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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Organization leaders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short hops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BUFFALO 9, CHARLOTTE 3: Buffalo (22-16) put a close to their 10-game trip with a 9-3 triumph over Charlotte at a rain-soaked Knights Stadium on Monday night. Valentino Pascucci homered and drove in three. The Bisons made quick work of Monday's contest by scoring six runs in the first two innings. While the first two tallies came on hits by Fred Lewis and Pascucci, only one was scored conventionally. Pascucci hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season, but before that, Lewis raced home on a throwing error from Osvaldo Martinez after tripling to right field. Oswaldo Navarro closed out the three-run first by driving in Matt Tuiasosopo for his first RBI with the Bisons. Buffalo broke open the game with three more runs in the second inning on a Lewis RBI-double, a Vinny Rottino single and a run-scoring groundout from Pascucci. That was more than enough for Jeurys Familia to earn his third consecutive winning decision. The righty fanned seven in five innings of work and allowed just one run on five hits. Buffalo added single runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth innings for insurance. Pascucci's single in fourth gave him three RBI on the night and a team-high 25 for the season. The final two Bisons runs scored on wild pitches. It wasn't all good news for the Bisons on Monday. Before the game, the club learned that infielder Zach Lutz had a broken left hamate. He was placed on the team's disabled list. Box

SAVANNAH 6, CHARLESTON 2: Savannah (23-13) scored four runs in the 10th to defeat Chalreston Monday night. Tied 2-2 with the bases loaded and two outs, an error by Charleston allowed Dustin Lawley to score the go-ahead run. Brandon Brown then drove in two with a single and Camden Maron made it 6-2 with another single. Jeffrey Walters pitched the ninth and the 10th to secure the win, his third of the year. He gave up just one hit and walked one batter. The game was a pitcher's duel between Rafael Montero and William Oliver. Charleston went up 1-0 in the first but Savannah answered with two in the third when Lawley (2-for- 5, two RBIs) drove in two. Charleston tied in the eighth. Montero gave up four hits and one unearned run over 5 2/3 innings while striking out five. Box

ST. LUCIE 4, BRADENTON 1: Jenrry Mejia pitched six effective innings and struck out seven in his second start of the season since returning from Tommy John Surgery and the Mets (29-8) pounded out 11 hits in a 4-1 victory over the Bradenton Marauders on Monday. Mejia allowed one run on three hits and did not walk a batter. He gave up a home run to former Mets farmhand Stefan Welch in the second.Mejia underwent Tommy John Surgery on May 16 of last year. He picked up his first victory and had excellent command. He threw 73 pitches and 53 for strikes.The Mets hit back-to-back home runs in a three-run third fourth inning to take the lead. Cesar Puello ripped a go-ahead solo homer to left with one out to give the Mets a 2-1 advantage. Francisco Pena followed with a solo blast to left-center. Danny Muno delivered a two-out, RBI single into right field to score Rafael Fernandez to make it 4-1. The Mets jumped out to the lead in the first inning. Muno drilled a leadoff double down the right field line and scored on an RBI groundout by Cory Vaughn. Yohan Almonte pitched three scoreless innings and struck out six to record his first save. Almonte struck out the side in the eighth inning and fanned five straight batters at one point. He did not allow a hit and walked just one. Richard Lucas went 3-for-4 and Wilfredo Tovar finished 2-for-3 at the plate for the Mets. Muno recorded two hits with a run scored and an RBI. The Mets host the Bradenton Marauders on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Chris Young is the scheduled starter for the Mets. Box

Compiled from team reports

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

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

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

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

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 4, GWINNETT 1: Zach Lutz's two-out single plated two runs to cap the scoring in a three-run seventh that broke a 1-all tie. The Bisons have taken the first three of a four-game set with the G-Braves. Oswaldo Navarro and Jean Luc Blaquiere singled to start the decisive inning and advanced on a balk. The bases were loaded when Fred Lewis' single scored Blaquiere. Lutz followed with the exclamation point. Buffalo starter Jeurys Familia allowed one run in six innings, the lone damage coming courtesy of Stefan Gartrell's RBI single in the first inning. Familia (3-1, 4.41 ERA) allowed four hits and struck out six. For the G-Braves, starting pitcher Yohan Flande gave up eight hits but was able to avoid trouble until the seventh. Flande struck out six batters as well, and allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings. After the Bisons took the three-run lead in the top of the seventh, the bullpen stepped in to preserve the lead. Justin Hampson pitched a sound seventh but found some trouble in the eighth, allowing singles to Jose Constanza and Gartrell. But with runners on first and second and one out, Elvin Ramirez relieved Hampson and struck out consecutive batters to end the inning. Ramirez retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first Triple-A save. Lewis went 3-for-5 with an RBI on the night. Box

NEW BRITAIN 5, BINGHAMTON 1: Jefry Marte’s fielding error in the eighth set the table for a four-run inning as the Rock Cats completed a two-game series sweep. With the game tied at 1, Marte booted Joe Benson’s groundball to third to start the eighth. The Rock Cats tagged reliever Erik Turgeon for four hits, including three doubles, and scored four unearned runs to take the lead for good. For the second straight game, the B-Mets grabbed the lead first. In the second, Binghamton collected three consecutive singles against starter Steve Hirschfeld to get on the board. Marte and Raul Reyes started the rally with hits and Juan Lagares gave Binghamton a 1-0 lead with a single. The disastrous eighth overshadowed another strong pitching performance from B-Mets starter Collin McHugh. The right-hander allowed one run on six hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out four. His only blemish was Wilkin Ramirez's solo homer in the seventh. Turgeon (1-3) took over for McHugh in the eighth when things came unglued. Deibinson Romero and Danny Lehmann supplied RBI doubles and James Beresford supplied a run-scoring single. After getting on the board in the second, the B-Mets offense went silent. Binghamton had three hits after the third inning. The B-Mets (14-17) now head to Manchester to start a four-game series against the Fisher Cats on Thursday. Zack Wheeler is due to return from the disabled list for a fingernail issue in the opener. Box

ST. LUCIE 4, BREVARD COUNTY 2: Jenrry Mejia pitched five solid innings in his first minor league start since before Tommy John surgery on May 16, 2011 and the Mets pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Mejia allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout. Mejia pitched five games with Triple-A Buffalo last season before the injury. Angel Cuan (3-1) tossed three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory. Cuan allowed one hit and struck out two. Adrian Rosario pitched a scoreless ninth inning and recorded a pair of strikeouts for his ninth save. The Mets took their first lead in the eighth. Wilfredo Tovar hit a leadoff double. Danny Muno reached on a bunt single and Robbie Shields followed with a walk to load the bases with no outs. Wilmer Flores grounded into a double play as Tovar scored the go-ahead run. In the ninth, Cesar Puello tripled and scored on an errant throw past third base. The Mets trailed 1-0 entering the third inning, before pushing across a run to even the score. Alonzo Harris singled and reached second on a balk. Tovar delivered an RBI double. In the fourth, Rafael Fernandez ripped his first homer of the season, a game-tying solo blast over the right-field fence. Chris Young is due to throw 75 pitches for St. Lucie at Brevard County on Thursday. Box

Compiled from team reports

Adam Kolarek’s numbers speak for themselves: In 16 2/3 relief innings with Class A St. Lucie, the southpaw has yet to allow a run. He has struck out 25 and walked two. He has four saves. And lefty batters are hitting only .130 against the 11^th-round pick in 2010 out of the University of Maryland.

