Pittsburgh Pirates' Garrett Jones, left, connects for a home run off New York Mets' Pedro Feliciano in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh on Thursday, July 2, 2009. Catching...

Santana outduels Carpenter as Mets top Cards

Johan Santana bested Chris Carpenter in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners, and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Thursday to win their first series since early June.

Survivor, NL East edition

The NL East is playing out like a really nasty game of dodgeball, and if you're keeping score at home, you could probably count the bodies left standi...

Blog Entry | Conversation | June 24, 2009

Short-handed Mets quiet Pujols to top Cardinals

Tim Redding pitched into the eighth inning for his first win with the Mets and substitute setup man Brian Stokes got Albert Pujols to ground into a crucial double play, leading New York past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Monday night.

Schneider's HR sets pace as Mets hold off Rays

Fernando Nieve turned in another impressive start and Brian Schneider hit a three-run homer, leading the New York Mets to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.

Baseball Tonight Clubhouse: Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley could be next MVP

Al Bello/Getty Images Chase Utley is hitting .309 with 15 homers, 44 RBIs and 47 runs scored this season for the Phillies. By Rick Sutcliffe, ESPN...

Huff's HR helps O's break tie in 7th, edge Mets

Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run, Aubrey Huff hit a tiebreaking shot in the seventh inning and the Baltimore Orioles withstood Gary Sheffield's 507th career homer in a 6-4 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.

New York Mets pitcher Pedro Feliciano stands on the mound after giving up a two-run home run to Baltimore Orioles' Aubrey...

Mets' bats bail out Santana in win vs. Phillies

David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church homered -- with Church sending a drive over the 16-foot wall and into the well where the Home Run Apple sits in straightaway center field -- and the Mets beat the Phillies 6-5.

Hernandez sets tone as Mets blank Nationals

Livan Hernandez allowed four singles in seven innings and the Mets scored five first-inning runs in a 7-0 victory over the Nationals on Sunday.

Relief Efforts: Lefty closers an exclusive class

Eric Karabell looks at why so few lefties occupy closer roles and speculates what other southpaws might be in contention for saves.

Cockcroft: May's BABIPs don't bode well for Branyan

Tristan H. Cockcroft examines May's BABIP numbers and discusses players who are lucky, like Russell Branyan, and others who are not.

Pirates rally in five-run eighth inning to top Mets

Andy LaRoche had three RBIs and the Pittsburgh Pirates scored five runs in eighth inning to beat the New York Mets 8-5 on Monday night.

Maine stifles Marlins, then adds to Mets' injuries

John Maine shut down Florida again before becoming the latest Mets player sidelined by sickness or injury, and New York held off the Marlins 3-2 on Sunday to cap a highly successful month.

Santos' game-ending single lifts Mets in 11th

Omir Santos hit a game-ending single in the 11th inning and also homered in the fifth to give the New York Mets a 2-1 victory over the Florida Marlins on Friday night.