On the Mets beat

At .500 through 78 games, the Mets, winners of two straight, find themselves behind the NL-East leading Phillies by just two games in the loss column.

In the first of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park tonight, the Mets have a chance to pull the division race even closer against Philadelphia starter Rodrigo Lopez, a right-hander who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2007. On the mound for the Mets is perhaps their most pleasant surprise this season, right-hander Livan Hernandez, who's 5-3 with a 4.04 ERA.

The Phillies (39-39), unable to take advantage of the Mets' recent five-game swoon, escape Atlanta where they were swept in three games.

Evan Drellich here to take you through the first of the latest installment of Mets-Phillies.

Showdown series time.

Cora - ss
Murphy - 1b
Wright - 3b
Sheffield - rf
Church - cf
Tatis - 2b
Evans - lf
Schneider - c
Hernandez - sp

Welcome Met fans! I'm David Cassilo, and I will be taking you through this afternoon's Mets-Pirates game. The game is a make-up after the two teams were rained out on June 3rd.

The Mets are coming off a victory (a rare thing to say these days) as yesterday Mike Pelfrey got the best of the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo in a duel that saw the Mets come out on top 1-0. The one run came from an RBI single by Ryan Church in the sixth inning.

Remarkably enough, despite all that has happened over the past month the Mets find themselves just two games behind Philadelphia for the division lead. However, it may be more than a two-team race this season as Florida trails the Phillies by a 1/2 game, while Atlanta trails by three. The Mets will look to build a little momentum against Pittsburgh today before heading to Philadelphia this week for a crucial three-game series.

To do so, the Mets will need to do something they haven't done all year - beat the Pirates in their ballpark. Pittsburgh defeated the Mets in all three games earlier this season at PNC Park, winning them by a combined score of 22-12. In May, the Mets swept the Pirates at Citi Field, meaning this is the rubber game of the season series.

PITCHING MATCHUP: The Mets will hope that Tim Redding can turn his season around when he pitches today. Thus far, Redding is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA. He has given up at least four runs in each of his past three starts, including five runs over 5.1 IP against the Yankees in his last outing on Saturday.

With Oliver Perez close to returning, Redding may be auditioning today to save his spot in the rotation.

Redding has experienced some success against the Pirates in his career as he has a 2-2 record and a 3.79 ERA in 11 career starts. However in five starts at PNC Park, Redding's ERA is 6.38.

If Redding is going to get his second win of the year, the Mets offense must get going against 27-year old left hander Paul Maholm. In 16 starts this season, Maholm is 5-4 with a 4.35 ERA. In his last start, Maholm defeated the Kansas City Royals, while allowing just two runs and five hits over seven innings.

Maholm has faced the Mets six times in his career, including once already this season. That start came at Citi Field on May 9th when he gave up seven runs and ten hits in a loss. However, in his career Maholm is a respectable 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA.

I'll be back for first pitch.

The forecast doesn't look good, but it is supposed to stop raining around 2 PM, so we may get started a little late today.

UPDATE: We will indeed have a rain delay. I will be back whenever the game resumes.

We are back after the rain delay, and it is time for Mets baseball.

Top of the first: With the rain coming down, Luis Castillo grounds out to third. Alex Cora gets the Mets first hit with a bloop single over shortstop.

With one strike to David Wright, we have the second rain delay of the afternoon.

After the second rain delay, Wright flies out to right field on the first pitch of resumed baseball. While Gary Sheffield is batting, Cora advances to second on a wild pitch by Maholm. Sheffield then walks on four pitches. Maholm is looking a little shaky after loading the bases by hitting Fernando Tatis in the leg. After falling behind 3-0, Maholm comes back to get Church to ground out to second.

Bottom of the first: Andrew McCutchen leads off by pulling a double down the first base line. Jack Wilson sacrifices to the pitcher, moving McCutchen to third. With the Mets playing the infield in, Delwyn Young grounds out to shortstop, and the runner holds at third. Redding gets Adam LaRoche to fly out to left field to end the inning.

Top of the second: Quick inning for Maholm. Nick Evans grounds out to third base. Omir Santos grounds out to shortstop. Redding flies out to right field.

