willis in 2003.

On a more obscure note: Jeremy Hefner became the first Mets pitcher to throw at least five innings in a relief loss since Terry Leach in 1988.

BABIP = Baxter Average on Balls in Play
David Wright's batting average is largely a product of an amazing .476 Batting Average on Balls In Play.

But one Met has him beat. Mike Baxter, after a 3-for-4 in Sunday’s win, now has a .516 BABIP in 41 at-bats this season. Baxter is 16-for-30 when hitting the ball within the field of play.

Francisco Treat
Frank Francisco earned what we would call an adventurous save on Sunday. It was one in which he pitched a scoreless inning, struck out the side, and allowed two baserunners.

The last Mets reliever to earn such a save (one inning pitched, no runs, three strikeouts, two baserunners) in a one-run game was Billy Wagner in a 5-4 win against the Dodgers, July 22, 2007.

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

Monday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Regarding Nieuwenhuis, Barbara Barker writes in Newsday:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TORONTO -- After another solid day Sunday in which he started in left field and produced a career-high three hits to up his season average to .390, pinch-hitter-extraordinaire Mike Baxter is due for increased playing time, manager Terry Collins promised.

“Against those righties in Pittsburgh, I’ve got to get him in the lineup,” Collins said. “His at-bats, it’s speaking for itself. You’ve got a red-hot bat like his, you’ve got to get him in there.”

Baxter will not start Monday, when the Mets face left-hander Erik Bedard, but he could very well start the next two days at PNC Park, against right-handers James McDonald and Charlie Morton.

Baxter saw some action at first base during spring training, but Collins said he is not comfortable using him right now at that position. So Baxter’s upcoming starts should come in the outfield, likely at the expense of Kirk Nieuwenhuis or Lucas Duda, rather than to Ike Davis’ detriment -- at least in the short term.

“I don’t think he’s played enough first base,” Collins said. “Even though he played a couple of games in spring training, he hasn’t had one groundball during the season at first base. So I’m not comfortable with him over there right now.”

Baxter, who had to beat out Adam Loewen for the lefty-hitting backup outfielder roster spot out of spring training, noted he has plenty of first-base experience. The Whitestone, Queens, native has logged 150 minor leagues games at first base. He also played there in college at Columbia and Vanderbilt.

“I’m very, very comfortable at first,” Baxter said. “I played it all through college. I played it quite a bit in the minor leagues, too. I can easily get back over there if that’s something they want.”

As for Sunday’s performance, Baxter doubled in the first inning, had an RBI triple in the second and singled in the fifth. He had two more shots at the cycle, but grounded out and then walked -- falling a homer shy. He admitted thinking about becoming the 11^th player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, but recognized homering is not part of his game.

“It crossed my mind,” Baxter said. “But I didn’t really want to get away from what I’ve been doing. I just want to try to keep the same approach. I don’t want to start messing with it.”

Baxter has only 49 professional homers between the majors and minors since debuting in 2005.

Baxter had one minor league cycle, with Triple-A Portland in the Padres organization on June 8, 2010 against Reno, which started Kris Benson.

“Inside-the-park home run, just FYI,” Baxter said with a laugh.

One sign Baxter has arrived? Toronto fans were doing a derogatory chant directed at him as he played left field in the latter innings.

“That’s one way to look at it,” Baxter said. “Oh yeah, they were chanting my name. That was a good crowd today. That was a pretty good environment.

“They got me good.”

Said David Wright: “He’s been great. He goes up there and has a good at-bat. It’s fun. I get to see it up close and personal in the on-deck circle, what he’s been able to do in kind of spraying it around. He’s been a terrific situational hitter for us. I think he’s earned all the playing time that he’s gotten. And I’m sure there’s a lot more for him to come. He’s been great for us, especially off the bench. Pinch-hitting is tough to do. And to do what he’s doing is very impressive.”

WHAT IT MEANS: The weekend wasn’t a total loss, at least. In their first visit to Toronto in six years, the Mets salvaged the series finale, beating the Blue Jays, 6-5, Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Barely.