He’s one of many reasons why St. Lucie is off to a 25-7 start this season.

“I think we’re a very fundamentally sound team -- moving runners, getting the runner in, playing strong defense -- and then both our starters and relievers have really put together a strong start to the season,” Kolarek said.

As for his striking-throwing ability, which starts with fastball command, Kolarek added: “I wouldn’t say I’ve always had the best control, but it’s definitely something I’ve been working on. I really started seeing a lot better control last year. And I worked on it again in the offseason. And so far this season I’ve had pretty good results. It’s right where I want to be.”

Kolarek, 23, had solid tutoring from a young age. His father Frank, who also played at the University of Maryland, caught in the minors for the Oakland Athletics in the late 1970s. He reached as high as Triple-A Ogden in ’79, and played alongside Rickey Henderson at multiple levels of the minors.

“He was a catcher, so he taught a lot to me about how to pitch batters,” Kolarek said. “I talk to him after every outing and we go over the hitters. … He’s definitely my go-to guy. I did it in college too. It’s nothing new. We just go over the outing. He can only hear so much when he’s listening on the radio or following online, so I fill in the story and go over things.”

Kolarek and Adrian Rosario both have accumulated saves for St. Lucie this season. Five of Kolarek’s 14 appearances have been two innings. Kolarek primarily worked as a reliever in college as well. This season, the slider has been a good out pitch, particularly against lefties, in inducing groundballs. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph. He also has a changeup, which he uses more against righty batters.

“We’ve all kind of been in different situations, whether it’s coming in for that certain matchup, or coming in for an inning or two at a time,” Kolarek said. “Being able to be versatile in any kind of relieving role is important.”

Kolarek’s college highlight actually came at the plate, not on the mound. After entering as a defensive replacement at first base against a ranked North Carolina team on April 2, 2010, Kolarek launched a two-out, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10^th. Matt Harvey had tossed the first six innings of that game for the Tar Heels.

“I had some good moments on the mound, but the overall college moment, definitely that home run was something I’ll always remember,” he said.

Organization leaders

Average: T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .358; Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .350; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .330; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .317; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .315; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .315; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, .314; Omar Quintanilla, Buffalo, .301; Oswaldo Navarro, Buffalo, .293; Eric Campbell, Binghamton, .286.

Homers: Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 8; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 7; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 6; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 5; Omar Quintanilla, Buffalo, 5.

RBI: Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 23; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 22; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 21; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 19; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 18.

Steals: Luis Nieves, Savannah, 9; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7.

ERA: Alex Panteliodis, Savannah, 0.89; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 1.64; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 1.65; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 1.75; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.06; Darin Gorski, Binghamton, 2.27; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.33; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 2.51; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 2.62; Dylan Owen, Buffalo, 2.96.

Wins: Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 4; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 4.

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

Strikeouts: Matt Harvey, Buffalo, 32; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 31; Gonzalez Germen, Binghamton, 30; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 30; Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 29.

Short hops

• After tossing six scoreless innings against Gwinnett (Atlanta Braves) on Tuesday night, Harvey is 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in his past four starts. Three of the outings have been scoreless. The lone non-win came against Syracuse last Wednesday, when a 23-minute rain delay forced Harvey to depart after four innings. A new organization policy mandates starting pitchers be pulled following a rain delay of any length if they already have logged two innings.

• Jack Voigt, the Mets’ highly regarded minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator, will serve as hitting coach for Magallanes in Venezuela during the next winter league season. Carlos Garcia, who manages Class A Bradenton in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, will serve as that winter league club’s 2012-13 manager. Ex-Yankee Luis Sojo is the bench coach.

• Zack Wheeler (1-2, 1.75 ERA) should reenter the rotation later this week with Binghamton after landing on the seven-day DL with a partially torn fingernail. Wheeler threw a bullpen session Monday and reported no difficulty. He had the issue on the middle finger of his pitching hand with San Francisco in May 2010 as well -- with a growth underneath the nail pushing it off. That time, with the Giants officials being cautious, Wheeler was out of action for seven weeks.

With Wheeler temporarily inactive, 24-year-old right-hander Gonzalez Germen was promoted to Binghamton from Class A St. Lucie, where he had been 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in five appearances (four starts). Germen, signed in October 2007 out of the Dominican Republic, made a deceptively solid Double-A debut Friday against Harrisburg. Although he was charged with five runs in six innings, he struck out nine and walked none and the damage was limited to a five-run second inning. Germen is likely to remain with Binghamton even with Wheeler’s return, although Mets brass was sorting out how to juggle the rotation given a rainout Monday and the extra starter. Germen’s fastball sits in the low 90s. He has a solid, deceptive changeup in which the bottom falls out.

• Jacob deGrom’s first official minor league game since July 26, 2010 nearly was perfect. The 23-year-old right-hander returned from Tommy John surgery to retire 20 of the 21 batters he faced with Savannah on Monday. DeGrom suffered the elbow injury and subsequent surgery shortly after signing with the Mets as their ninth-round pick in 2010 out of Stetson University. He primarily played shortstop in college, but was drafted as a pitcher because scout Steve Nichols saw potential in his arm.

• Andy Pettitte’s convenience became an inconvenience for Triple-A Buffalo.