Bottom of the second: Garrett Jones gets his first hit of the season with a leadoff double off the right field wall. Andy LaRoche works a walk, and the Robinzon Diaz delivers an RBI single up the middle to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. LaRoche goes to third on the single. Ramon Vazquez walks to load the bases. Redding strikes out Maholm for the first out. With the bases loaded, Redding hits McCutchen to make the score 2-0 Pirates. On a 3-1 count, Wilson hits a sacrifice fly to left field that scores Diaz and extends the lead to 3-0. Young flies out to right field to end the inning.

Top of the third: Castillo hits a line drive single up the middle to start the inning. Cora grounds into a fielder's choice. Cora steals second base. Wright grounds out to third, advancing Cora. Sheffield flies out to right field.

Bottom of the third: Ad. LaRoche singles to left field. Church dives for a hit by Jones, but he misses it and it goes to the wall, giving Jones an RBI triple and the Pirates a 4-0 lead. An. LaRoche strikes out. Diaz doubles off the wall in left-center, and the score is 5-0 as Jones scores. Redding is pulled after the double.

Pat Misch comes in to face Vazquez. He gets him to ground out to second base as Diaz moves to third. Maholm grounds out to third as Misch limits the damage.

Final line for Redding: 2.1 IP 6 H 5 ER 2 BB 2 K

Top of the fourth: Tatis singles to right field. Church singles into center field. Evans singles to center field to load the bases for the Mets. Santos strikes out. Daniel Murphy pinch hits for Misch. Murphy comes through with a two-run single down the right field line that brings the score to 5-2. Castillo grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom of the fourth: Dessens is now pitching for the Mets, and he gets McCutchen to fly out to left field to start the inning. Wilson reaches on a walk. Dessens hits Young with a pitch. Ad. LaRoche grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Top of the fifth: Cora doubles down the right field line to start the inning. Wright singles to right field after Young is unable to catch the ball on a diving attempt. Sheffield hits an RBI single up the middle, and the score is now 5-3. Tatis grounds into a fielder's choice, and the Mets now have first and third with one out. Church singles to right field, scoring Wright and making the score 5-4. After a visit to the mound, Evans singles to right field and Tatis scores to tie the game at 5-5. Maholm is now done.

Jeff Karstens relieves Maholm. He walks Santos to load the bases. Jeremy Reed pinch hits for Dessens, and he hits a sacrifice fly that scores Church and gives the Mets a 6-5 lead. Castillo flies out to right field to end the inning.

Final line on Maholm: 4.1 IP 11 H 6 ER 1 BB 1 K

Bottom of the fifth: Brian Stokes comes in to replace Dessens. Jones lines out to Stokes. An. LaRoche flies out to left field. Diaz grounds out to second as the Pirates go in order.

Top of the sixth: Cora pops up to first. Wright walks. Sheffield pops up to first. Tatis hits a two-run home run to right-center and the Mets now lead 8-5. Church flies out to left field.

Bottom of the sixth: Vazquez singles to left field. Jeff Salazar pinch hits for Karstens and flies out to right field. McCutchen strikes out on three pitches. Wilson pops up to third base.

Top of the seventh: Evan Meek replaces Karstens on the mound. Evans and Santos both ground out to second. Argenis Reyes pinch hits for Stokes and draws a walk. Reyes steals second base. Castillo walks. Cora grounds out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Bottom of the seventh: Pedro Feliciano is in for Stokes. Young strikes out looking, and after drawing a line in the dirt to show where the pitch was he is ejected. Ad. LaRoche grounded out to shortstop. Garret Jones homers to center field and the score is now 8-6. Feliciano is done.

Sean Green replaces Feliciano. An. LaRoche strikes out looking.

Top of the eighth: Steven Jackson comes in to pitch in a double switch that replaces the ejected Young with Brandon Moss. Wright grounds out to shortstop. Sheffield pops up to second base. Tatis doubles on a hit to the left-center gap. Church flies out to right field.

