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The Mets produced their MLB-leading 11th comeback win, rallying for a 10-6 victory Wednesday night, to sweep a three-game series in Philly for the first time since June 2006. They moved five games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2010.

"We came in and got them at the right time and took advantage of playing hard," Terry Collins said. "If something happened, there was a mistake, we capitalized on it. It was a great trip for us. We'll enjoy it for a while and get ready for this weekend."

Thursday's news reports:

• An excerpt from my column on the sweep:

Inside a jubilant visitors’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, third baseman David Wright struggled to recall the New York Mets’ last three-game sweep in Philly. And if he could not come up with the date, surely none of his teammates could, either. After all, Wright is the only active player to have been a Met the last time it happened. “I was trying to remember that. In 2006, maybe?” Wright asked after the Mets posted their third straight come-from-behind victory to sweep the Phillies with a 10-6 victory Wednesday night. Yes, June 15, 2006 -- before Adam Wainwright's curveball, and “Team to Beat,” and the collapse, and the second collapse, and three losing seasons, and Bernard Madoff and, well, you get the point. (You would think Wright would have had a fighting chance at recalling it, too, since he homered in each game of that series.) Wednesday’s victory moved the Mets five games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2010.

Read the full analysis here.

• The win came despite Dillon Gee being charged with four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. “I was not good -- probably, by far, the worst I’ve felt all year,” Gee said. “I just had zero command. I was behind to everyone and I had no command of the curveball. It’s tough to pitch like that.” Read game recaps in the Times, Record, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Daily News and Post.

• Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called a team meeting after getting swept by the Mets. Writes Matt Gelb in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The room was quiet now because Charlie Manuel had already delivered a loud message to his beaten team. Many of the Phillies had dressed, left their clubhouse and ventured into the wet darkness. Still in his full uniform, Cliff Lee sat with Roy Halladay and Chad Qualls. Joe Savery packed his bags for Allentown. Jimmy Rollins hopped onto a table and broke the silence. "You don't have to whisper," he said. "It's not the end of the world." Fates are not decided after 32 baseball games, but Manuel decided an intervention was required. All he had to do was watch Wednesday's 10-6 defeat to New York - 2 hours, 56 minutes of baseball that made him seethe. "And usually," Manuel said, "I stay pretty cool."

• Columnist Ken Davidoff in the Post notes the Mets' success had a lot to do with what the Phillies did not do. Writes Davidoff:

The Phillies of 2007-11 strolled the ballpark with an arrogance, an expectation that they would win each night. The current Phillies are exemplifying that such arrogance comes from talent, rather than the talent resulting from attitude of any kind. Because these five-time defending National League East champions, playing without their injured stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, simply aren’t very good.

• Jenrry Mejia allowed two runs in five innings for Class A St. Lucie at Brevard County on Wednesday morning in his first official minor league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 16, 2011. Pitching coach Dan Warthen told Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger the intention is to get Mejia three more minor league starts. After that, team brass will decide whether to use Mejia as a reliever or a starter the remainder of the season. Warthen has been on the record saying he believes Mejia's future is as a reliever because a violent delivery could leave him susceptible to injury. Sandy Alderson indicated what the Mets' needs are will play a role in how to use Mejia. “We’re just trying to get him back to a competitive level, at a representative number of pitches, and commanding all of his assortment of pitches,” Alderson told McCullough. “Once we get to that point, assuming he’s pitching five or six innings a game in a starting role, he can perform either role for us.”

Paul DePodesta told ESPNNewYork.com during spring training to look at how the Texas Rangers have developed pitchers in explaining Mejia's future role. That seemed to suggest even back in March that Mejia could contribute at the major league level this season in the bullpen, then revert to a starting role next year if the organization wants to switch him back.

Chris Young follows Mejia in St. Lucie's starting rotation Thursday. Young, who also underwent surgery last May 16, to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder, will be starting in a minor league game for the first time since that procedure. He is scheduled to throw roughly 75 pitches.

• Brian Costa in the Journal takes a look at the newly created "taxi squad" for 2012. Under old MLB guidelines, a player potentially replacing an injured major league player could not be in the clubhouse actively participating with teammates until a formal DL move was made. So players were quietly flown in and stayed at the hotel until the team decided whether to DL the injured player. Now, the secrecy and isolation is gone, and the call-up can be in the clubhouse and participate in pregame workouts with the team in uniform at the stadium for up to 24 hours before either being activated or returning to the minors.

Rob Johnson technically was on the taxi squad and in the clubhouse until Josh Thole was placed on the DL on Tuesday. Last month, during the Mets' first trip to Philly, Josh Satin was at Citizens Bank Park for a day, then shipped back to Buffalo when the Mets decided David Wright did not need a DL trip for his fractured right pinkie. Placing a player on the taxi squad also allows the Triple-A team to add a player; in the past, while the potential call-up waited in limbo, the minor league squad was forced to play shorthanded because the player still counted against its roster until activated by the parent club.

"It's lonely," R.A. Dickey told Costa about the old system, when the player was hidden at the hotel. "Nobody there would talk to you. You get a random call at random times, 'Hey, we're not going to activate you tonight. Just spend the night. We might activate you tomorrow. Beeeeeep.' It's really bizarre. You feel like an MI-6 agent."

Satin told Costa that Wright apologized to him for having to fly to Philly only to return to Triple-A without being activated. Said Satin: "David said, 'I'm really sorry I made you come out here.' I said, 'Honestly, there's nothing to be sorry about.' There's plenty of worse things to do than sit in a big-league clubhouse and watch the Mets play the Phillies."

• Jeurys Familia limited Triple-A Gwinnett to one run in six innings and Buffalo won, 4-1, Wednesday. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Ronny Cedeno, on the DL with a left side muscle strain, played nine innings in an extended spring training game Wednesday. He is expected back this weekend in Miami, although Collins did not commit to a Friday return because he wants to see the middle infielder compete against higher-level pitching.

• Collins believes the spate of left-handed starting pitching the Mets have seen this season is a coincidence, not teams manipulating their rotation to line up against his club. Read more in the Times.

• Andres Torres is using a lighter bat than when he played for the Giants, the Daily News notes.

TRIVIA: Shane Victorino nearly played an Andres Torres sinking liner into an inside-the-park homer Wednesday, although Torres stopped at third. Which players have multiple inside-the-park homers while playing for the Mets?

Wednesday's answer: Ex-Met Omir Santos made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 5, 2008.

R.A. Dickey took a scoreless effort into the ninth inning before surrendering a leadoff walk to Gerardo Parra and RBI double to Justin Upton. From there, Tim Byrdak and then Frank Francisco entered to complete a 3-1 rubber-game victory Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field.

Monday's news reports:

• Ruben Tejada tumbled approaching first base on a fourth-inning bunt single and was forced to leave Sunday's game. The Mets announced Tejada had suffered a strained right quadriceps, even before Tejada had completed an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery. (The Post described the MRI as looking "not good.") Terry Collins also expressed concern with Tejada's right eye after the shortstop went face first into the ground after getting tripped up at first base. Justin Turner completed the game at shortstop, and Collins suggested he could accept using Turner at the position with David Wright as the backup until Ronny Cedeno returns. Cedeno (side muscle strain) now is eligible to be activated from the disabled list, but is not expected to be ready until later in the week.

Yet regardless of Collins' outward expression of confidence, Turner does not have the range to play shortstop in the majors. The Mets are bringing Jordany Valdespin to Philadelphia as part of a taxi squad. He would be activated to man shortstop assuming Tejada lands on the disabled list, which seems like the highly likely scenario. Valdespin, who was demoted after Saturday's game when the Mets activated D.J. Carrasco, cannot return without spending 10 days in the minors unless he is replacing a player who lands on the DL. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Daily News, Record and Newsday.

• Dickey matched the longest outing by a Mets pitcher this season, and thought he had a chance at a no-hitter based on his early knuckleball quality. He slammed the rosin bag when he was removed because he wanted the complete game. (Mike Pelfrey also went eight innings April 21 against San Francisco, in what may have been Pelfrey's final appearance as a Met.) Read game recaps in the Times, Record, Newsday, Post, Journal, Daily News and Star-Ledger.

• Chris Young is due to pitch in his first official minor league game Thursday with Class A St. Lucie, which plays at Brevard County at 6:35 p.m. Young is returning from May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. That is the same procedure Johan Santana underwent eight months earlier.

• Ike Davis, who is now hitless in his last 10 at-bats and hitting .168 after going 0-for-2 with a walk Sunday, told Jon Heyman at CBSSports.com: "Let's be honest, it's a tough game. I'm working my butt off every day. Everyone wants a quick fix, but let's be honest, I'm not going to go from .170 to .300 in a day.''

• Daniel Murphy, batting in the No. 5 hole for a second straight game, contributed a two-run single in the first inning. He went 7-for-12 in the series against Arizona. "I actually believe in the middle of the order is where he belongs, in that fifth spot," Collins said. "I really do. I've hit him second because I think he gets on base. Right now, we're looking for someone that can swing the bat to drive some runs in. When Ike starts swinging the way we know he can, Murph will probably move back up to No. 2. But right now, I just think we got to kind of spread out our guys that are swinging the bats." Read more in Newsday.

• Steve Serby in the Post has a Q&A with Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The conversation includes this exchange about Nieuwenhuis' high school nickname, Bonesaw:

Q: What is up with the “Bonesaw” chants?

A: In high school I played basketball, and I wasn’t the best basketball player, just kinda banged around a little bit ... kinda passed and rebounded and fouled and played defense. We had a student section [the Blue Crew] that was pretty big for a student section even though we didn’t have a big school. I was a junior and a bunch of the seniors thought “Bonesaw” was a cool nickname and they gave it to me.