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BUFFALO 3, GWINNETT 0: Matt Harvey tossed six scoreless innings in the latest in a string of solid starts for the 2010 first-round pick. Coupled with a Pawtucket loss in Rochester, the Bisons are now a half-game back of first place in the International League North Division. Harvey allowed four singles and a double. He walked three, but balanced those out with five strikeouts and a pair of double plays. He also had two wild pitches. Gwinnett failed to push a runner to third base until the seventh inning, after Harvey's outing was complete. With his third win in four starts, Harvey has now posted a 1.96 ERA since April 20. He had a no-decision in the other outing because of a rain delay after four innings of work. Over the four-game span, Harvey has allowed 16 hits in 23 innings. The Bisons gave Harvey early run support as Zach Lutz singled home Fred Lewis in the first. Omar Quintanilla hit his fifth home run in the second for a 2-0 Bisons lead. Buffalo scored a third run the next inning on a fielding error by Braves second baseman Drew Sutton. That lead held up for the Bisons' second shutout of the season. Jack Egbert tossed a pair of scoreless innings and Fernando Cabrera set the Braves down 1-2-3 in the ninth for his International League-leading eighth save. Before the game, the Mets selected the contract of Bisons catcher Rob Johnson. Oswaldo Navarro was promoted from Binghamton. He made his Bisons debut as a defensive replacement at third base in the ninth. Quintanilla's five homers are second on the team to Valentino Pascucci's six. Box

NEW BRITAIN 4, BINGHAMTON 3: The Rock Cats scored three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by Nate Hanson’s pinch-hit, two-run double, to defeat the B-Mets. Binghamton committed two costly errors in the game, resulting in all four runs being unearned. With a 3-1 lead, reliever Robert Carson took the mound in the ninth looking for his first career save. He walked Chris Colabello to start the inning before inducing Aaron Hicks to fly out. Deibinson Romero then sent a slow chopper to third and reached safely when Jefry Marte’s throw to first pulled Eric Campbell off the bag. The error proved costly for Binghamton. Following a popout, Estarlin De Los Santos blooped an RBI single to right, just out of Juan Lagares' reach. With the tying run at third, Hanson shot a sinking line drive to left. Pedro Zapata could not make the difficult catch, allowing two runs to score.

The loss was Binghamton’s second of the season when leading after eight innings. The shaky defense overshadowed a strong pitching performance from starter Mark Cohoon. The southpaw allowed one unearned run and four hits over six innings. Binghamton owned a three-run lead after three innings by pounding Rock Cats starter Andrew Albers for a career-high nine hits. Lagares led off the second by doubling. He scored two batters later on Rylan Sandoval’s single. The B-Mets added two more in the third. Matt den Dekker started with a bunt single, advanced on a wild pitch, scampered to third on a flyout and scored on a passed ball by Chris Herrmann. Reese Havens doubled later in the inning and came home three batters later on Lagares' single. New Britain’s first run came in the sixth thanks to a B-Mets error. With a runner on first and one out, Herrmann rolled a potential double-play ball to Havens. The second baseman fielded it cleanly, but bobbled the transfer to his throwing hand, allowing all runners to reach safely. Chris Colabello cashed in with an RBI single. After amassing a three-run lead off Albers, the B-Mets went quietly against the New Britain bullpen. In all, the B-Mets mustered one hit against three relievers.

While all three runs on his tab were unearned, Carson (0-1) suffered his first career blown save. Brad Holt allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in his return to Binghamton after pitching in six games with Buffalo. The B-Mets (14-16) complete their rain-shortened series with New Britain on Wednesday. Right-hander Collin McHugh opposes right-hander Steve Hirschfeld. Box

BREVARD COUNTY 3, ST. LUCIE 2: Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 and drove in both runs -- his 21st and 22nd RBIs of the season -- in the loss. Starter Erik Goeddel allowed three runs in five innings. Randy Fontanez contributed three scoreless relief innings. Box

SAVANNAH 6, LAKEWOOD 1: The Gnats finished their seven-game homestand with a 6-1 record while the teams’ pitching allowed 10 runs over the span. The Gnats (20-12) jumped ahead with a four-run second. After DH Travis Taijeron singled and Brian Harrison doubled, Luis Nieves, Tillman Pugh and Brandon Brown all contributed RBI singles. Cam Maron completed the inning’s scoring with a groundout to first. Taijeron, the reigning South Atlantic League Player of the Week, reached base in all four of his plate appearances. He went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored. The BlueClaws (10-20) scored their only run in the fourth, against Savannah starter Alex Panteliodis. Panteliodis, who was not involved in the decision, finished four innings, yielding a run on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Relievers Jeff Walters, Jack Leathersich and Estarlin Morel combined on five scoreless, hitless innings behind Panteliodis. Walters earned the win, his second of the season, for working the fifth and sixth innings. Harrison launched a two-run homer, his second long ball, in the eighth to complete the scoring. The Gnats are off Wednesday. They then begin a seven-game trip to Hickory and Southern Division-leading Charleston. Box

Compiled from team reports

As a 12-year-old, T.J. Rivera pitched for his Little League team in the district-championship game in which it was eliminated by Danny Almonte’s squad. A half-dozen years later, Rivera went on to play junior college baseball for ex-Met Mackey Sasser.

Now, the 23-year-old middle infielder is making a name for himself in the Mets minor league system.

Signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, Rivera -- a product of Lehman High School in the Bronx -- is the reigning South Atlantic League Player of the Week.

He completed April hitting .389 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 95 at-bats. He also has walked 15 times and been hit by pitches twice, giving him a .478 on-base percentage. Rivera’s average ranks third in the SAL behind West Virginia’s Alen Hanson (.410) and Hickory’s Christopher Grayson (.400). Rivera’s OBP ranks second to Grayson’s .500.

Rivera was signed last July 4 after going undrafted out of Troy (Ala.) University, where his team won the Sun Belt Conference title and beat Oklahoma State in the opening game of an NCAA regional at Vanderbilt last year.

“Once the draft was over, my coaches told me that I should get an opportunity to play and sign as a free agent,” Rivera said. “I was just really sitting around in Troy waiting for someone to give me a call, just give me an opportunity. My coach from Troy told me he was at a showcase or something and he saw [Mets area supervisor] Tommy Jackson, I think, and talked to him. That’s when I got a call about two days later that they needed an infielder at Kingsport, so I got my opportunity.”

Out of high school in the Bronx, Rivera wanted to play for a junior-college program in Florida or Alabama because of the quality of baseball and the weather. His summer-league coach sent him, as well as George Washington High School products Viosergy Rosa (now with Marlins system) and George Isabel (Yankees), who were summer-league teammates, to Sasser’s JUCO program in Dothan, Ala.

“We all went down together,” Rivera said. “So it was a little easier to get used to Alabama with a couple of guys out of New York.”

Rivera was unfamiliar with Sasser’s Mets history, including the ex-catcher’s noted throwing issues, until after joining the program.