Bottom of the eighth: Fernando Martinez comes in to play center. Church shifts to right, and Sheffield is out. Diaz squares to bunt for a hit, but is hit with a pitch by Green. Vazquez grounds out to first. Green walks Moss. McCutchen grounds to shortstop, and Cora gets Diaz out going to third after Wright bails him out with a good pick-up. Wilson strikes out to end the inning.

Top of the ninth: Evans strikes out swinging. Santos snaps an 0-19 skid and doubles to center field. Brian Schneider pinch hits for Green and grounds into a fielder's choice on a poor base running play by Santos in which he tried to go to third on a ground ball to shortstop. Castillo walks and Jackson is done.

Jesse Chavez replaces Jackson and gets Cora to fly out to center field.

Bottom of the ninth: Francisco Rodriguez is in to pitch. Freddy Sanchez pinch hits for Chavez and hits an infield single to shortstop. Ad. LaRoche hits a two-run home run to center field, and the game is tied at 8-8. Jones, up a single shy of the cycle, grounds out to Castillo. An. LaRoche pops up to second base. Diaz singles on a ground ball between shortstop and third base. Vazquez singles on a ground ball to right field, and Diaz goes to third. Moss hits a hard line drive, but it is right at Castillo. We will head to extra innings.

Top of the tenth: Sanchez stays in to play second base, and Matt Capps comes in to pitch. Wright strikes out swinging. Martinez pops up to shortstop. Tatis is hit with a pitch for the second time today. Tatis steals second base. Church singles up the middle, and Tatis scores to make the score 9-8. Church goes to second on the throw. Evans grounds out to third.

Bottom of the tenth: K-Rod stays in to pitch the tenth, despite throwing 30 pitches in the ninth. McCutchen flies out to center field. Wilson strikes out swinging. Sanchez grounds out to shortstop, and the Mets hold on.

FINAL SCORE: 9-8 Mets

W- Rodriguez (2-2)
L- Capps (1-4)

Star of the game: Fernando Tatis 3-4 4 R 2 RBI 1 2B 1 HR 1 SB

The Mets survived a disaster, and instead got one of their biggest wins of the season. Give all of the credit to Tatis and Church, who picked up Redding after a terrible start. Also, gutty performance by K-Rod to bounce back and close it out.

New York will now head into Philadelphia on a two-game winning streak and will trail by two games in the division at the most.

-David Cassilo

Today's lineup vs. the Pirates in Pittsburgh, 12:35 start, if the rain holds. It's cloudy now and the tarp is on the field.

Castillo 4
Cora 6
Wright 5
Sheff 9
Tatis 7
Church 8
Evans 3
Santos 2
Redding 1

Lefty Paul Maholm, whose claim to fame is striking out Billy Crystal in spring training, starts for the Buccos.

John Franco was still pitching for the Mets in 2002 when Keith Hernandez got himself in hot water with the players by saying they had "no heart" and "quit" on the season. Mike Piazza fired back at Hernandez then by calling him a "voice from the grave" and saying he should "call WFAN" with his comments.

Hernandez later apologized to the team, but apparently Franco didn't learn anything from that incident. Either that, or he has a short memory. Here's a sampling of the back-and-forth he started with the Mets yesterday after accusing them of having no leadership. David Wright, in particular, was not happy. Here's the story:

BY DAVID LENNON

MILWAUKEE – John Franco has traded his captain’s C for a special advisory role with the Mets, but that didn’t stop him from taking a few shots at his employer this week during a radio interview. Franco, who was welcomed back into the Mets’ organization in spring training, criticized his former club’s leadership void and selfish play.

“Watching them almost every day, there’s no leadership there,” Franco said during an interview with SIRIUS XM. Nobody wants to step forward and be a leader. Something is missing and it’s hard to put your finger on it. They got some great, talented players – [Jose] Reyes and [David] Wright and [Carlos] Beltran, now [Johan] Santana’s there – but I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Franco continued to say that he approached Wright in spring training about stepping up in that role and the Mets’ third baseman was reluctant to do it. “I tried talking to him and tell him to come forward and be that guy,” Franco said, “but I think David feels that being that he’s such a young player and you have the [Carlos] Delgados and [Gary] Sheffields and veteran guys like that, he’s afraid that they’ll look at him like, ‘Be quiet and sit down.’”