Bobby Parnell surrendered a pair of eighth-inning runs, including an RBI single to Colby Rasmus that snapped the ex-Cardinal’s 0-for-20 skid, as Toronto rallied to within a run. But Tim Byrdak made his 24^th appearance in 41 games to retire lefty-hitting Kelly Johnson on a flyout to right field and end that frame.

In the ninth, ex-Blue Jays closer Frank Francisco, who was loudly jeered upon entering, closed things out despite a leadoff walk to Yunel Escobar and ensuing single by Jose Bautista that placed the winning run on base with none out. Francisco struck out the next three batters.

WELCOME BACK: After scheduled day off, and with his illness having somewhat improved, David Wright delivered a two-run double in the first inning against Jays right-hander Henderson Alvarez. It was hit No. 1,301 of Wright’s career, which passed ex-teammate Jose Reyes for sole possession of second on franchise’s all-time list. Ed Kranepool has the highest hit total as a Met for now: 1,418. Wright now stands at 1,302. He finished Sunday’s game 2-for-4 with a walk, albeit with an eighth-inning strikeout that stranded the bases loaded and kept the score 6-3. His average now stands at .412.

(Wright wasn’t solely at fault for a scoreless eighth. Ike Davis doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball, but was thrown out at the plate on a pitch that similarly eluded catcher J.P. Arencibia.)

BAXTER BURNING: Mike Baxter, starting for a second straight game with the pitcher not batting in the American League ballpark, went 3-for-4 with a walk. He fell a homer shy of producing the second cycle by a Met this season (Scott Hairston at Colorado on April 27, in an 18-9 loss). Baxter’s hit total achieved a career high, and lifted his average to .390, in 41 at-bats. Baxter even was the subject of taunts from fans in the left-field stands.

After being deprived of a would-be ninth-inning double Saturday with an incorrect out call at second base, Baxter doubled and tripled in the first two inings Sunday while starting in left field. The latter extra-base hit scored Ronny Cedeno and staked the Mets to a 4-0 lead.

GEE MINOR: Clean-shaven Dillon Gee completed 6 2/3 innings and notched his first win since April 28 at Colorado. He departed after an RBI single by Jose Bautista pulled the Jays within 6-3. Parnell entered and stranded Bautista by coaxing a fielder’s choice groundout by Edwin Encarnacion.

Gee’s final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP. He threw 113 pitches (67 strikes). He surrendered a third-inning solo homer to Bautista that pulled the Jays within 4-2 at the time.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets, in businesslike attire, head through customs and travel to Pittsburgh. Johan Santana (1-2, 2.89 ERA) opposes left-hander Erik Bedard (2-5, 3.07) in Monday’s 7:05 p.m. opener.

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

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

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

Sunday's news reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TORONTO -- Terry Collins said he would not have left the dugout to argue with second base ump Brian Knight if the manager could not clearly see from his vantage point that Yunel Escobar had missed a tag on Mike Baxter at second base in the ninth inning.

Baxter was ruled out, taking the tying run off second base and leaving the Mets one out from a loss. Daniel Murphy then lined out to strand Scott Hairston at third base and end Toronto’s 2-0 victory.

“He said he thought he tagged him on the back,” Collins said, referring to Knight. “I just thought if he didn’t have a good view of it to ask. And he said he couldn’t. That was it.

"I could see it. That’s why I went out there. I wouldn’t have gone out there if I thought he was out. I think sometimes we go out there when we really don’t have any basis for it. But I knew he missed the tag, so I went out there. He said that’s a play they can’t ask. I pretty much had no argument after that.”

Baxter went into politically correct mode after the game, beyond saying he did not feel a tag.

“We got to a good spot there, kind of like we’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks, coming back late in the game,” Baxter said. “Those umpires, they’re great. They’re very, very skilled at what they do. Tonight it didn’t work out in our favor.”

At the time of the call, Baxter pounded his helmet into the ground a couple of times, then flipped it aside at second base before Collins picked up the argument.

“I hate doing that,” Baxter said. “I’m not trying to show anybody up. I definitely got caught in the moment there. It’s not what you want to do on the field.”