• Jason Bay's fractured rib remains sore, so he is not yet beginning the baseball activities that would be a prerequisite to being activated from the disabled list. Bay also is dealing with the flu.

• Columnist Bill Madden in the Daily News writes this assessment of the Mets:

Aside from David Wright and Murphy, the Mets lineup doesn’t overwhelm you -- but then what National League lineup does? -- and so it comes down to what it always does, pitching, and on days like Sunday when Dickey limits the opposition to just three hits and one run over eight-plus innings, the Mets look more than respectable. So far this season, Mets starters have pitched six or more innings 18 times and, not surprisingly, their record is 13-5 in those games. Dickey is the leader with five of his starts going six or more innings. “The pitching’s what’s carried us,” Terry Collins asserted, “and in games like this it’s allowed us to use the bullpen the way it’s supposed to be used.”

• Columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post writes this take:

Things could go downhill quickly for the Mets. But for now they are holding on. “I personally think we’re a fun team to watch, and a lot of good things can happen,’’ catcher Josh Thole told The Post after driving in one of the three runs with a fourth-inning single. The other two were driven in by Daniel Murphy. In a fascinating scene three hours before the game, Murphy was offering some hitting tips to Thole in front of Thole’s locker. “When I walk down the street, people are saying, ‘Hey, keep going, you guys are playing hard,’ ” Thole said. “You appreciate hearing that, and when you show the fans that you care and have passion, that’s all they are asking for.’’

• Paul DePodesta is profiled in the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper at his alma mater. Writes Scott A. Sherman:

After an injured shoulder suffered at the end of the following spring left him effectively unable to throw, DePodesta soon realized his baseball career was over. He decided to solely focus on football—where he only needed to catch—and played his senior year in 1994 under current Crimson coach Tim Murphy, who had just arrived from the University of Cincinnati. “Depo was not the most talented kid on the team, but he was a smart, tough, high-character guy,” Murphy recalls.

Often, it was DePodesta’s brain that stood out most quickly to his teammates. “He was a great guy, very friendly and very helpful in teaching the young guys,” Colby Skelton ’98, a fellow receiver on the squad, wrote in an email. “Not to mention extremely bright.” DePodesta did his best to ensure people were aware of that intelligence, often wearing a button-down shirt, khaki pants, and glasses (rather than his preferred contact lenses) around campus so people did not view him as “a dumb jock.”

• Josh Rodriguez's single in the bottom of the ninth scored Pedro Zapata and lifted Binghamton to a 2-1, walk-off win against Harrisburg on Sunday. Read the full minor league recap here.

TRIVIA: Who was the first Phillies pitcher to serve up a homer to Wright in the third baseman's career? (Hint: He's now a closer.)

Sunday's answer: (Jersey) Bobby M. Jones once referred to his manager, Bobby Valentine, as a "joke."

Right-hander Elvin Ramirez had opened eyes during the 2010-11 winter-ball season in his native Dominican Republic while compiling a 1.85 ERA for Gigantes del Cibao in 20 relief appearances.

So during the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings that December, while the Mets were selecting Pedro Beato from the Orioles and Brad Emaus from the Blue Jays, the Nationals were grabbing Ramirez from the Mets.

Ramirez, now 24, never did pitch while spending nearly a full year with the Nationals. He had developed a shoulder issue while wowing in winter ball that ultimately led to late-March 2011 shoulder surgery while temporarily Washington property.

The Nats eventually returned him to the Mets in mid-October. They could have carried him into this season with the Rule 5 provisions still in place, but chose to no longer tie up the 40-man roster spot.

So now, after a full season away from the organization, which he primarily spent rehabbing at the Nationals’ spring-training complex in Viera, Fla., Ramirez is back with the Mets and again opening eyes.

“I was in-between,” said Ramirez, who spent plenty of time with Washington pitcher and fellow Dominican Atahaulpa Severino during the lost season at the Nats’ complex. “I was hurt, so I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was waiting for whatever was going to happen.”

So far this season, Ramirez has tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings over five relief appearances for Double-A Binghamton. He has struck out a gaudy 15 Eastern League batters while surrendering three hits and five walks.

Ramirez’s velocity sat at 93-94 mph in a recent outing, still shy of the 94-96 mph he tossed pre-shoulder issue. But the results speak for themselves. And the velocity has been creeping upward since Ramirez’s first B-Mets outing, on April 6.

“One of the things I heard when he got Rule 5’d by the Nationals was that winter he was throwing extremely hard,” B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez said. “His fastball was up to 99, 98 mph. After the injury he suffered -- he sat out last year -- the velocity is coming back slowly. I think in spring training he was throwing 90, 92. There’s been a couple of times here where he’s topped out at 96. Some of the pitching coaches that have seen him in the past say he looks healthy, and they think his fastball is going to come back again.

“But it’s been impressive right now. He throws a fastball, slider and changeup. Right now they’re pretty good. The thing I remember of Elvin from Savannah in 2008, he had the makings of a good changeup. Now he’s got a really good changeup. And he throws it to right-handed hitters. I think that makes him real effective.”

Organization leaders

Average: T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .406; Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .377; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, .365; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .356; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .333; Wilfredo Tovar, St. Lucie, .321; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .316; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .315; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, .294; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, .291.

Homers: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 15; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 15; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 14; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 12.

Steals: Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 4; Luis Nieves, Savannah, 4; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, 4.

ERA: Darin Gorski, Binghamton, 1.13; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 1.23; Collin McHugh, Bighamton, 1.59; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 1.76; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 1.80; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 1.96; Rafael Montero, Savannah, 1.99; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.05; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.05; Domingo Tapia, Savannah, 2.55.

Wins: Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 3; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 3.

Saves: Fernando Cabrera, Buffalo, 4; Adam Kolarek, St. Lucie, 3; Josh Edgin, Buffalo, 2; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 2; Adrian Rosario, St. Lucie, 2.

Strikeouts: Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 24; Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 23; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 22; Domingo Tapia, Savannah, 20.

Short hops

• Sean Ratliff, who was struck in the eye with a foul ball during spring training in 2011 off the bat of Zach Lutz, has retired. Ratliff, a fourth-round pick in 2008 out of Stanford, plans to head back to school to complete his education. He underwent four surgeries last year and attempted a comeback this season with Class A St. Lucie. But the outfielder was 3-for-22 with 10 strikeouts and could not overcome the vision deficiencies.

• Left-handed reliever Daniel Herrera is due to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The injury helped fuel the promotion of fellow lefty Josh Edgin from Binghamton to Buffalo.

Edgin, 25, impressed in spring training and officially was added to major league camp after starting on the minor league side. He struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut Monday at Lehigh Valley. Edgin will be exposed to different types of situations with the Bisons to ready him for the majors -- from save opportunities, to entering mid-inning for lefty-on-lefty matchups, to working two-inning appearances. The Lehigh Valley in-stadium gun, which may be slightly slow, clocked Edgin’s fastball at 92 mph in his Buffalo debut. He also showed a tight slider.

The Mets actually have two viable lefty relief options with the Bisons. Chuck James has tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings, albeit with five walks.

So why was left-hander Robert Carson the one promoted to the majors Tuesday after Mike Pelfrey was placed on the DL? Well, he’s the one on the 40-man roster. And the call-up is only intended for the Marlins series, after which Carson is expected to be replaced by presumed Friday starter Chris Schwinden.

• Outfielder Dustin Martin made his Triple-A Buffalo debut Tuesday night. Martin, originally a 26^th-round pick by the Mets in 2006 out of Sam Houston State, was sent to the Twins with Drew Butera when the Mets originally acquired Luis Castillo. Martin was released by Minnesota at the end of spring training in March. He hit .265 with 15 homers and 69 RBIs in 490 at-bats last season with Triple-A Rochester.

• Matt Harvey possessed the best curveball of any of his Triple-A starts while limiting Syracuse to three runs on four hits and three walks in six innings Friday. Harvey, who notched his first Triple-A win, struck out Nationals phenom Bryce Harper twice and also walked him in three plate appearances.

Harper got vengeance on fellow prospect Jeurys Familia the following day, though. After Familia had retired nine straight Syracuse batters, Harper launched his first Triple-A homer. Familia nonetheless was efficient in the outing while striking out eight in a 93-pitch effort over five innings. Harper’s solo homer was the lone run allowed by Familia.

• Bisons right fielder Adam Loewen has been sidelined since being pulled from Friday’s game. He is wearing a boot on his right foot. The injury happened early in the season and had been nagging Loewen. The half-inning before he departed, Loewen felt discomfort tracking a ball in the right-center gap. The next half-inning, while being thrown out by Harper on a play at the plate, manager Wally Backman noticed Loewen had difficulty accelerating. Loewen, who was beaten out by Mike Baxter for the lefty-hitting backup outfield job with the Mets, was hitting .270 with three homers in 37 at-bats with the Bisons.

• Dylan Owen, during a spot start Monday while Jeremy Hefner had a major league cameo, not only tossed 4 2/3 effective innings, he became the first Buffalo pitched in 18 years to homer.

• Valentino Pascucci has a nine-game hitting streak and Vinny Rottino has a seven-game hitting streak with the Bisons.

• Mike Nickeas is 1-for-14 this season for the Mets. And if the Mets dip to the minors to make a change at some point for Josh Thole’s complement, ex-Mariner/Padre Rob Johnson might be the alternative. Still, Johnson is hitting only .214 through 42 at-bats with the Bisons. And fellow Triple-A catcher Lucas May is hitting only .139. The Mets could scour the waiver wire, too. But with catching at a premium in MLB, it may be doubtful something attractive becomes available.