When told of Franco’s comments following Wednesday’s win over Brewers, Wright was not pleased.

“With all due respect to Johnny, he doesn’t know what’s going on in this clubhouse,” Wright said. “I don’t feel the need to defend myself as a leader if the guys in here respect me and think of me as a leader. I don’t worry myself with outside people, saying what they’re going to say. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Franco also accused the Mets of showing “too much individuality,” a point that Manuel even raised during his team meeting late Tuesday night. “Guys are worried about their own stats instead of worrying about getting the guy over, not stealing third base with two outs which is really meaningless,” Franco said. “These are the kind of things that they’re dealing with.”

Manuel shrugged off Franco’s comments, saying, “At this point, you’re going to get a lot of opinions on things. John Franco is a member of the Mets and highly thought of by the Mets. He’s entitled to his opinion.”

As for Franco’s knock on the team’s lack of leaders, the manager disagreed. “I think when a guy [Alex Cora] plays with a torn ligament in his thumb, that’s leadership. When a guy [Wright] needs a day off and still wants to play, that’s leadership.”

That's what Mike Pelfrey was saying Wednesday when asked about the tightness in his right triceps. Pelfrey kept trying to stretch on the mound, but insisted later that it was nothing to worry about. Yeah, right. With these Mets? Are you kidding?

"To me, that's a good sign," Pelfrey said. "It means I'm getting in front of my sinker."

OK, Mike. If you say so. It's tough to argue with Pelfrey after he shut out the Brewers for 7 2/3 innings in the Mets' 1-0 win at Miller Park. Now the Mets have to hope he experiences the same tightness next week against the Dodgers? Weird.

To pass the time, let's play a little game. What would you like the Mets lineup to look like in 2010?

Here are the established veteran position players who are under contract or the Mets' control for next season:

David Wright
Jose Reyes
Carlos Beltran
Luis Castillo
Ryan Church

I'm not counting first-year Mets like Fernando Martinez and Omir Santos or young players like Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans because they are not established as every day major leaguers.

So let's have at it. You are Omar Minaya. Let's see your 2010 Mets.

UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.: The pitchers are warming up and first pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

UPDATE, 1:09 p.m.: The game started at 1:05. Two batters. Then a rain delay. Tarp's back on the field.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: Play is scheduled to resume at 1:50.

Mike Pelfrey is not only trying to avoid not a sweep, but the Mets' sixth straight loss in this afternoon's finale of the Mets' three-game series with the Brewers at Miller Park.

Pelfrey (5-3, 4.67 ERA) pitches after Johan Santana and the Mets defense faltered — and faltered in ugly fashion — in the fourth inning yesterday of a 6-3 loss. The Mets (37-39) today face a much toucher pitcher too — not someone making their second major league start, like winning pitcher Mike Burns yesterday, but Yovani Gallardo (8-4, 2.86 ERA), who's as dominant a 23-year-old as you'll find. The Brewers (42-35) lead the NL Central.

Before the game, Mets manager Jerry Manuel made the entire team travel together on the bus to the ballpark, an attempt at unity.

Evan Drellich here to take you through the game as the Mets to try to tread water.

Despite Jerry Manuel's pregame assertion yesterday that David Wright would get today off, it's no surprise that he's in the lineup. How could he not be after three hits, including a two-run homer, in last night's loss. Gary Sheffield's getting a breather, though - Nick Evans is in leftfield.

Cora ......... SS
Castillo ..... 2B
Wright ....... 3B
Church ...... RF
Evans ........ LF
Murphy ...... 1B
Martinez .... CF
Schneider ... C
Pelfrey ........ SP

As part of Jerry Manuel's postgame message to stomp out "individualism," the manager demanded that all of the Mets ride the 11 a.m. CDT bus from the team's hotel to Miller Park for Wednesday's matinee against the Brewers. No cabs, limos or mopeds.