“No idea,” Rivera said. “It’s funny. I’ve heard some stories now. Especially now that I’m with the Mets, everybody knows him. But I didn’t know who he was. I knew he played in the bigs for, I think, it was nine years with the Mets. But I didn’t know anything about him until I got down there, actually.”

Truth be told, Rivera grew up a Yankees fan. In fact, the lone Mets fan in his family is his father. Still, Rivera went to a fair amount of games at both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium growing up -- more Mets games, in fact. The insurance company for which his mother worked would give tickets to its employees when they were not distributed to clients.

“I grew up a Yankee fan all my life,” Rivera said. “Everybody in my family is except my dad. My dad was the only Mets fan, believe it or not. I was actually pretty close. I was right in Throgs Neck, which is about 10 minutes away from Yankee Stadium. And if we took the train, it would be a little longer -- 15 minutes maybe. We’d just hop on the 4 train and be right there.”

While Rivera initially played for Kingsport last year after signing, he finished the regular season with Brooklyn, where he hit .326 in 15 games. He lived in team-sponsored housing, not with his family, because the subway commute was too lengthy from the Bronx and his car was still in Alabama. Regardless, the experience playing in New York City as a professional was a particular thrill given his roots.

“That was the best part of my career so far,” Rivera said. “I had a lot of family and friends that were able to come visit. Being in Alabama for four years, my parents really didn’t get to see me too much, or my friends. When I got to Brooklyn, that was a great opportunity for them to come see me. It was nice, too. We had 9,000 fans a game -- crazy fans, too, I’ll tell you.”

Organization leaders

Average: Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .397; T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .389; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .347; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .333; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .318; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .316; Wilfredo Tovar, St. Lucie, .312; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, .308; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, .295; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, .292.

Homers: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 6; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 6; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 19; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 18; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 18; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 17.

Steals: Luis Nieves, Savannah, 7; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 5.

ERA: Alex Panteliodis, Savannah, 0.89; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 1.32; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 1.75; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.05; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 2.08; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 2.11; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.25; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 2.33; Darin Gorski, Binghamton, 2.45; Angel Cuan, St. Lucie, 2.78.

Wins: Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 4; Gonzalez Germen, St. Lucie, 3; Jeff Kaplan, Binghamton, 3; Cory Mazzoni, St. Lucie, 3; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 3.

Saves: Adrian Rosario, St. Lucie, 5; Fernando Cabrera, Buffalo, 4; Adam Kolarek, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 30; Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 26; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 26; Matt Harvey, Buffalo, 24; Jack Leathersich, Savannah, 24.

Short hops

• The Mets system owned the top collective record in minor league baseball in April. Fueled by Class A St. Lucie’s 20-4 record during the month, Mets affiliates went a combined 60-36. That .625 winning percentage was tops in baseball, exceeding runner-up Colorado’s system (59-38, .608). The Mets were the only franchise to have a winning record at the major league level as well as with each of its full-season affiliates. St. Lucie’s .833 winning percentage topped Fresno for the best April record in minor league baseball. The San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate went 19-6 (.760). The 20 wins broke St. Lucie’s record for victories in any month.

The success was fueled in large part by pitching. The Mets had the lowest collective minor league ERA in April, at 2.89, as well as the lowest opponent batting average against (.234) and on-base percentage (.307).

After another long ball Tuesday night, St. Lucie outfielder Cory Vaughn leads the Florida State League in homers with six.

Wilmer Flores, who has made the transition to third base this season, is having a bounceback year at the plate as well. The 20-year-old Venezuelan ranks second in the FSL in RBIs with 19, trailing only Daytona’s Greg Rohan (28). Flores had an 11-game hitting streak snapped Friday.

As for Flores’ adjustment to third base -- which he has played exclusively this season after previously playing shortstop -- that’s going decently. His footwork needs work, and he has bobbled a couple of balls. But Flores largely has managed to stay with those plays and complete the out. Flores committed only two errors in April. The arm is no issue at third base.

• Matt Harvey enters Wednesday’s start for Triple-A Buffalo coming off his most effective outing this season. Harvey tossed seven scoreless innings last Wednesday at Lehigh Valley, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking none. Harvey sliced his International League ERA from 6.63 to 4.85 and has now won two straight starts. He also became the second pitcher in a three-day span for Buffalo to homer, joining Dylan Owen. No Buffalo pitcher had homered for 18 years before the pair of long balls last week. Harvey’s outing last week included improvement in throwing strikes (66 of 90 pitches) and more crispness with his fastball. He indicated after that start that his mechanics felt more comfortable than in any of his previous four starts.

• With Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jordany Valdespin and temporarily Zach Lutz at the major league level, and with outfielder Adam Loewen lost to a stress fracture of the second metatarsal in his right foot, the Mets signed a trio of players for Buffalo. 2011 Opening Day second baseball Brad Emaus returns, as does outfielder Dustin Martin. The Mets also signed former San Francisco Giants outfielder Fred Lewis.

Emaus, a favorite of J.P. Ricciardi’s while both were employed by the Toronto Blue Jays, was a Rule 5 pick by the Mets in December 2010, along with Pedro Beato. But after hitting .162 in 14 games with the Mets, he was returned to Toronto in mid-April, then immediately flipped in a trade to the Colorado Rockies. In January, he was acquired by the Red Sox. He went to camp with Boston, but was released. Emaus was planning to play for Laredo in independent baseball before the Mets called him while he was at home in Louisiana. Emaus so far has started one game, at third place, and may now just be a bench player with Lutz’s return.

Martin, 28, originally was drafted by the Mets in the 26^th round in 2006 out of Sam Houston State. A favorite of former Mets VP Tony Bernazard, Martin nonetheless was traded with catcher Drew Butera to the Minnesota Twins on July 30, 2007 for Luis Castillo. Martin hit .259 with 31 homers and 189 RBIs over the past three seasons with Triple-A Rochester, which plays in a big ballpark. He was released from Twins minor league camp because of a crowded group of outfield prospects that includes Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson, Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni.

Martin’s lone start so far came Saturday against his former club, in right field. After lightheartedly tweeting pregame to the opposing catcher Butera, “I need a bunch of fastballs today,” Martin went 2-for-4 and homered for the first time with the Mets organization since playing for St. Lucie in 2007.

Lewis, 31, appeared in 81 games for the Cincinnati Reds last season. He hit .230 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 183 at-bats. Lewis had been in camp with the Cleveland Indians during spring training.

• Lutz, who was returned to Triple-A when the Mets activated Andres Torres from the disabled list, started at third base Tuesday in his first game back. That’s his natural position, but Lutz now should see plenty of first-base exposure.