• Middle infielder Josh Rodriguez, a late spring-training pickup by the Mets after his release from the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been named the Double-A Eastern League Player of the Week. Rodriguez, 27, was the first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft in December 2010 that also involved Ramirez, Beato and Emaus. He appeared in seven games for the Pirates last season. Rodriguez is hitting .365 with two homers and 10 RBIs for the B-Mets. His signing was influenced by Paul DePodesta, and with a promise of a potentially quick move to Triple-A. Rodriguez’s action at shortstop should increase with teammate Sean Kazmar landing on Binghamton’s DL with an oblique injury.

• First baseman Allan Dykstra, who arrived at the end of spring training in 2011 from the Padres in a swap for reliever Eddie Kunz, headed home to California for five weeks after fracturing his left forearm reaching for a throw from pitcher Darin Gorski. Dykstra will be limited to riding a bicycle during that span. He suffered a similar injury earlier in his career with San Diego and suffered ligament damage. The bone damage is a less difficult road back. Eric Campbell is now manning first base for the B-Mets.

• The Mets released right-hander Eric Beaulac, a ninth-round pick in 2008 out of LeMoyne (N.Y.) College.

• Outfielder Darrell Ceciliani had a short-lived return to St. Lucie’s active roster. After an 11-day absence, Ceciliani injured his hamstring retreating to catch a fly ball Sunday, in his second game back. He previously had been on the DL with a right groin injury. In his six Florida State League games this season, the former New York-Penn League batting champ is hitting .346.

• Left-hander Chase Huchingson’s dominating start to the season for St. Lucie, which included a 3-0 record and 17½-inning scoreless streak, abruptly came to a halt Tuesday night when he allowed two first-inning runs against Fort Myers. Still, Huchingson’s acquisition is a success story. Scout Max Semler liked Huchingson’s arm and signed him as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Central Arkansas in 2010 after spotting him playing outfield and pitching in an obscure summer league. Huchingson’s fastball sits between 90 and 92 mph.

• Right-handers Kyle Allen and Erik Goeddel made their season debuts for St. Lucie during the past week. Goeddel, a UCLA product, was treated slowly in readying for the season after dealing with shoulder issues last year that limited him to 15 games with Savannah. He allowed a solo homer to rehabbing Cardinal Allen Craig but no other damage in three innings, in the resumption of a suspended game. Goeddel now is expected to enter what should be a six-man St. Lucie rotation.

• Cory Vaughn had an inside-the-park homer for St. Lucie. He has a .391 on-base percentage.

• Mets officials are very pleased with 20-year-old Wilfredo Tovar’s play at shortstop for St. Lucie. Compared with Ruben Tejada because both have solid instincts at the position, Tovar may have a better arm and hands.

• Right-hander Logan Verrett, the third-round pick last June out of Baylor, landed on the Savannah DL, but already was due to resume throwing.

• A pair of farmhands removed from the 40-man roster by the Mets and claimed by other organizations are off to strong starts. Fernando Martinez is hitting .294 with three homers for Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Astros organization. He primarily is playing left field. Right-hander Josh Stinson, claimed at the end of spring training by the Brewers, is 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA and one save at Double-A Huntsville and is now being groomed as a starter. He went a season-high 4 2/3 innings Tuesday night.

• Ex-Met Nelson Figueroa has latched on with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

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

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.

The Mets have their third and final night game of spring training, as the Houston Astros visit Port St. Lucie today. Mike Pelfrey is due to start for the Mets and will attempt to trim an 11.49 Grapefruit League ERA.

Thursday's news reports:

• Chris Young reported to camp Wednesday, days after formally agreeing to a minor league deal. Young, who underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder on May 16, 2011, said he is just about ready to face hitters in a batting-practice setting. Terry Collins noted the Mets could use a six-man rotation once Young is ready for the majors, assuming the right-hander's shoulder continues to progress. A six-man rotation would be palatable because four of the five incumbent starters -- the exception being R.A. Dickey -- would probably be better served with extra rest between starts, the manager said. Of course, if the Mets have faded from the race, a rotation spot could be freed by trading Pelfrey. Young has June 1 and July 1 outs in his contract if he is not at the major league level on those dates. Watch video of Young speaking about his progress here. Read more in the Times, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Record, Daily News and Post.

• Appearing on WFAN, Sandy Alderson called what has transpired in spring training a "mixed bag." On the positive side, the GM identified the $162 million settlement in the Bernard Madoff lawsuit and the $240 million infusion from minority investment blocks as positives because those allow for more planning clarity. Johan Santana's health also has been a plus. Alderson expressed disappointment with the team's 6-16-2 Grapefruit League record because it is "some indicator" -- albeit modestly -- of in-season success. Alderson added: "I'm not entirely comfortable with our depth. As part of that, I'm not entirely comfortable with our bench."

On Jason Bay, Alderson noted Bay is the left fielder and will play, but added: "I don't think he has driven the ball. From our standpoint, he has had good approaches at the plate."

On Pelfrey, the GM noted, all of his spring training ERAs historically have been poor. "This one isn't even his worst," Alderson added. "The good thing is, last time out his velocity was up. So in some sense we look at Pelfrey and say -- look, this is the analysis we did last fall, when we had to tender him a contract: What does he bring to the table? We're not sure from a qualitative standpoint what he's going to bring this year, but we do know that he pitches through injury, he'll pitch through pain and probably give you 200 innings. What is that worth? ... He probably would be one of five in most rotations."

Alderson acknowledged middle infielder Jordany Valdespin -- who has been dabbling in center field -- is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, which is consistent with what has been expected. The GM expects Valdespin will play "a number of positions" at Triple-A Buffalo, including limited center-field duty, a position where Kirk Nieuwenhuis should get the bulk of the starts for the Bisons.

Alderson said center field prospect Matt den Dekker is ready defensively to be a major league outfielder, but not offensively. The Mets would be comfortable with Nieuwenhuis starting at the major league level if Andres Torres (calf) and/or Scott Hairston (oblique) weren't ready.

As for catching, Alderson said Mike Nickeas has improved offensively.

The GM said 200 innings is "probably not" a realistic expectation for Santana. Alderson noted that it's unrealistic for Santana to throw 110 or 115 pitches in a game in April either, since the southpaw has topped out at 88 pitches in spring action, in his final Grapefruit League start.

Alderson expressed disappointment with the spring-training showings of his bullpen imports: Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez. The GM said the bullpen needs a stopper, and "nobody that we've brought in has really shown that this spring. Now, that doesn't mean it won't happen."

• Sports-marketing firm president Marc Ganis estimated the Mets are worth roughly $1.5 billion, if the Los Angeles Dodgers' sale price is $2 billion. Fred Wilpon has no intention to sell. The reason the Mets are worth less than the Dodgers is because L.A. is about to have open bidding for a huge local TV rights package, whereas the Mets are locked into SNY at a smaller right fee, which bulks up the network's profits at the expense of the team's profits/losses. Read more in Newsday.

• Jon Niese limited the Nationals to two runs in six innings and Hairston (oblique) and Bay (forearm) returned from injuries, but the Mets lost to Washington, 3-2, Wednesday afternoon at Digital Domain Park.

• Tim Byrdak may be too ambitious, but the left-handed reliever hopes to be in a minor league game Friday. Byrdak also aims to be on the Opening Day roster. The organization may be more cautious, in which case team sources indicate Daniel Herrera is likely to break camp with the team as a short-term plug as lefty specialist. (Alderson acknowledged that he doubted left-handed prospect Josh Edgin would open the season in the majors.) Mike Baxter, Miguel Batista and Nickeas also are expected to claim roster spots, with Batista's fate required to be confirmed by Friday. Collins said the entire roster should be all but set this weekend. Thursdays generally have been cut days, so the field in major league camp may be whittled somewhat today.

• Mike Kerwick profiles Baxter in the Record.

• Dickey sat down with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap to discuss his traumatic childhood. Watch the video here. Read a second excerpt from the knuckleballer's memoir in the Daily News.

• Lucas Duda should bat sixth in the season-opening series. That's because of the need to separate lefty hitters Ike Davis and Duda, considering the quality of the Braves' left-handed relief. However, Duda should be moving up from No. 6 to a higher slot by the second series, against the Nats, who do not possess the same caliber of left-handed relief.

• Buffalo and Binghamton won minor league games Wednesday, behind two-run homers from Matt Tuiasosopo and Travis Ozga. Read the full minor league recap here. Earlier in the day, the Mets released from minor league camp outfielder Javier Rodriguez and right-handers Michael Hebert and Michael Powers.

• Santana is slated to pitch in a simulated game Saturday rather than a Grapefruit League contest, in his final tuneup for Opening Day on April 5 against the Braves at Citi Field. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Nationals manager Davey Johnson wondered to Mike Puma in the Post why David Wright doesn't yet have an extension on top of the third baseman's current contract. The Nats locked up Ryan Zimmerman long term. Wright is under the Mets' control through 2013 because of a team option. "What’s David Wright’s future?” Johnson asked Puma rhetorically. “Did they extend him or what are they doing?” Zimmerman, a friend of Wright's since their days growing up in Norfolk, Va., said: “They gave him an opportunity, and anytime you’re a loyal person like he is, anyone who gives you an opportunity to come up and treats you well, obviously you would like to be here. He’s a guy that works his butt off and plays the game the right way. Anytime you find players like that, I don’t want to say it’s rare, but he’s a special kind of player. He’s a good player and an even better person. David has worked his butt off and done a lot of things for the Mets and hopefully it will work out."