It was unusual order delivered during the closed-door, 28-minute meeting. Barely anyone takes the bus, except for maybe the broadcast crew and support staff. Players usually like to get to the ballpark early -- even for day games. Symbolism aside, it's a bit extreme, but the Mets are in a tough spot at two games below .500.They also have lost five in a row and finished June at 9-18, their worst month since September of 2003, when they went 7-19 under Art Howe.

"That’s what we’re based on, the wins and losses," Manuel said. "So when you lose as many as we have, in a row, in tough month, you have to check that negativity at the door. Sometimesthat seeps in and then you have to address it.

"The whole key to that is that when that seeps in, individualism seeps in, and we can ill afford that as a group. How we are designed now, we can ill afford individual things to seep in. Period. I’ve been in it long enough to know some of the things that go along with that.That keeps you staying down that particular road and I’m trying to get us off of that road."

David Wright described the the loss, in which they blew a 2-0 lead, "A little bad luck mixed with bad execution." That's for sure. But Wright agreed with Manuel's assessment.

"When things aren’t going right, people look for reasons why," Wright said. "When you win, there's no problems, there's smiles on everyone’s faces. When you lose, you try to pinpoint different things. We have to prohibit the individualism Jerry was talking about and go pick each other up. We have to try to have each other’s back, because it’s unrealistic to think we’re going to go out there and play perfect baseball every day."

Along with the team being in complete disarray, it was unfortunate that Fernando Martinez hit his first career home run on the same night his face-plant in centerfield led to a four-run inning for the Mets.

In a nice gesture --pity maybe? -- Brewers rightfielder Corey Hart called out to the fans in the bleachers to retrieve the ball and they threw it back to him. Hart then threw it in so Martinez would have the memento for his trophy case.

F-Mart did not save the chunk of grass he kicked up with his fourth-inning stumble, however. The rookie picked up the huge slab of turf and actually replaced the divot.

The Mets have lost four straight, they're under .500 — the team-instituted benchmark for success — and they've fallen to third place. It's hard to imagine a more important start for Johan Santana.

Santana (9-5, 3.08 ERA) and the depleted Mets lineup are up against the Brewers' Mike Burns, who's made just one career start before. He has a 3.72 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work in the majors this season.

Before the game, Carlos Beltran was told by a specialist in Vail, Colo., that he won't require surgery for his bone bruise in his right knee.

With a Triple-A lineup that is finally being exposed as just that, the Mets have to stay above water before heading to Philadelphia for a four-game series at the end of the week.

Evan Drellich here to take you through the middle game of the Mets' three-game set at Miller Park. First pitch up next.

Rest easy, Mets Nation. Alex Cora is back atop the lineup. I'm not quite sure why Fernando Tatis is at second base, however. Maybe the manager can tell us where he's hiding Luis Castillo when we talk to him a little later.

Cora .......... SS
Tatis .......... 2B
Wright ....... 3B
Sheffield ..... LF
Church ....... RF
Evans ......... 1B
Martinez ...... CF
Santos ........ C
Santana ...... SP

Finally, some relatively good news for the Mets. It was determined that Carlos Beltran will not need surgery for the bone bruise affecting his right knee after he was examined Monday by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo., according to a person familiar with the situation.

Steadman was expected to talk with team physician David Altchek today about a course of treatment that will mostly involve rest, with the plan to return after the All-Star break. The Mets open the second half in Atlanta on July 16.

David Lennon talks Mets and answers your questions today in a live chat at 11 a.m.

Welcome Met fans! I’m David Cassilo, and I will be taking you through tonight’s Mets-Brewers game. This will be the first of a three game series between the two teams at Miller Park.

These two teams met earlier in the season from April 17-19, and the Mets won two of those three contests. The last time they faced off in Milwaukee was last September, when the Mets swept a three-game series. New York is currently on a five-game winning streak at Miller Park, and has not lost a season series to the Brewers since 2003.

The Mets will hope their recent success against the Brewers continues as they are desperate for a win after being swept at home by the Yankees. Their depleted lineup was only able to score three runs and record nine hits in the series.

Meanwhile, the Brewers have been struggling themselves, winning just 10 of their 25 games this month. However, this past weekend they won two of three games against the Wild Card leading San Francisco Giants.