• Second baseman Reese Havens’ ability to produce at the plate has never been questioned. And, sure enough, after opening the season on the disabled list with a left upper-back strain, Havens joined Binghamton and demonstrated that proficiency with his first official 2012 swing. After taking a first-pitch strike Sunday in his first at-bat, Havens launched the second offering over the right-field wall at Jerry Uht Park in Erie. Since being selected four slots after Ike Davis when the Mets had two first-round picks in 2008, Havens has been limited to 215 professional games because of assorted upper-body injuries. He underwent surgery two offseasons ago to remove an inch of a rib that was believed to be irritating an oblique muscle.

• The hurried trade of Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers during last year’s All-Star break was a clear-cut dump to avoid his vesting option kicking in for 2012 with 55 games finished. And the players returned were not the motivation for the deal. Yet maybe the Mets did get a modest return for K-Rod. Right-hander Adrian Rosario, who came with Daniel Herrera as players to be named in the trade, has limited opponents to one run and three hits while striking out 17 in 13 1/3 relief innings with St. Lucie. A converted starter, the 22-year-old Rosario throws a low-90s fastball and also features a slider, which he uses with two strikes. He has five saves this season, including one of the six-out variety.

• Top prospect Zack Wheeler continues to be unhittable, despite command issues with his fastball. Wheeler’s 1.75 ERA ranks fifth in the Eastern League. His 30 strikeouts rank third, trailing Harrisburg’s Robert Gilliam (35) and Reading’s Trevor May (33). Wheeler also has walked 14 and hit four batters in 25 2/3 innings.

• At Buffalo, fellow highly regarded right-hander Jeurys Familia’s control issues continue. Familia walked seven while requiring 90 pitches to log three innings Friday against Rochester. He did record eight strikeouts the previous outing against Syracuse, but the Chiefs are light hitting. Observers believe a better offensive club would have taken advantage of balls up in the zone.

• Former Cub Bobby Scales leads the International League with a .397 average with Buffalo.

• Binghamton infielder Eric Campbell has returned after missing a week with a right shoulder strain.

• Savannah reliever Jack Leathersich, a fifth-round pick out of UMass-Lowell last June, continues to put up gaudy strikeout totals. He has fanned 24 in 15 innings.

• Vinny Rottino might have been the call-up if the Mets needed a catcher because of Mike Nickeas’ flu, but the utility player actually has not squatted behind the plate this season while hitting .316 with a homer and 13 RBIs in 95 at-bats with Buffalo. Rottino has been confined to left field because of outfield shortages. Rottino was slated to catch his first game this season on Monday, but it was rained out.

• Right-hander Jeff Kaplan, who picked up two wins and two saves in six appearances with St. Lucie, has shifted to a long-relief role with a promotion to Binghamton. Elvin Ramirez has taken over as B-Mets closer with Josh Edgin moving to Triple-A.

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

Johan Santana tossed six scoreless innings. Yet the southpaw was saddled with a no-decision because Todd Helton belted a grand slam in the eighth off Tim Byrdak. Frank Francisco blew his first save as a Met by also surrendering a game-tying homer, on a solo shot by Carlos Gonzalez in the 10th. But the Mets ultimately prevailed on Ike Davis' RBI single in the 11th to win Sunday's rubber game at Coors Field, 6-5.

Monday's news reports:

• Santana remained winless this season, despite having allowed one run or fewer in all but one of his starts. It marks the first time since his rookie season in 2000 with the Minnesota Twins that Santana has failed to be credited with a victory in any of his opening five starts of a season. Terry Collins had a logical explanation for pulling Santana at 90 pitches after six scoreless innings. Santana was working on standard rest for the first time in the regular season since undergoing Sept. 14, 2010 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Santana also was coming off his highest pitch count since his comeback. He had tossed 105 pitches against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

• After completing a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Buffalo, Andres Torres is due to be activated from the disabled list Monday in Houston. Assistant GM John Ricco announced righty-hitting corner infielder Zach Lutz would be demoted over Jordany Valdespin to create roster room. The biggest curiosity is the outfield alignment with Torres back. Collins announced pregame that Kirk Nieuwenhuis would move to left field, a position he has never played. After the game, and after Nieuwenhuis had a highlight-reel diving catch in left-center to keep Santana's outing scoreless in the fifth, Collins wavered slightly. Torres has started 30 major league games in left field. Still, Collins indicated, Nieuwenhuis is more likely than Torres to be in left field on Monday when the Mets face Astros right-hander Bud Norris at Minute Maid Park.

Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger suggests the perception among a segment of fans that Torres is an inferior center fielder to Nieuwenhuis is misguided. Writes McCullough:

Torres is the more accomplished fielder. From 2009 to 2011, he ranked seventh among center fielders in Ultimate Zone Rating, an advanced metric that attempts to quantify how many runs a defender saves. During that time period, Torres saved 19.4 runs while with San Francisco. Heading into the season, scouts questioned Nieuwenhuis’ ability to handle center field full-time. But he’s performed a series of high-wire catches since becoming the team’s regular there the second game of the season.

Read more in the Post, Daily News and Newsday.

• In part to build team chemistry, Mets veterans suggested in spring training that players and staff wear western apparel during the trip from Denver to Houston. R.A. Dickey had an elaborate sheriff's outfit complete with fake gun, holster and badge. Daniel Murphy introduced pink to his cowboy ensemble. David Wright, Mike Nickeas and bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello dressed as the colorful "Three Amigos," complete with sombreros and fake mustaches. Mets players similarly plan a hockey-themed attire day for the May 18-20 interleague series at Toronto, during a trip that continues in Pittsburgh. See dress-up photos here.

• Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visited Coors Field on Sunday. He attended the University of Tennessee along with Dickey and Helton, and is particularly friendly with the Rockies first baseman. Wright, while wearing his sombrero and fake mustache, bumped into Manning while entering the stadium in the morning, which amused the older brother of Eli. Read more in Newsday.

• Davis confessed to thinking back to his season-ending ankle injury in Denver last May 10 as he fielded a 10th-inning popup Sunday. Wright stayed out of the way this time.

• Ruben Tejada had 10 hits in the three-game series and is now hitting .310. The last Met to have 10 hits in a three games series? That was Edgardo Alfonzo in 2000, also against Colorado. If Tejada has another three-hit game Monday in Houston, he will match the franchise record for consecutive three-plus-hit games. Brett Butler accomplished the feat in four straight games in 1995. Read more in Newsday.

• Read game recaps from Sunday's seesaw affair in the Post, Star-Ledger, Times, Daily News, Record, Journal and Newsday.