• Mike Sielski and Brian Costa in the Journal give a position-by-position breakdown of the Mets.

• Costa notes that for the Mets' trio of up-and-coming pitchers -- Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia -- to avoid a repeat of their Generation K predecessors that never matched the hype, the young pitchers must avoid serious injuries. Writes Costa in the Journal:

Today, when a Mets pitcher begins his professional career, team officials put him on a multi-year plan to gradually increase his workload. The innings limits for Wheeler, Harvey and Familia are not etched in stone, but [Paul] DePodesta said, "You're not going to see a 50- or 60-inning jump from any of those guys." The Mets also limit minor-league pitchers to 330 pitches per three starts. It's a giant leap from the days of "Generation K." But after a decade of innings limits and pitch counts, teams have learned something else, too: It's not enough.

TRIVIA: Who is the only major league pitcher to have more strikeouts than Santana from 2004 to the present?

Wednesday's answer: Pelfrey was born at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The Cardinals roared back with a six-run seventh inning against Josh Stinson, Tim Byrdak and D.J. Carrasco to beat the Mets, 11-6, and remain 2½ games behind the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card standings. Carlos Beltran's San Francisco Giants, by the way, lost to now-20-game-winner Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers to fall 4½ games back.

Wednesday's news reports:

• Sandy Alderson all but acknowledged significant dimensions changes are coming to Citi Field in 2012. He suggested the wall in left field will not remain at 16 feet, whether the distance from home plate remains the same or a new fence is erected closer. The "Mo Zone" crevice in right field looks like a goner, too. "And others," an organization source said about expected alterations. "Nothing's finalized. They haven't got an architect."

Greg Rybarczyk, founder of hittrackeronline.com, did a study for ESPNNewYork.com earlier this season that showed Citi Field could become neutral for homers compared to other MLB ballparks by making the left-field wall 10 feet high and moving it in 10 feet and extending the fence that exists to the right of the "Mo Zone" across to where it meets the bullpen, at eight feet high. "The two changes to Citi Field that I analyzed would increase home runs by 22 percent (in left field) and 9 percent (in right field), or 31 percent overall," Rybarczyk said Tuesday. "This would make Citi Field essentially neutral for home runs, or possibly slightly favorable for home-run hitting, which is precisely what I think Alderson is looking for." Read that analysis here.

Read a transcript of Alderson's postgame conversation in the Star-Ledger and more in Newsday, the Times, Journal, Post and Daily News.

• Gary Carter continues to battle cancerous brain tumors, but the fight has left him often depleted of energy. His white-blood-cell count remains too low to begin a second, higher-dosage round of chemotherapy, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online journal to which ESPNNewYork.com has been granted access.

• Alderson indicated during Tuesday night's telecast that the Mets will go outside the organization for their 2012 closer rather than use Bobby Parnell or another in-house option. That confirmed ESPNNewYork.com's own report. Read the extensive look at the Mets' closer situation and Alderson's views on the position here.

• Wally Backman joined the Mets. Watch video of him discussing some of the Mets' Double-A pitching prospects here. While Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia rightfully get hype, Backman also sings the praises for Arizona Fall League-bound right-hander Collin McHugh.

• When Art Howe was hired by the Mets, he already had been so ridiculed by the media, he deadpanned at his introductory press conference, "Thanks for the roast." Paul DePodesta similarly never was accepted by the Los Angeles media and was treated roughly during his tenure as Dodgers GM. Yet DePodesta spoke with the Los Angeles Times about "Moneyball" the movie this week. And what initially seemed a positive piece on DePodesta did get in its fair share of jabs. Writes the L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke:

He clearly wasn't ready for the job, which lasted only two years before he was fired for essentially tearing the place apart. But I clearly wasn't ready for him, and never really gave him time to implement the baseball sabermetrics that I have since come to accept and understand. "The Dodgers have a new face, and it is dabbed in Clearasil," I wrote when he was hired. "The Dodgers have a new voice, and it speaks in megabytes." Yeah, I never really gave him much of a chance, I saw him as some robot enemy brought here to destroy our blue heaven. Watching him in the movie reminded me that he was, instead, nothing more sinister than a numbers cruncher who just couldn't equate with people.

DePodesta, whose name is not used in the movie at his request, tells Mike Puma in the Post: "I can't take it seriously. And I certainly can't take it personally. We'll see when I actually see it, but I'm determined not to take it too seriously. ... Just the whole idea of somebody else portraying me to the rest of the world was unnerving, for better or worse. They could have made me look like Superman (and) it still would be just sort of odd. That was something that sat in the back of my mind. I was asked and saw some different iterations of the script, and I realized the character that was in there wasn't even me. At that point I had to remind myself, 'It's a movie. It's fiction.'"

• Jose Reyes went 1-for-4 with two walks Tuesday and is hitting .331. He is within a point of National League batting leader Ryan Braun, who is sitting at .332 after going 1-for-5 against the Cubs.

• Jason Isringhausen still feels numbness in his right leg as the result of a herniated disc, but hopes to get on a mound in St. Louis and appear in a game during the final homestand. Izzy remains resolved to pitch in the majors in 2012.

• Johan Santana is expected to pitch in instructional league games in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 1 and Oct. 7.

• Jason Bay missed Tuesday's game with an illness, but Angel Pagan returned after a one-game absence for a quadriceps issue. Read more on Bay from Steve Popper in the Record.

• David Lennon in Newsday looks at the Mets' offensive approach. The Amazin's have left an MLB-high 1,204 runners on base.

• Josh Thole tells Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger the biggest thing he learned this year. Said Thole: “It sounds bad, “but you really learn not to care what people say.” Thole says in a Daily News feature: "In spring training, I made too many unnecessary changes that now I know I didn't have to make. It took me two months to try to get back to my old self again. I was just trying new things out in blocking, receiving and throwing. If I had just trusted what I had, that would have been OK."

• Mike Sielski in the Journal asks if the eliminated Mets have any obligations when playing playoff contenders such as the Cardinals or Braves to field a different lineup or take a different approach since there is a real impact of winning or losing for the opponent. Writes Sielski:

Sharon Stoll, the director of the Center for Ethical Theory and Honor in Competition and Sport at the University of Idaho, said that the Mets' primary obligation was to their fans, that Collins should play his most talented players each game because "when a fan buys a ticket and goes to the stadium, they want to see the best that the team has to offer. Maybe, I am too idealistic, but…the teams are there to entertain and be a business." Stoll went so far as to say that once a team is out of contention, improving its record should be a secondary consideration. But for the Mets, who were 73-80 entering Tuesday and have not had a winning season since 2008, there is value in playing to win and maintaining the perception that the team has overachieved this season, said general manager Sandy Alderson. "One of our goals for this year was to change the perspective on the franchise," Alderson said. "When you're out of it, you can go one of two directions. We don't want to go the wrong way."

• Richard Sandomir in the Times notes SNY had an interesting choice of programming on Monday, the day Mariano Rivera became the all-time saves leader.

BIRTHDAYS: Joaquin Arias, the infielder the Mets acquired from the Texas Rangers for Jeff Francoeur last Aug. 31, turns 27. Arias hit .232 for Triple-A Omaha in the Kansas City Royals organization this season.

After spending a team off-day golfing in St. Louis, the Mets open their final road series of the season, a three-game set at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals beginning Tuesday. St. Louis has closed to within 2½ games of the wild-card-leading Atlanta Braves.

The Mets (73-80) are tied with the Washington Nationals (72-79) for third place in the NL East, 3½ games ahead of the Florida Marlins (70-84). The Amazin's must win their final nine games to finish with a winning record.

Tuesday's news reports:

• Sandy Alderson tells David Lennon in Newsday regarding Jose Reyes' free agency: "The focus is still on retaining Jose. But as with any situation that's open-ended, you have to keep alternatives in mind." Reyes told Lennon he plans to work out with Ruben Tejada on Long Island this winter. Tejada has the same agent as Reyes, Peter Greenberg. "I used to be 150 pounds," Reyes said, alluding to Tejada's slight frame. "Now I'm about 200. He's going to do more growing, and as you get older, you learn what you have to do to stay strong for a whole season."

• Brendan Prunty in the Star-Ledger takes a closer look at Tejada, who would be in line to be the 2012 shortstop should Reyes depart. Tejada had four RBIs in Sunday's win against the Braves with Reyes resting.

• Paul DePodesta tells Andy Martino in the Daily News that he was "mortified" the first time he started reading "Moneyball" and found himself being portrayed as anti-scout. DePodesta does not dispute the accuracy of the book in general, though, but says certain personality traits are accentuated and the character does not mirror him. The character in the movie known as Peter Brand, playing by Jonah Hill, is DePodesta. DePodesta requested another name be used besides his own. "People who know me always say, 'We know that character is not you,'" DePodesta told Martino. "That has never been the concern. The concern is all the people who don't know you, and that's 99.9 percent of the viewers. The thing that bothers you is all the people who don't know you, but think they do."

• Ray Bartoszek, the original runner-up to David Einhorn to buy a minority share of the Mets, and actually a devout fan of the Amazin's, instead has bought a piece of the Yankees, reports David Waldstein in the Times. Writes Waldstein:

Bartoszek and the Yankees would not say how much his share represents, but he becomes one of about 30 partners with the team, including members of the Steinbrenner family, with Hal Steinbrenner acting as the team’s managing general partner. “My conversations with the Mets was a very interesting and positive experience, and I was able to parlay that into this great opportunity,” Bartoszek said. “I’m privileged now to be a part of this incredible group of owners.” Negotiations between the Yankees and Bartoszek, who is from Pelham, N.Y., began in June and were completed Friday. Bartoszek was at Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon to watch Mariano Rivera break the career saves record in the Yankees’ 6-4 victory over Minnesota.