PITCHING MATCHUP: The Mets will look to ride the hot hand of Fernando Nieve once again. The 26-year old right-hander is 3-0 in his first three starts with the Mets, sporting a superb 1.31 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

Nieve faced the Brewers three times while with the Astros, all in 2006. Of those three appearances just one was a start. Nieve defeated the Brewers at Miller Park, going seven innings and allowing four runs while striking out seven in an 8-5 victory.

His counterpart on the hill tonight will be former Met closer Braden Looper. In his first season with the Brewers, Looper is 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 15 starts. The 34-year old right-hander gave up three runs over six innings against the Twins in his last outing and received a no decision.

Looper served as the Mets’ closer from 2004-2005, saving 57 games with an ERA of 3.22. The former third overall pick in the 1996 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals made the switch from reliever to starter three years ago. His first start over that span was against the Mets, and Looper lost that game after giving up three runs and eight hits over six innings. He has not faced the Mets since.

I’ll be back for first pitch to get this started.

Top of the first: The Mets offense picks up right where they left off against the Yankees. Argenis Reyes, leading off despite looking like a minor leaguer since being called up, grounds out to first. Daniel Murphy flies out to left field. David Wright flies out to left field to end the inning.

Bottom of the first: The Brewers looked poised to ruin Nieve's run early, but a strong defensive play saved the Mets.

Craig Counsell flies out to left field. JJ Hardy gets either teams first hit of the night with a double down the left field line. Ryan Braun singles up the middle, but it is hit so hard that Hardy can't score. Prince Fielder hits a rocket to first that Murphy is able to snare and then turn a 3-6-3 double play to get out of the inning.

Top of the second: Gary Sheffield grounds out to third to start the second. Ryan Church gets the Mets first hit of the night with a bloop single into left field. Fernando Martinez has a nice at-bat and singles up the middle. Brian Schneider strikes out swinging. Luis Castillo flies out to left, ending the inning and stranding runners on first and second.

Bottom of the second: Casey McGehee leads off by flying out to Church in right field. Ex-Met Mike Cameron singles to left field on a line drive. Frank Catalanato hits a ground ball to Murphy that was a lot like the one Fielder hit the previous inning, but this time Murphy can't get to it and it goes into right field for a single giving the Brewers runners on first and third. Catcher Jason Kendall hits a hard grounder up the middle that Reyes almost is able to make a play on, but he is only able to knock it down. Cameron scores and the Brewers lead 1-0. Looper strikes out trying to bunt, and Counsell flies out to center to end the inning.

Top of the third: Looper needs just seven pitches to retire the side as Nieve grounds out to first, Reyes grounds out to shortstop and Murphy flies out to right field.

Bottom of the third: Hardy adds to the Brewers lead with home run to lead off the third, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead. It is Hardy's second hit of the game. Braun then hits a deep fly ball to right field, but Church gathers it a few steps in front of the fence for the first out. Fielder hits a hard line drive over Castillo's head for a single. Nieve issues his first walk of the night to McGehee, giving the Brewers runners on first and second. Luckily for Nieve and the Mets, Cameron hits a ground ball to Reyes, who steps on second and throws to first to get a double play.

Nieve has given up seven hits tonight after allowing ten in his first three starts.

Top of the fourth: Wright strikes out for the 75th time this year. Sheffield hits a line drive up the middle for a one-out single. Church gets his second hit of the night as he hits a line drive of his own up the middle. With runners on first and second with one out, Martinez pops out to McGehee in foul territory. Looper loads the bases by walking Schneider after going to a full count. Castillo is unable to cash in as he grounds out to second to end the inning.

Bottom of the fourth: Catalanato gets his second hit of the game as he doubles to start the inning. Kendall gets his second hit as well and gives the Brewers first and third with no one out. Not bunting, Looper singles past Reyes at short, scoring Catalanato and giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead. Counsell hits a flair off the end of the bat to shortstop and Reyes gets the lead runner at third for the first out. Hardy gets his third hit of the night as he singles to left field, and Nieve is done.