• Zack Wheeler -- who had been the victim of a lack of run support -- finally picked up his first Double-A win, and 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens returned from injury with a homer in his first 2012 at-bat, as Binghamton beat Erie, 7-1, Sunday. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Broadcaster Howie Rose, who skipped the weekend series in Denver, was inducted into the Nationals Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at Commack, Long Island, on Sunday. Wrote Steven Marcus in Newsday:

When he and his friends went to Shea and the Mets won, Rose recalled one of his chums yelling, "Put it in the books!'' It became Rose's signature line. Rose, who lives in Woodbury, also calls Islanders games on TV but is famously known for calling Stephane Matteau's winning goal in the second overtime for the Rangers against the Devils in the Eastern Conference finals during the 1994 run to the Stanley Cup. "I'm amazed 18 years later at how the Matteau call has endured,'' Rose said. "There are very few days when I'm in a public setting where somebody doesn't yell out 'Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!' " Rose, 58, also thanked Marv Albert for being an early mentor.

TRIVIA: Who did the Mets receive when they traded Mike Scott to the Astros on Dec. 10, 1982?

Sunday's answer: Larry Dierker won 14 career games against the Mets, the most of any Houston pitcher. Joe Niekro and Don Wilson rank second on that list with 12 career wins apiece against the Mets.

Zach Lutz will be demoted to Triple-A Buffalo to clear roster room for the activation of Andres Torres from the disabled list, assistant GM John Ricco said.

Terry Collins had implied in recent days that Jordany Valdespin might be the roster casualty -- with the logic being that if something were to happen to Ruben Tejada, Justin Turner could complete a game at shortstop.

Lutz was 1-for-8 with five strikeouts during his abbreviated major league stint.

WHAT IT MEANS: Johan Santana finally received run support. Still he deserved better.

After tossing six scoreless innings and departing with a four-run lead, Santana gave way to the bullpen with his pitch count at 90.

With two out in the eighth, Todd Helton then blasted a game-tying pinch-hit grand slam off Tim Byrdak that deprived Santana of his first win since before Sept. 14, 2010, surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

Byrdak had inherited three baserunners from Jon Rauch.

After walking former Twins teammate Michael Cuddyer to load the bases, Rauch had left the mound displeased with plate umpire Paul Emmel’s strike zone. Rauch’s streak of 10 scoreless innings to open his Mets career was snapped.

The Mets appeared poised to salvage the rubber game on Kirk Nieuwenhuis' RBI double against Matt Belisle in the top of the 10th that scored Mike Baxter. Baxter had reached base with a single that lifted him to 5-for-11 with two walks as a pinch hitter this season. But Frank Francisco served up a solo homer to Carlos Gonzalez in the bottom half for the closer's first blown save in six chances as a Met. Francisco has allowed at least one run in five of his past six outings.

Ike Davis then gave the Mets the lead for good in the 6-5, 11-inning victory with a single through the left side of the infield in the 11th against Belisle that plated David Wright. Wright went 2-for-3 with three walks to lift his average to .397. He also drove in the game's opening two runs. Ramon Ramirez notched his first Mets save.

OY: Santana is now winless in his first five starts of a season for the first time since his rookie season in 2000 with the Twins.

Pitching in Denver for the first time in his career, and pitching on standard rest for the first time this season, he surrendered only two hits in his six scoreless innings.

Throw out Santana's debacle in Atlanta -- when he was chased after recording a career-low four outs -- and he has allowed two runs in 22 2/3 innings over his other four starts.

The southpaw has not given up a run in 22 innings against the Rockies in his career. That is the longest scoreless-inning streak against Colorado by any major league pitcher to open his career, passing John Grabow’s 18 1/3 scoreless innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Terry Mulholland now ranks third with 17 scoreless innings against the Rockies to open his career, followed by Mike Adams with 16 1/3.

After failing to score while Santana was pitching in any of his first four starts, Wright delivered a two-run double in a three-run first inning against 49-year-old Jamie Moyer. Santana received stellar defense too in the form of another “Nieuwenheist.”

Nieuwenhuis, playing in the city where he starred as a high school football running back, robbed pinch hitter Jonathan Herrera of a run-scoring extra-base hit with a highlight-reel diving catch in the fifth inning.

Terry Collins pulled Santana at 90 pitches with the 4-0 lead -- presumably since this was Santana’s first time working on standard rest in a regular-season game since returning from shoulder surgery. Santana had thrown a season-high 105 pitches against the Marlins five days earlier.

MILE HIGH: Ruben Tejada received generous scoring for his final hit of the series, in the sixth inning. And that allowed Jose Reyes’ successor to accomplish something Reyes never did -- produce 10 hits in a three-game series. Tejada went 10-for-16 at Coors Field.

He became the first Met to produce that many hits in a three-game series since Edgardo Alfonzo, also against the Rockies, had 10 hits in April 2000.

Wright, meanwhile, went 1-for-2 with an intentional walk in three plate appearances against Moyer and is now hitting .418 with 16 RBIs in 55 career at-bats against the veteran southpaw.

Josh Thole had staked the Mets to a 4-0 lead with a solo homer against Moyer. It was Thole’s first long ball since Aug. 15, 2011, against San Diego’s Aaron Harang.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets, dressed in western apparel for team bonding, fly to Houston. It’s the Mets’ last visit before the Astros move to the American League West.

Andres Torres is due to be activated from the disabled list, pushing Nieuwenhuis to left field for the first time in his pro career. R.A. Dickey (3-1, 4.44 ERA) opposes Astros right-hander Bud Norris (1-1, 5.24) in Monday’s series opener.

The Mets appear inclined to keep righty-hitting Zach Lutz for the bench and demote Jordany Valdespin to clear roster room for Torres. Houston has lost six straight series.

Mike Pelfrey, meanwhile, is due to visit Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla., on Monday. He is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Lucas Duda belted a two-run homer and Dillon Gee gave the bullpen relief by completing seven innings and tossing a career-high 116 pitches as the Mets bounced back from Friday's lopsided loss with a 7-5 win against the Rockies on Saturday night.

Sunday's news reports:

• In this afternoon's series finale, Johan Santana opposes a 49-year southpaw, Jamie Moyer. Moyer has a 2.28 ERA through four starts this season after missing last year following Tommy John surgery.

“Surgery was my only choice, even if I didn’t play," Moyer told Roger Rubin in the Daily News. "To resume a normal life -- swing a golf club, play catch with my kids, throw them batting practice, be a normal person -- I had to have it. My rehab went well. It felt good playing catch and it felt good after my throwing program. I feel like looking back, if I didn’t try I would have always asked myself, ‘Could you have pitched?’ Right now I am finding out whether I can or I can’t.” Read more in the Times.