• Carlos Beltran will consider re-signing with the San Francisco Giants, Scott Boras said. "Well, you have to remember when Carlos and I sat down to determine what teams he was going to go to, it was his choice," Boras told The Associated Press at the "Moneyball" premiere in Oakland. "He came to the Giants for a reason. Obviously he has played very well here. He has gotten a chance to get to know the city and the organization."

• Steve Popper writes in the Record that Lucas Duda is relaxing and becoming more outgoing as he finds success at the major league level. Writes Popper:

If you really want to measure the growth this season for Lucas Duda, all you have to do is say hello. "He's a different personality completely now," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's a lot more open. I mean, this guy didn't say anything. He didn't say (anything) ever. Now, at least you can have a conversation with him." "Yeah," Duda said, staring into his locker. "I just kind of get more comfortable around the guys, try to have some fun."

• David Wright reflects on a season gone awry for himself because of a stress fracture in his back and for his team with Andrew Keh in the Times. "It’s always going to be a frustrating season when you find yourself playing out the schedule with two or three weeks left, and I would say also it was very frustrating personally that I had to miss a couple of months,” Wright told Keh. “It’s pretty hard to judge your own performance when the team is 20-something games back and just playing the schedule.”

• Alderson speaks with Mike Puma in the Post about the Mets' closer situation. A detailed story on that topic is coming at ESPNNewYork.com later Tuesday.

BIRTHDAYS: Jason Bay turns 33. ... Former outfielder Dave Gallagher, who was raised in Trenton, was born on this date in 1960.

The Nationals completed a four-game sweep of the Mets on Thursday afternoon, handing the Mets their sixth straight loss, 10-1.

Afterward, Terry Collins spoke harshly about his team, saying the players "folded it up" and there was "no energy at all on the field." (Read Collins' full comments here.)

The Mets fell to 31-44 at Citi Field, already their most home losses since going 34-46 at Shea Stadium in 2003. With a six-game homestand against the Phillies and Reds remaining, the Mets must go at least 3-3 or they will finish with their worst home record since going 28-53 in 1993.

Friday's news reports:

• Paul DePodesta says he does plan to see "Moneyball" the movie, and explains to Brian Costa in the Wall Street Journal why he did not want his name used. Jonah Hill plays Peter Brand, the character that would have been DePodesta had the Mets VP given permission. Writes Costa:

Over the last several years, DePodesta said he met with several of the film's actors, writers and directors to talk about his role with the 2002 Athletics. The team won 103 games despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, in part because of how Beane and DePodesta used statistical analysis to find bargains on the trade and free-agent markets. DePodesta met, at different times, with both Hill and Demetri Martin, the actor who was initially slated to play him. There were various incarnations of the script, but he said he was always concerned about how he would be portrayed. Shortly before the film began shooting last year, he asked the filmmakers to remove his name from it, and they agreed. "I think for Jonah, actually, it was even a little uncomfortable, because as he told me, it was his first time having to play a real person," DePodesta said. Making the character fictional "gave him a little more freedom to do his job."

• Mets pitchers have a .102 batting average, better than only the Pittsburgh Pirates at .085. The division leaders actually have three of the top four pitcher ERAs: No. 1 Arizona at .185, No. 2 Milwaukee at .181 and No. 4 Philadelphia at .166. Mark Viera in the Times writes:

If a pitcher can get a hit, it is usually a bonus. Yet in a year in which Jose Reyes isattempting to become the first player from the franchise to win a batting title, the Mets’ pitchers have sometimes struggled to make contact on their bunt attempts. “We do some things mechanically wrong,” Manager Terry Collins said. “To get the ball out in front, to let the ball come to you, to not punch it, to try to make a perfect bunt where your bat’s not in foul territory — that stuff is the stuff I want to correct.”

• With the Braves leading the Cardinals by 4½ games in the wild-card standings, the Mets' trip to Atlanta and St. Louis will impact the playoff composition. Read the Mets-Braves series preview here.

• David Wright committed his eighth error in 10 games. He became the first major league player to commit that many errors in a 10-game span exclusively at third base since Carlos Guillen with the Seattle Mariners in August 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Wright also flied out to strand the bases loaded. Read more on Wright's fielding in Newsday and the Post.

• Read recaps of Collins' postgame eruption/game recaps in the Post, Star-Ledger, Record, Daily News, Times and Newsday.

• Savannah won Game 3 of the South Atlantic League title series, 4-3 in 11 innings, without Johan Santana. The rehabbing ace instead opted to throw a simulated game Sunday at home in Fort Myers, Fla., which is also the site of the Mets' instructional league. Joe Bonfe's bases-loaded, two-out single scored Darrell Ceciliani for the walk-off win in extra innings as the Gnats took a 2-1 lead over Greensboro in the best-of-five series.

• Chris Schwinden should remain in the rotation over 40-year-old Miguel Batista for the remainder of the season. And the rookie felt better about his second start than his major league debut. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• D.J. Carrasco has dropped down to sidearm with his delivery, trying to find success that has eluded him this season. Carrasco would on occasion throw a pitch from that arm angle in the past, but is now doing it consistently. Carrasco has another season remaining on his two-year, $2.4 million deal. His contract was one of only two multi-year deals handed out by Sandy Alderson during his first winter as GM -- the other going to R.A. Dickey. "I've mixed it in for the last 10 years, since A-ball, but the last three times I have used it consistently," Carrasco told the Daily News. "The last three weeks of the season, why not try it?"

• Outfielder Mike Baxter, who was warming up in the bullpen when Manny Acosta finally recorded the final out of top of the ninth inning, told the Daily News he had not pitched since he was "a little kid."

• With the Mets' homestand complete, Ike Davis intended to fly home to Arizona. He will be idle for a couple of weeks before resuming weightlifting. Davis, who did not have surgery performed on his left ankle, expects to participate uninterrupted in spring training and during the 2012 season, although there may always be lingering mild discomfort and he expects arthritis to develop as he ages.

BIRTHDAYS: Orel Hershiser turns 53. ... Chris "The Animal" Carter turns 29. ... Desi Relaford is 38.

Mets VP Paul DePodesta said he hesitated to mention left-hander Josh Edgin’s name when the subject arose of minor leaguers who may have an impact with the Mets in 2012. But DePodesta went ahead and named the southpaw as a candidate, even though Edgin has not yet pitched above Class A St. Lucie.

“He’s got major league stuff and he’s left-handed,” DePodesta recently said. “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."

Asked if that praise had filtered back to him, Edgin -- a 30^th-round pick out of Division II Francis Marion University in South Carolina in 2010 -- said: “Actually, I haven’t really seen it. I know my agent mentioned it.”

Edgin, 24, currently is 2-0 with a 1.55 ERA and six saves in 20 appearances for St. Lucie. That comes on the heels of opening the season at Savannah and posting a 0.87 ERA along with 16 saves in 31 innings.

He throws a fastball in the 92- to 95-mph range as well as an 82-85 mph slider. He also is trying to hone his changeup, which he does not use much now in games because it is a work in progress. He’s also trying to throw a slower version of his slider -- a curveball, he labeled it -- but that has been slow to progress as well.

Edgin grew up in rural Three Springs, Pa. Where’s that?

“To be honest with you, it’s in the middle of nowhere,” Edgin said. “It’s about 45 minutes from the nearest Walmart. Have you ever heard of Chambersburg? It’s like right in the middle of the state.”

Regardless of the remoteness, Edgin found his way to Ohio State University, where he served as a reliever. In December of his junior year, Edgin then transferred to Division II Francis Marion, where he had the opportunity to start.

“The Ohio State coach wanted to keep me in the bullpen,” Edgin said. “I thought that I needed to start to get drafted. When I was playing summer ball in the Coastal Plains League, I met a guy named David Walters, who is with the Orioles now. He was on my team. We talked. He said, ‘Hey, we’re one good pitcher away from a D-II World Series team.’ Basically I got hooked up with them through him. And it just so happened that one of my catchers from Legion ball when I was in high school actually went to Francis Marion as well. That kind of drew me, and playing baseball in the South.”

Edgin was drafted after his junior year in the 50^th round by Atlanta but was not signed by the Braves. Then the Mets took him last year in the 30^th round on the recommendation of amateur scout Marlin McPhail, who has repeatedly unearthed middle-round gems for the Mets from the Carolinas over the years. Edgin actually was working construction on draft day, not expecting much news.

“Since I went that late my junior year, and I had the same exact season my senior year, I really didn’t think I’d get signed,” Edgin said. “It kind of caught me off-guard I guess, especially on the second day (of the three-day draft). I was thinking if it did happen, it would be (rounds) 40 to 50.

“I still had the questionnaires from scouts to fill out and stuff, so I didn’t really put it in the back of my head. I still, I guess, hoped to be drafted. But I started trying to figure out what I was going to do if it didn’t happen.”