The Mets pull a double switch by bringing in Elmer Dessens and replacing Castillo at second base with Fernando Tatis.

Dessens comes in with the bases loaded and one out. The first batter he faces is Braun who flies out to right field. Looper tags on the play, but Church delivers a bullet to home plate and Schneider makes a great tag to turn the double play.

The final line on Nieve: 3.1 IP 11 H 3 ER 1 BB 1 K

The outing is a worse line than his first three starts combined. It is also the most hits this season given up by a Mets starter.

Top of the fifth: The Mets once again go quietly. Catalanato makes a nice running catch at the warning track to catch a Tatis fly ball, while Reyes and then Murphy ground out to second base.

Bottom of the fifth: Fielder and then McGehee ground out to Tatis at second base. Cameron walks, becoming the first base runner against Dessens. Catalanato then reaches bases for the third time as he is hit by a Dessens pitch. Kendall then lines out to Tatis to end the inning.

Top of the sixth: Wright lines out to right field. Sheffield grounds out to shortstop. With two outs, Chuch singles for his third hit. The Mets then get a break as Martinez pop up to third base, but McGehee makes a Castillo-like drop on the routine play. Church goes to third and Martinez is on first. The Mets fully capitalize on the mistake as Schneider hits a double off the wall to score two runs. It was about a foot short of being a home run, but nevertheless, the Mets now trail 3-2. Nick Evans pinch hits for Dessens and grounds out to first.

Bottom of the sixth: Brian Stokes relieves Dessens. Looper grounds out to Tatis at second. Counsell singles to left field. Despite a diving effort by Martinez, Hardy gets his fourth hit of the night on a double to center field, giving the Brewers runners on second and third with one out. Stokes gets Braun to pop up to Murphy, who catches it right next to the pitcher's mound. Fielder is then intentionally walked to load the bases. McGehee, who made the big error last inning, makes up for his mistake by hitting a grand slam to left center. The Brewers lead 7-2. Cameron then hits a long drive of his own but it caught by Martinez at the wall.

Top of the seventh: Tatis leads off with a triple after he lines the ball to centerfield and Cameron has some trouble gathering it. Reyes lines out to third base. After working the count full, Murphy walks. That was the last batter for Looper as he exits the game.

Todd Coffey comes in to face Wright with runners on first and third with one out. After getting behind Wright 3-0, Coffey comes back to strike him out. Sheffield hits a hard ground ball to McGehee at third, but Sheffield hustles out of the box and beats the throw, giving him an RBI. The Mets now trail 7-3. Coffey is pulled from the game in a double switch with Bill Hall coming in for McGehee.

With runners on first and second and two out, left-hander Mitch Stetter comes in to face Church. He gets Church to strike out.

The final line for Looper: 6.1 IP 7 H 1 ER 2 BB 2 K

Bottom of the seventh: Pat Misch comes in for Stokes. Pinch-hitting for Catalanato, Corey Hart flies out to Church in right field. Kendall singles to the outfield. Hall hits a double down the left field line scoring Kendall and making the score 8-3 Brewers. Counsell grounds out to the pitcher. Hardy reaches base for the fifth time with a walk. Misch ends the inning by striking out Braun.

Top of the eighth: Martinez pops out to Hardy in foul territory. Stetter hits Schneider on the arm. Omir Santos pinch hits for Misch. He bloops the ball in right field, but Schneider is thrown out at second after holding up, apparently thinking the ball would be caught. Tatis flies out to centerfield to end the inning.

Bottom of the eighth: Bobby Parnell relieves Misch. Fielder leads off the inning with a double to left field corner. Mat Gamel pinch hits for Stetter and strikes out. Cameron flies out to right field. Hart doubles over Martinez's head and Fielder scores. It is now 9-3 Brewers. Kendall walks on four pitches. Hall hits an RBI single up the middle, making it 10-3 Brewers. Counsell lines out to third to end the inning.