Santana is pitching on regular rest for the first time this season. The Mets have not scored a run with Santana on the mound in any of his four starts this season. Santana also has never pitched at high-altitude Coors Field. If Santana fails to be credited with a win Sunday, it will mark the first time since his rookie season he is without a victory in his first five starts of a season. He was winless in his five starts in 2000 with the Minnesota Twins, although that season he did pick up a pair of wins while making 25 relief appearances. Read more in the Record and Daily News.

• Read game recaps from Saturday's bounceback win in the Daily News, Post, Times, Star-Ledger, Record and Newsday.

• Despite the Mets facing three southpaws in the final four games of the trip, Terry Collins said Ike Davis will remain in the lineup for the remainder of the games out west. Davis singled and walked Saturday. He also sent one shot deep, which center fielder Dexter Fowler raced backward to corral. And he lined out to second baseman Marco Scutaro. Davis had been given Friday off in favor of Zach Lutz at first base against left-hander Drew Pomeranz. “I think he looks better,” hitting coach Dave Hudgens told Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger. “He’s about ready to go.” Read more in the Post.

• Andres Torres, who landed on the DL after straining his left calf on Opening Day, completed a rehab assignment Saturday by going 1-for-3 with a walk, sacrifice bunt and run scored for Triple-A Buffalo. Torres is due to rejoin the Mets on Monday in Houston and should reoccupy center field. During five rehab games between Class A St. Lucie and Buffalo, Torres hit .263 (5-for-19) with one RBI, three steals, two walks and three strikeouts.

• Vinny Rottino drove in Omar Quintanilla in the bottom of the ninth and Buffalo beat Rochester, 4-3, Saturday. Jeremy Hefner, in his first game since tossing three scoreless innings for the Mets against San Francisco, had the longest outing by a Bisons pitcher this season -- 7 2/3 innings. (Hefner was ineligible to replace Chris Schwinden in the rotation Wednesday in Houston, even if the Mets were inclined to do so, because he is required to spend 10 full days in the minors after being optioned.) Read the full minor league recap here.

• Mike Kerwick in the Record wonders what type of card -- sympathy, thank you, etc. -- he ought to purchase Mike Pelfrey, who is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery this week. Pelfrey is traveling to Gulf Breeze, Fla., Monday to visit Dr. James Andrews. Pelfrey appears likely to be non-tendered in December. Writes Kerwick:

Teams always need pitching. A general manager with some gamble in him will roll the dice after that right elbow heals. But I wouldn't bank on getting a call from the Mets. I grab a card with Yoda on the cover. A challenge you face … succeed you will! We'll see about that. But I like the sentiment. It even plays the theme from "Star Wars."

TRIVIA: The Mets and Houston both debuted in 1962. Which Astros pitcher notched the most career wins against the Mets since their births?

Saturday's answer: Todd Helton is the Rockies' all-time leader in RBIs with 1,320 -- including on a fourth-inning double that scored Carlos Gonzalez on Saturday night. Larry Walker ranks second with 848. The rest of the top five: Dante Bichette 826, Vinny Castilla 745 and Andres Galarraga 579.

The Mets committed four errors in an 11-run fifth inning by Colorado on Friday night and ultimately lost to the Rockies, 18-9, at Coors Field. The error total and scoring outburst matched the most against the Mets in a single inning in franchise history and overshadowed Scott Hairston's cycle -- the 10th by a Met all time.

Dillon Gee tries to right the Mets on Saturday. He originally was supposed to face right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, but the Rockies reported that the former Oriole suffered a right shoulder sprain falling off his bicycle when a chain broke. Instead, Guthrie has landed on the disabled list, and the Mets will face right-hander Guillermo Moscoso, who was 1-3 with a 7.91 ERA at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

After the Mets complete the series in Colorado by the way, the entire contingent will dress in cowboy apparel for the trip to Houston as part of a team-building exercise.

Saturday's news reports:

• Chris Schwinden, who took the rotation spot formerly occupied by Mike Pelfrey, was charged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk. He was chased without recording an out in the fifth inning, following a three-run homer by Carlos Gonzalez. Despite the fifth-inning debacle, Terry Collins affirmed postgame that Schwinden will start again Wednesday in Houston.

Longer term, Chris Young is due to pitch in a Florida State League game next Saturday. He should be ready in mid-May for major league competition -- barring a setback in his return from May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. Collins added that prospects Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia should spend the majority of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, working on their consistency. Read more in Newsday and the Record.

• Pelfrey's appointment with Dr. James Andrews is Monday in Gulf Breeze, Fla. He is expected to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery during the visit.

• Lucas May belted a three-run homer and Familia issued seven walks in three-plus innings in Triple-A Buffalo's 7-3 win on Friday. Andres Torres' rehab assignment moved to the Bisons. He went 0-for-4 with a walk and steal. Torres should play against for Buffalo on Saturday. It sounds like he will reoccupy center field Monday in Houston, which would push Kirk Nieuwenhuis to unfamiliar left field. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Read game recaps from Friday's lopsided loss in Denver in the Times, Record, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Daily News and Post.

• Zach Lutz, who made his first major league start Friday, in place of Ike Davis at first base, learned of his promotion to the majors earlier this week while attending the funeral of his girlfriend's grandfather, reports Anthony Rieber in Newsday. Wrote Rieber:

When he told those in attendance his good news, he got a standing ovation. "It was kind of awkward," Lutz said. "I didn't know what to say. Everybody was clapping for me, a standing ovation. I think with everything going on, it made everybody feel better."

Lutz sounds like he may stick around, with Jordany Valdespin heading to the minors, when Torres is activated Monday. Davis should start the final two games of the Rockies series, including Sunday against left-hander Jamie Moyer. Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Nieuwenhuis' favorite player growing up in the Denver area was Todd Helton. No. 2 was Larry Walker. Read more in the Record and Post.

• Broadcaster Howie Rose will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Commack, L.I., on Sunday.

TRIVIA: Helton is the Rockies' franchise leader in RBI. Who ranks second?

Friday's answer: When Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca served in that capacity for the Class A St. Lucie Mets in 2002, the lone current member of the Mets to be on his squad was Jason Bay. Bay had been acquired during that spring training in a trade with the Montreal Expos. But Bay was shipped that July to the San Diego Padres with Bobby Jones in a deal that returned right-handers Steve Reed and Jason Middlebrook.