Organization leaders

Average: Juan Lagares, Binghamton, .349; Danny Muno, Brooklyn, .332; Josh Satin, Buffalo, .325; Greg Pron, Kingsport, .315; Julio Concepcion, Kingsport, .311; Cam Maron; Kingsport, .308; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .308; Travis Taijeron, Brooklyn, .303; Luis Figueroa, Buffalo, .301; Richard Lucas, Brooklyn, .295.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 24; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 20; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 17; Jordany Valdespin, Buffalo, 16.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 90; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 75; Josh Satin, Buffalo, 73; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 71; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 69.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Buffalo, 34; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 31; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, 22; Darrell Ceciliani, Savannah, 22; Rafael Fernandez, Savannah, 19.

ERA: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 2.26; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 2.81; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 3.17; Gabriel Ynoa, Kingsport, 3.29; Marcos Camarena, Brooklyn, 3.30; Gonzalez Germen, Savannah, 3.40; Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 3.41; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.50; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 3.50; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 3.52.

Wins: Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 12; Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 11; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 11; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 10; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 10.

Saves: Josh Edgin, St. Lucie, 24; Dale Thayer, Buffalo, 18; Hamilton Bennett, Savannah, 13; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 10.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 151; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 131; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 124; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 120; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 120.

Short hops

• Left-hander Shawn Teufel, a 25^th-round draft pick last year out of Liberty University, beat his father Tim Teufel’s Triple-A Buffalo squad by tossing six scoreless innings in a spot start Thursday. The 25-year-old Teufel had been promoted for the opportunity from Class A Lakeland. The Bisons loaded the bases with one out in the third, but Zach Lutz and Valentino Pascucci struck out and Buffalo’s best opportunity went for naught.

• Outfielder Juan Lagares has a 13-game hitting streak, the longest by a Binghamton player this season. In 26 Eastern League games since a promotion from St. Lucie, Lagares is hitting .381 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 113 at-bats.

• Terry Collins indicated the Mets will need two starters during next week’s series against the Florida Marlins as the result of a doubleheader and Jon Niese headed to the disabled list. Collins identified the candidates as 40-year-old Miguel Batista, Chris Schwinden and Pat Misch. With DePodesta on hand for his latest start, Batista allowed fours on nine hits, including a pair of homers, and also hit and walked a batter in 5 1/3 innings Monday at Columbus. Batista is 3-0 with a 4.24 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts) with Buffalo since being released by the St. Louis Cardinals. He actually had limited opponents to two runs or fewer in four of his previous five starts. Misch allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings Tuesday and is 7-9 with a 4.37 ERA with the Bisons this season. Schwinden, a 22^nd-round pick in 2008 out of Fresno Pacific, is 7-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 23 starts for Buffalo.

• After signing for $2.1 million last week at the deadline, first-round pick Brandon Nimmo -- a high school outfielder from Wyoming -- made his pro debut in the Gulf Coast League on Friday. Through four games, Nimmo is hitting .158 (3-for-19). He has struck out seven times in eight at-bats over his past two starts. After serving as DH in his debut, Nimmo has manned center field.

• Phillip Evans, the Mets’ 15^th-round pick, who signed for an over-slot $650,000, debuted Tuesday in the GCL. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Evans’ preference is to remain at shortstop, so the Mets will let him work there for the time being. Evans, out of La Costa Canyon High School in California, received the largest signing bonus by the organization ever for any pick below the second round. With the Gulf Coast League ending Saturday and inclement weather expected in the interim, Evans is likely the last player from this year’s draft to make his debut before the fall instructional league that opens Sept. 18.

• Savannah right-hander Taylor Whitenton (4-3, 2.70 ERA) was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week after tossing 10 scoreless innings over a pair of starts.

• Before an approximate crowd of 14,500 at Fenway Park on Saturday, Binghamton beat Portland, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, in 11 innings. Right-hander Collin McHugh tossed six scoreless innings. Boston College product Eric Campbell had the tiebreaking RBI in the 11^th. Catcher Kai Gronauer then added a three-run homer over the Green Monster. Campbell, who hails from Norwich, Conn., had played at the historic ballpark in high school and college, but with a fraction of Saturday’s fan presence.

• Fifth-round pick Jack Leathersich from UMass-Lowell has dominated New York-Penn League competition. Working no more than two innings every five to six days, Leathersich now has limited Brooklyn’s opponents to one run and five hits in 10 2/3 professional innings. He has struck out 22 and walked three.

• Buffalo’s Pascucci has 20 homers and leads the International League with 90 RBIs, four more than runner-up Stefan Gartrell of Gwinnett.

• Outfielder Raul Reyes earned a promotion to Buffalo on Thursday after hitting .292 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 367 at-bats with Binghamton.

• 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey tossed seven scoreless innings, requiring only 85 pitches, with Jeff Wilpon in attendance Monday at Binghamton. Harvey is 4-3 with a 4.35 ERA and has 59 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts with the B-Mets. Although the organization is monitoring Harvey’s innings count, he is expected to be allowed to complete the season uninterrupted. “He should be fine,” farm director Adam Wogan said. “He’s strong.”

• Binghamton reliever Rhiner Cruz has bounced back from a pair of rough performances by tossing eight scoreless innings during which he has allowed only one hit and two walks over four appearances.

• Middle infielder Jordany Valdespin has multi-hit games in three of his past six games with Buffalo, and is hitting .237 in 14 games in Triple-A.

• Buffalo infielder Josh Satin lost an eight-game hitting streak Sunday, but nonetheless has collected a hit in 26 of 31 games since a promotion from Binghamton. He is hitting .325 and has a .391 on-base percentage since joining the Bisons while seeing action at third base, second base and first base.

• Lutz had eight RBIs in a four-game span with Buffalo through Monday. He has driven in at least one run in eight of the Bisons’ past 11 games. Lutz is hitting .341 with runners in scoring position this season.

• Reliever John Lujan, a probable September call-up and former minor league Rule 5 pick from the Chicago White Sox, lost a 10 2/3-inning scoreless streak with Buffalo on Friday against Toledo.

• The Arizona Fall League contingent is expected to be announced next Tuesday. Revised rules allow for as many as four prospects who have yet to appear in Double-A. The Mets’ contingent is expected to include 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens.

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

Jose Reyes is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Binghamton on Thursday and play three to four games with the Double-A club, Terry Collins said.

Reyes ran the bases before Monday’s Mets-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. He plans to do so again Tuesday before shipping out on the rehab assignment for a strained left hamstring in upstate New York.

“Less tomorrow because I’m getting close to playing in the game,” Reyes said about the intensity of Tuesday’s activity. “I’m not going to go crazy, because the last five days I’ve been running a lot.”

Coincidentally, Jeff Wilpon is visiting Binghamton tonight, with 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey on the mound.

OUTER DIMENSION: Team insiders continue to expect the line on the wall in left field to be reduced to eight feet in 2012, making shots such as Jason Bay’s double off the top of the wall Sunday a homer rather than in play. The only other change being considered is to the “Mo Zone” in right field to eliminate the crevice, but that is far less of a certainty. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” one Mets position player said about expected changes, which have filtered through the clubhouse.

CLOSE CALL: Collins acknowledged discussing with pitching coach Dan Warthen the possibility of Mike Pelfrey being the team’s closer in 2012. The manager explained he was searching for internal alternatives in case Bobby Parnell is not up to the task.

However, Pelfrey working as the closer next season has been dismissed because Collins’ bosses believe Pelfrey’s annual 200-inning contribution would be too difficult to replace.

Collins thought Pelfrey would make a good closing candidate because he’s “durable.”

Said the manager: “I said, ‘Here’s a guy who I know can throw 95-97 mph, commands three pitches. They don’t really run on him much. And he can go out there five days a week, maybe six.’ It was just a thought I had. And I ran it by Pelf one day talking in the outfield. He said, ‘Yeah, I’ll close if you want me to close.’ It hasn’t gone much farther than that.’”

And it won’t go farther?

“Probably not,” Collins said. “It’s one thing to say, it’s another thing to replace 200 innings, which he’s going to give you.”

OUCH: Dillon Gee jumped ahead of Jon Niese in the rotation and is taking Monday’s start because Niese hurt his back on an awkward swing while striking out in San Diego. Niese will start on Tuesday instead. Because of an off-day last week, Gee was able to start the series opener in Philadelphia on standard rest, affording Niese extra time.

“The pitch he struck out on, he took a real bad swing at it,” Collins said about Niese. “The next day his right side was bothering him a little bit, so we backed him up a day. He’s fine.”

RIGHT STUFF: Lucas Duda will start in right field Tuesday for the first time since Aug. 7, with Nick Evans starting at first base, Collins pledged.

The manager said he will wait until September to play Duda semi-full time in right field – Duda’s logical 2012 position. While the manager did not mention it, once rosters expand, Josh Satin is likely to be a September call-up and can man first base.

Duda, incidentally, fully expects to play winter ball. The most likely landing spot is Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League, although Duda has not fully ruled out the Dominican Republic. Tim Teufel is succeeding Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens as manager with Caracas, making it a natural fit.

SPOT START: Because of a doubleheader next Monday against the Florida Marlins, the Mets need a spot starter that day, or next Tuesday. Collins acknowledged the starter will come from Triple-A Buffalo.

The two candidates would appear to be 24-year-old Chris Schwinden (7-6, 3.60 ERA) or 40-year-old Miguel Batista. Paul DePodesta is watching Buffalo on Monday, with Batista scheduled to start.

While it would appear logical to use the younger pitcher, Schwinden, who might help in 2012, Collins said that is not a factor. Collins said the Mets would go with who is recommended as the best available arm from the Bisons, and added that he would only defer to a younger pitcher for development purposes if it was multiple starts that were needed.

So it may very well be Batista against the Marlins next week instead of Schwinden. A team insider added that there is concern Schwinden may be running out of gas, having already logged 133 innings this season -- 20 more than last season’s total.