Top of the ninth: Carlos Villanueva enters the game for the Brewers. Reyes pops out to Hardy behind third base. Murphy hits a double to left-centerfield. Wright snaps an 0-16 skid, and hits an RBI double down the left field line. The Brewers lead is cut to 10-4. The Mets get two more back with a deep two-run home run to left field. It is now just 10-6. Church singles to right field. Counsell dives for a Martinez ground ball, but he is unable to grab it, and he reaches with a single. The Brewers have seen enough of Villanueva, and he is pulled.

Trevor Hoffman comes in with runners on first and second with one out. On the first pitch, Schneider grounds into a double play to end the game.

Final Score: 10-6 Brewers

W- Looper (6-4)
L- Nieve (3-1)
S- Hoffman (18)

Star of the game: J.J. Hardy 4-4 1 HR 1 RBI 2 R 1 2B

The Mets bats looked a bit better tonight, but there's no way they could overcome 10 runs and 19 hits. They will have to hope that this isn't the real Nieve, or the Mets have one more problem to deal with.

Tomorrow the Mets will count on their ace Johan Santana to stop the skid as he faces off against rookie Mike Burns.

Thanks for joining me tonight.

-David Cassilo

Carlos Beltran, on the disabled list with a bone bruise under his right knee, is in Vail, Colo., today to be examined at the well-respected Steadman-Hawkins Clinic, the same place Alex Rodriguez had his hip surgery.

Dr. Richard Steadman is a specialist in micro-fracture surgery, but assistant GM John Ricco, who is with the Mets here in Milwaukee, denied that particular treatment has been discussed in Beltran's case.

"He's going to examine everything that was done in New York," Ricco said. "I don't know how far this injury has progressed. The way they've described it, it's a bruise that gets bigger. And if it keeps getting bigger, it could develop into a microfracture and then a fracture of the bone if you keep putting weight on it."

Not a misprint - and not J. Reyes either.

A.Reyes - ss
Murphy - 1b
Wright - 3b
Sheffield - lf
Church - rf
Martinez - cf
Schneider - c
Castillo - 2b
Nieve - sp

Hard to believe that the Mets, at 37-37, have the identical record of last year's club through 74 games. But I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing with so many players missing. Tough to compare, really, but it's timely considering that Willie Randolph will be watching from the other dugout tonight as the Brewers' bench coach.

One important difference: Randolph failed with his full roster of players, other than the oft-injured Moises Alou. As for Jerry Manuel, he has a built-in excuse with Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and two-fifths of rotation -- John Maine and Oliver Perez -- still out after missing huge chunks of the schedule.

Last season, the Mets also were in a similar situation regarding the playoff race because of the Phillies' sluggish start. They were only 3 1/2 games back in the NL East.

This year, the Mets are 2 1/2 games behind the Phillies and three games off the wild-card pace, tied with the Reds and trailing the Giants, Rockies, Brewers and Cardinals.

So where do they go from here? Good question. Every time the road ahead looks bleak, the Mets somehow manage to rally and confound the naysayers. They'll need to do that again in these last two weeks before the All-Star break, when the Mets face the Brewers, Pirates, Phillies, Dodgers (with Manny) and Reds.

With trade help unlikely to come before the break, it's up to this group to stay the course. And if they can stay at this status quo, within three games of the Phillies for the start of the second half, it would be considered a moral victory with a few of the key pieces due back.

With the Mets lone hit yesterday upping their total to four in the last two games combined, one can only hope that they took batting practice a little more seriously today. Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05 ERA) opposes Chien-Ming Wang (0-6, 11.20 ERA) as the Mets look to salvage the final game of the 2009 Subway Series.

First pitch is just minutes away.....

Daniel Murphy is your leadoff hitter tonight. Ryan Church's name was in the original starting lineup, but he's feeling nauseous. Church, who spent most of his pregame sitting with his head down at his locker wearing a hooded sweatshirt, appears to have the chills and could be coming down with the same thing that's making the rounds.

So the Mets won't have Church's bat tonight and Fernando Tatis replaces him in the order, which is as follows:

Daniel Murphy 1B
Alex Cora 2B
David Wright 3B
Gary Sheffield LF
Fernando Tatis RF
Fernando Martinez CF
Brian Schneider C
Luis Castillo 2B
Livan Hernandez P