Terry Collins said postgame that the Mets will stick with Chris Schwinden in the rotation for Wednesday's turn at Houston. The manager added that the bullpen was not taxed to the point that the organization needs to call up a reliever from the minors to get through the weekend.

The Mets could have created a 40-man roster spot for a call-up by placing Mike Pelfrey on the 60-day DL, where Pelfrey would not count as a roster player. But there was not an obvious call-up anyway, since left-hander Josh Edgin -- the best candidate -- isn't stretched out to provide the multiple innings that would be required to cover a short start.

Edgin has topped out at 37 pitches and has thrown two full innings once this season in the minors.

Collins actually believed Schwinden threw well anyway until the debacle of an 11-run fifth inning, and the manager is not in a rush to dump the right-hander from the rotation spot formerly occupied by Pelfrey anyway.

Schwinden particularly lamented his throwing error to Zach Lutz that opened the bottom of the fifth.

"I was getting into a good groove there the last three innings, and then throwing the ball away wasn't planned," Schwinden said. "It just kind of snowballed from there."

Collins said he left Manny Acosta in to absorb the rest of the damage in the 11-run inning because he did not want to burn his entire bullpen in the fifth inning, given the potential for later issues at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

"It happened pretty fast, obviously. And I didn't want to start burning out my bullpen in the fifth inning, knowing that this thing could go a long way," Collins said. "We had to get some outs, and we didn't get them."

Meanwhile, Scott Hairston's cycle -- the 10th in Mets history -- was largely lost amid the six-error ugliness. Hairston said he was thinking cycle when he doubled in his fourth at-bat. He initially was convinced Carlos Gonzalez would track down the ball, but it eventually landed beyond the left fielder.

"It was great while it was happened, but when they kept scoring runs, it just really wasn't that enjoyable, to say the least," Hairston said about the cycle. "... I think I got to 3-2 [in the fourth at-bat]. Anywhere close I was going to try to drive the ball. And I was able to do that. It was great while it lasted. It's definitely bittersweet. ... It's a big feat. It's something a lot of players can't say they've done. I'm proud of that."

As for the night overall, Hairston said: "That was a long inning. That was a long game. It's probably one of the most craziest games I've ever been a part of. But it's just one day. It's just one day in a season. We just have to put it behind us."

• Rockies right-hander Jeremy Guthrie has been scratched from Saturday's start and is being placed on the disabled list with a sprained right shoulder. Right-hander Guillermo Moscoso will be promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he is 1-3 with a 7.91 ERA, to take the start. The Rockies said Guthrie was injured when the chain broke on his bicycle and he fell.

Recap | Box score | Photos

WHAT IT MEANS: Ugggh!

The Mets matched franchise records by surrendering 11 runs and committing four errors in a debacle of a fifth inning as the good feelings of a three-game home sweep of the Marlins dissipated in Denver's thin air.

The Rockies turned a four-run deficit into a seven-run lead while facing Chris Schwinden and Manny Acosta in the disastrous frame. The Mets ultimately lost 18-9 on Friday night at Coors Field.

The Mets committed six errors overall, one shy of matching the franchise record -- seven against Pittsburgh on Aug. 1, 1996.

The 18 runs allowed were the most since an 18-6 loss to San Diego on May 31, 2010.

Scott Hairston did hit for the 10^th cycle in franchise history in the loss. The other cyclists:

• Jose Reyes (June 21, 2006 vs. Cincinnati);
• Eric Valent (July 29, 2004 at Montreal);
• John Olerud (Sept. 11, 1997 vs. Montreal);
• Alex Ochoa (July 3, 1996 at Philadelphia);
• Kevin McReynolds (Aug. 1, 1989 at St. Louis);
• Keith Hernandez (July 4, 1985 at Atlanta);
• Mike Phillips (June 25, 1976 at Chicago);
• Tommie Agee (July 6, 1970 vs. St. Louis);
• Jim Hickman (Aug. 7, 1963 vs. St. Louis).

Schwinden, who had picked up his first pro RBI in a four-run top of the fifth, opened the bottom half with a throwing error. Zach Lutz, who had his first major league hit that previous half-inning, committed an error, too. Ruben Tejada and Mike Nickeas also had errors as a 6-2 lead turned into a 13-6 deficit.

The final tally for the bottom of the fifth: 11 runs, 10 earned runs, seven hits, four errors, two Terry Collins arguments with umpires, three-run homers by Carlos Gonzalez (off Schwinden) and Dexter Fowler (off Acosta), three walks and a hit by pitch among the 15 Rockies batters.

The other times the Mets allowed 11 runs in an inning: at Atlanta on April 7, 2004; at San Diego on April 1, 1997; vs. Houston on July 30, 1969; and at St. Louis on July 18, 1964.

The other times the Mets committed four errors in an inning: vs. St. Louis on April 4, 1996; vs. San Diego on May 1, 1991; and at Chicago on June 9, 1987.

Hairston's and Tejada's four hits apiece set/matched career highs.

Schwinden was charged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk in four-plus innings.

How strange was the game? Josh Thole was charged with catcher's interference in the seventh inning -- on a pitchout.

WHAT'S NEXT: Collins said pregame that this was not intended to be one start and done for Schwinden in Mike Pelfrey's vacated rotation spot.

Terry Collins started slumping Ike Davis against left-hander Mark Buehrle on Wednesday at Citi Field. And the manager also intends to start Davis on Sunday against left-hander Jamie Moyer.

So why sit Davis against southpaw Drew Pomeranz on Friday night, in the series opener at Coors Field? Righty-hitting Zach Lutz instead gets his first major league start.

Well, Collins partially pointed to Pomeranz's success against left-handed hitters. In six career major league starts, righties are hitting .287 against Pomeranz, with lefties hitting .214.

Davis is hitting .132 overall.

"As we sat here today trying to put the lineup together today, with knowing that Pomeranz can be really tough on lefties, we tried to decide what right-handed hitter might have the best shot at it today," Collins said. "We decided Lutz might, due to the fact this guy throws a lot of fastballs. Zach can do some damage. He's certainly a power-hitting kind of a guy, and this is a good place for those kind of guys to play."

By the way, it sounds like Lutz should be sticking around when Andres Torres is due to be activated Monday from the disabled list. When Jordany Valdespin was promoted, the justification was that the Mets needed a backup middle infielder with Ronny Cedeno on the DL. But, Collins said Friday, the Mets can get by with using Justin Turner at shortstop for a partial game if the need arises and then make a call-up for the next day, alleviating the requirement to carry Valdespin in Cedeno's absence.