EXPANSION PLANS: A team insider said he expects five to seven call-ups once rosters expand, although the decisions are still fluid. Mike Nickeas as a third catcher is a no-brainer, as is Satin for infield work. Binghamton right-hander Josh Stinson also is expected to get the call, although fellow B-Met Robert Carson may get passed over. The Mets do not plan to call up any outfielders, since they have plenty on the roster. Corner infielder Zach Lutz is on the bubble, but probably on the outside. One issue: If Satin gets some starts at first base and David Wright is at third base, Lutz would struggle to get playing time.

The Mets do not lack 40-man roster spots. They are currently at 39, and can transfer Daniel Murphy, Taylor Buchholz and Ike Davis to the 60-day DL to free up room for three more additions.

AWARD WINNER: Savannah right-hander Taylor Whitenton was named South Atlantic League pitcher of the week.

Binghamton Mets manager Wally Backman joined the organization last year, after Juan Lagares already had moved from shortstop to outfield. And Backman said it is undetectable that Lagares really is a relative novice experience-wise in the new position.

“I couldn’t tell a bit,” Backman said. “He can play in the outfield in the big leagues. I mean, defensively his skills are good enough to play in the big leagues.

“He’s a 22-year-old kid who can play all three outfield positions. He’s got speed. He’s a good outfielder. He throws to the right bases. And he can swing the bat a little bit.”

Lagares was leading the Florida State League in batting with a .339 average when he was promoted to the Double-A B-Mets on July 23. In 20 Eastern League games, he is hitting .414 with two homers and 15 RBIs.

One scout who recently watched Lagares compared him body-type-wise to Raul Mondesi.

“Compact,” the scout said. “Short, hitter’s legs.”

Backman said there’s a smoothness to Lagares at the plate.

“He has a very ‘quiet’ approach,” the manager said. “He has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball. He looks like he’s a real good hitter. I mean, if you just watch him, you say, ‘This kid is going to be able to hit.’ He’s got a lot of infield hits, which is why he’s up to .400 right now. But so be it. He’s driven in some big runs. My impression of him, having him for a couple of weeks, is I like him. I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Signed in 2006 out of the Dominican Republic, Lagares committed 40 errors in 82 games at shortstop the following season with Savannah, and had a .911 fielding percentage.

“My first year it’s a lot of errors,” Lagares said. “After that, I felt good.”

Still, in 2009, the organization moved him to the outfield, where he has shown an aptitude. Lagares said line drives were initially challenging, but the transition was relatively smooth.

“In the beginning, it was not that easy,” Lagares said. “But with time I learned how to play outfield comfortably.”

Injuries really have slowed Lagares more than anything in his career. He suffered a broken right ankle on July 28, 2010 while playing for St. Lucie, but did not require surgery. Lagares actually played two weeks in pain after initially getting hurt holding up at third base on a teammate’s hit. He eventually had to be shut down after he ran in pain to first base on a strikeout that eluded the catcher.

The previous season, Lagares was limited to 47 games by a wrist injury. In 2008, the start to his season was delayed by an arm issue.

A team official recently said Lagares’ 2010 ankle issue might not be completely healed yet and might be suppressing his steal totals -- 10 this season between the two levels, compared with 25 a year ago before being shut down.

But, Lagares said: “It’s over. I feel 100 percent.”

Organization leaders

Average: Juan Lagares, Binghamton, .355; Danny Muno, Brooklyn, .341; Josh Satin, Buffalo, .331; Greg Pron, Kingsport, .328; Julio Concepcion, Kingsport, .320; Dustin Lawley, Kingsport, .317; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .312; Richard Lucas, Brooklyn, .309; Travis Taijeron, Brooklyn, .303; Cam Maron, Kingsport, .302.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 22; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 18; Jordany Valdespin, Buffalo, 15; Allan Dykstra, Binghamton, 15; Stefan Welch, St. Lucie, 15.

RBI: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 82; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 75; Josh Satin, Buffalo, 72; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 68; Juan Lagares, Binghamton, 64.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Buffalo, 33; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 30; Matt den Dekker, Binghamton, 21; Darrell Ceciliani, Savannah, 19; Rafael Fernandez, Savannah, 17.

ERA: Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 2.27; Todd Weldon, Brooklyn, 2.56; Taylor Whitenton, Savannah, 2.81; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 2.97; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 3.08; Gabriel Ynoa, GCL Mets, 3.13; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 3.36; Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 3.37; Marcos Camarena, Brooklyn, 3.40; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.43.

Wins: Greg Peavey, St. Lucie, 11; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 11; Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 11; Angel Cuan, Savannah, 10; Brandon Moore, Binghamton, 9.

Saves: Josh Edgin, St. Lucie, 24; Dale Thayer, Buffalo, 16; Hamilton Bennett, Savannah, 12; Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 10.

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Binghamton, 146; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 125; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 118; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 114; Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 113.

Short hops

• Oft-injured outfielder Fernando Martinez landed on the disabled Tuesday with Triple-A Buffalo with a left wrist strain. It is the third time Martinez has landed on the disabled list this season. He also had stints for a left hip flexor strain (July 16-30) and right hamstring strain (April 13-23). Scouts say the 22-year-old Martinez typically labors when running, the result of an arthritic knee and other nagging ailments. Martinez does have a minor league option remaining, meaning he can be sent to Buffalo again in 2012 without being exposed to waivers provided the organization decides to keep him on the 40-man roster and he does not make the Opening Day roster.

• Binghamton will play at Fenway Park at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday against Portland, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. It is part of a Sox affiliate doubleheader in which Triple-A Pawtucket and Syracuse also meet. Right-hander Collin McHugh starts at the classic ballpark for the B-Mets opposite Portland knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who has appeared in 34 major league games (10 starts). Haeger’s MLB experience includes an April 27, 2010 start for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Mets at Citi Field, during which Haeger allowed five runs in four innings.

• The Mets signed Odessa, Texas, prep shortstop/wide receiver Bradley Marquez -- their 16th-round pick -- for a reported $325,000 … and with a catch. Marquez also will play college football at Texas Tech. Mets VP Paul DePodesta explains: “He’ll play football this fall and then report to us when the school year is over. And he’ll likely play football again in the fall of 2012. After that it’s a little more fluid in terms of how much time he spends with us versus football.”

• Through one week in Triple-A, middle infielder Jordany Valdespin is hitting .179 (5-for-28) with one RBI, two caught stealings and three errors. He has started five games at shortstop and two games at second base. Valdespin is 1-for-his-last-18.

• In his last 10 games, Buffalo reliever John Lujan is 2-1 with a save and 0.73 ERA. He has tossed 10 2/3 straight scoreless innings.

• Brooklyn’s representatives in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game on Tuesday in Lowell, Mass., came out on the winning side as the National League beat the American League, 7-3. Cyclones shortstop Danny Muno came off the bench to go 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Third baseman Richard Lucas was 0-for-2 and right fielder Charley Thurber went 0-for-4 with a run scored. T.J. Chism and Todd Weldon combined to record the final four outs for the NL, striking out three without allowing any baserunners. Travis Taijeron, who was selected, went unused.

• Rylan Sandoval, who was signed by the Mets last year after going undrafted out of Long Beach State, has been named Florida State League player of the week. Sandoval hit .524 (11-for-21) with three homers, 11 RBIs and five walks from Aug. 8-14. Sandoval, who turned 24 last Wednesday, actually was drafted by the Mets in the 30^th round in 2007, but did not sign.

• St. Lucie outfielder Cory Vaughn returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing five days with a bruised heel. Vaughn is hitting .130 in August. His average has dipped to .234 in 44 games since a promotion from Savannah to the Florida State League.

• Buffalo corner infielder Zach Lutz is hitting .314 with three homers in 10 games since returning from the disabled list for a second concussion. Lutz is a probable September call-up.

• Right fielder Raul Reyes, who may have been on the brink of getting released earlier this season, is on a tear with Binghamton. Reyes was hitting .165 entering June. Since July 31, he is hitting .477 (21-for-44) with four homers and 12 RBIs. Reyes also has 11 outfield assists this season, three shy of teammate Brahiam Maldonado’s team-high total.

• Maldonado produced his 22^nd homer Sunday against Richmond, establishing a new career high. Maldonado combined to go deep 21 times last season between St. Lucie and Binghamton.

• The Mets are thin in terms of catching prospects in the minors, but Savannah’s Albert Cordero is opening eyes. Cordero, a 21-year-old Venezuelan, has a strong throwing arm. He also is hitting .426 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 14 games this month. One talent evaluator also believes St. Lucie backup Juan Centeno has potential.

• First-round pick Brandon Nimmo is expected to make his professional debut later this week in the Gulf Coast League.

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

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

The Giants acquire Carlos Beltran. Now, the Phillies acquire Hunter Pence. And the Mets? They just keep winning. The Amazin's won their fifth straight game Friday, beating Chien-Ming Wang in his return to the majors, to move a season-high four games over .500.

Saturday's news reports:

• Despite hitting two batters and walking four more, Dillon Gee became the seventh rookie starting pitcher in franchise history to record 10 wins in a season -- with the assistance of a pair of big bases-loaded strikeouts from D.J. Carrasco. (Watch Gee video here.) Read game stories in Newsday, the Star-Ledger, Post, Daily News and Record.

• Zack Wheeler, the 21-year-old right-hander acquired for Beltran, was a fan of Chipper Jones and the Braves as a youth. Read his thoughts on joining the Mets organization, and Paul DePodesta's impressions of him, here. Read more in the Star-Ledger, Newsday, Post and Record.

• Wang allowed four first-inning runs and six overall (four earned) in four innings. His return to the majors came on the two-year anniversary of his surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule. That's the same surgery Johan Santana underwent last Sept. 14. And David Wright, who has faced Santana in Port St. Lucie while they rehabbed, said Santana clearly is on a faster track back to the majors. Read more in the Star-Ledger and Post.

• Santana's next start should again come for Class A St. Lucie, on an extra day of rest Wednesday. Asked how he felt the day after his first rehab start in the minors, Santana told Anthony McCarron in the Daily News: "Alive. No, I felt good. I think better than what I thought I was going to feel. I'm definitely very happy with the way everything feels Saturday."

• Daily News columnist John Harper critiques Wang's performance and said Mets personnel was pleased Santana was registering 89 mph in his rehab start.

BIRTHDAYS: Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who may be Terry Collins' primary competition for National League Manager of the Year, turns 54. He played parts of three seasons with the Mets, including his final major league game, on June 26, 1987. As a pinch-hitter for Sid Fernandez that day, he struck out looking against Philadelphia's Kevin Gross. ... Outfielder Ellis Valentine was born on this day in 1954. He was acquired in an in-season trade in 1981 from the Montreal Expos for Jeff Reardon and Dan Norman.

Right-hander Zack Wheeler, the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carlos Beltran, spoke with reporters by phone an hour after arriving in Port St. Lucie. Wheeler, 21, grew up a Braves fan an hour outside of Atlanta. He expects to make his Mets debut Monday with Class A St. Lucie in the Florida State League. VP Paul DePodesta also weighed in on the trade.

Here's a transcript ...

What are your emotions joining a new organization?

ZW: "It's good. I'm looking forward to some new opportunities, and looking forward to seeing what this organization has to offer. And I think it's going to be good."

I presume there were a lot of rumors leading to trade. Were you tracking it?

ZW: "There's always been that rumor out there for a while now. It sort of died off, because I thought that I would possibly get traded for (Jose) Reyes. But that died off. And it just got brought back up. I woke up I think it was Wednesday morning and I thought my buddy, Gary Brown, our center fielder, I thought he did get traded. So I texted him. He was like, 'No. Not yet.' And so I went downstairs and started watching ESPN. And like 15 minutes later, they're like, 'Zack Wheeler is probably about to get traded.' So I was like, 'Oh, man. That's a shock.'"

Mechanically you recently made some changes because of a high walk total (47 in 88 innings this season with Class A San Jose)?

ZW: "When I first got drafted, I went to my first instructs (instructional league) and they tried to settle my motion down a little bit to make it more easier. I think I just had to think a little too much, because I was going too slow. I didn't have any rhythm really. When I broke my hands, I had to think about getting the ball up and stuff. So it was a little too much. Probably like two outings ago we went back to what I was doing in high school. And that's just a high leg kick and bringing my hands up sort of next to my head. It's all one, fluid motion, so it works out good. I just feel comfortable again. My command is there. I've only walked two guys (in 11 1/3 innings) my past two outings. I think it's working."

When will you pitch for St. Lucie, and what has the transition been like the past few days?

ZW: "I think I'll be pitching Monday down here in St. Lucie. It's been sort of like a little drag, I guess you could say, these past couple of days, just traveling and the airport and flights getting delayed and all that kind of stuff. But I got to go home (to Georgia) last night and stayed a night at my own house and see my mom and dad and my brothers. So that was nice."

What were the pressures going up in a baseball hotbed in Georgia?

ZW: "My whole family was athletic. They loved sports. I just grew up playing baseball ever since I could stand. It was really in my blood. My brothers, I was always at their practices throwing the ball around and stuff. But when it really came down to it, I just worked hard and always tried to get better."

Did you ever make it up to New York when your brother Adam pitched professionally with the Staten Island Yankees?

ZW: "I went up to Staten Island to watch him pitch. I also went to a Brooklyn Cyclones game when they played them. It was a pretty cool atmosphere up there. It was nice."

Not the Staten Island-Brooklyn game when your brother was involved in a bench-clearing brawl with the Cyclones?

ZW: "No. I didn't get to see that one. I wish."

How much do you lean on your brother, since he was a professional in Class A with the Yankees from 2001-04?

ZW: "He played four years and got some good coaching and got to talk to a few big league guys and stuff. So when I was going into high school, he was telling me all of this. And most guys in high school don't get to hear all of that stuff. So I think it sort of made me one step closer just knowing what to expect and just changing my demeanor out there on the mound. Being confident out there and not showing your emotions, that was the biggest thing he preached to me."

Paul, did you see Zack firsthand before the trade or in high school? And what were your observations?

PD: "I saw him in high school. At the time I was with San Diego. We had the No. 3 pick in the country (and took Georgia high school outfielder Donavan Tate). So I was down there in Georgia and did get to see him pitch toward the end of his senior year. In short, it was pretty electric. That night he touched 99 (mph). He came out in the first inning throwing 97, 98, and had one of those breaking balls that elicited an audible sound from the scouts the first time he snapped one off. It was a pretty good combination and certainly an exciting guy. He was right near the top of our board in San Diego, and I think was the top high school pitcher on our board. I may have gone to great lengths here to finally acquire him, leaving the organization and everything else. We're certainly glad we have him here in New York."

Paul, with his innings count (88), could he pitch in the Arizona Fall League? Or is it a pretty quick shutdown for this year?

PD: "We think there's probably another 30 (innings) to go. St. Lucie is going to be in the playoffs, so he might get another start in there. We'll see as we get closer, down the line. We think it will be already a pretty good, full year."

Zack, I presume you grew up a Braves fan. How far were you from Turner Field? And who were your favorite players?

ZW: "I was probably about an hour away from the stadium. Everybody grew up liking Chipper Jones. So that was probably my favorite player -- watching Chipper, and Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. A pretty good team growing up. I didn't go to a lot, but I went to a few."

Paul, your thoughts on the reverting back to his old delivery?

PD: "Even like you do with a draft pick, when we bring a new player to the organization, we're really going to sit back and just watch for a while. I don't think it's our job to go in there and immediately start changing things. We're going to get to know him, get to know his delivery, understand from him what feels comfortable to him and what doesn't. And then we'll see as we continue to move forward. I suspect we'll let him do what feels comfortable here for a while and we'll just sit back and evaluate and see if there's anything we can do to maybe help. I don't think there are going to be major changes."

What was it like finding out about the trade basically on ESPN?

ZW: "I was kind of shocked at first, of course. Once I started thinking about it, the Giants are pretty stacked up there. I mean they could have used me in a couple of years probably. It was fun just thinking about what I could be doing with the Mets. It's something new and they're developing a lot of young guys and they're looking toward the future. I was pretty happy about it."

Scouting director Chad MacDonald called Day 2 of the draft, which included the second through 30^th rounds, “a good day for the New York Mets.”

Said MacDonald: “Some things fell our way.”

Among the tidbits:

• 22^nd-round pick Casey Turgeon, a high school shortstop from Dunedin, Fla., is the brother of current Mets minor leaguer Erik Turgeon, a 25th-round pick in 2008 out of the University of Connecticut, who is 2-1 with a 4.85 ERA at Double-A Binghamton.

• Justin Turner, who knows Tyler Pill’s brother and is a fellow Cal State Fullerton product, said the fourth-round pick can hit. And MacDonald and Paul DePodesta agree, noting Pill batted third for Fullerton. But the Mets see Pill solely as a pitcher. “The pitching only improves when you concentrate on it,” MacDonald said. Turner knows Pill’s older brother Brett, who also played for the Titans.

• Sixth-round pick Joe Tuschak, a high school center fielder from western Pennsylvania, worked out for the Mets at Citi Field the weekend before the draft. MacDonald says about the lefty-hitting Tuschak: “This guy can hit, and he’s going to have power.” The Mets say he also will be able to cover ground in center field.

• The jury is still out about whether left-hander Jack Leathersich, a fifth-round pick from UMass Lowell, will be a starter or reliever, according to the Mets. But MacDonald says he has a plus fastball and at times a plus curveball.

• MacDonald describes Fresno State shortstop Danny Muno, the eighth-round pick, as a “baseball player” who “can play anywhere on the diamond.” He has even caught bullpens.

• The Mets drafted high school shortstop Phillip Evans in the 15^th round as an athlete. He could even play catcher some day, but will stay at his natural position for now.

• Second-round pick Cory Mazzoni, a right-hander from N.C. State, has a plus fastball as well as slider, changeup and split, while third-round pick Logan Verrett of Baylor has a plus slider, sits at 90-92 mph with his fastball and “does it easy.” MacDonald said all of the early college pitchers taken are strike-throwers.

• The Mets had a find with Virgin Islands native Akeel Morris in the 10^th round last year, and went back to the island in the 28^th round this year for right-hander Jharel Cotton. Actually, DePodesta said Morris wasn’t an influence on selecting Cotton. He was pitching at Miami Dade Community College South, a couple of hours from Port St. Lucie. “I was lobbying for the trip to the Virgin Islands,” DePodesta quipped.

• MacDonald said he did not expect several of the picks to fall to the Mets. He had Mazzoni tabbed as a first-round pick by someone and indicated he did not think Verrett would get to the third round. He also felt fortunate about Tuschak in the sixth. MacDonald added that ninth-round selection Alex Panteliodis, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Florida, was expected to go in the first three rounds in his mind. Panteliodis throws a “firm” 90-94 mph and was the Gators’ Friday night starter as a freshman and a sophomore.