In two days Omar Minaya has revamped the Mets bullpen and turned it into a formidable weapon. Minaya has completed a three-team, 12-player trade with the Mariners and Indians that brings relief pitcher J.J. Putz to New York. Putz, who has been closing games for Seattle the past three seasons, had some elbow problems last season but pitched very well at the end of the season. The combination of Putz and Francisco Rodriguez should make the Mets very hard to beat in the late innings. In addition to Putz, the Mets receive outfielder Jeremy Reed and reliever Sean Green, both from the Mariners. Leaving New York are seven players, Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, Maikel Cleto, Ezequiel Carrera and Mike Carp, all to the Mariners, and Joe Smith to the Indians. more ›

• Mets 7, Marlins 6 (12 innings): One Johan Santana start plus not one but two last-chance comebacks equal a two-game winning streak and some signs of life from the Mets. Fernando Tatis, one of three reserves to knock in runs in Tuesday's win, hit a game-winning two-run double in the 12th. The game only went to extra innings because Endy Chavez hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Don't count on seeing Luis Castillo and Chavez homer in the same week again, much less the same day. Offense like that can cancel out another erratic start by Oliver Perez and the disappointment of seeing Duaner Sanchez allow a homer to Alfredo Amezaga in the top of the 12th. The Mets welcome the Dodgers for four starting Thursday, and, at one game under .500, they have a pulse.
• Yankees 4, Orioles 2: Jason Giambi won't be sitting for Shelley Duncan anytime soon. He hit his 11th homer of the year -- Giambi, not Duncan -- as the Yankees avoided the sweep. Andy Pettitte turned in a solid start before Joba Chamberlain pitched two innings in relief. Mariano Rivera closed the door as Chamberlain threw more pitches in the bullpen. He could start as soon as next week. The Yankees get to spend a lovely off-day in Minnesota before playing four against the Twins.

For a team used to making miracles, conjuring up a disaster had an especially bitter taste. With a sloppily played 8-1 loss to Florida and the Phillies' 6-1 win against the Nationals, the Mets' season ended about a month too early. The loss capped an agonizing stretch of two and a half weeks in which the Mets played some of the worst teams in the National League and still played their worst baseball of the season. more ›

• Yankees 5 White Sox 1:If the Yankees are going to get off the deck and get back into playoff contention, they will need a lot more nights like this. Chien-Ming Wang was brilliant, going the distance while allowing only one run and six baserunners. Wang also struck out four as he cruised to an easy win, his fifth of the season. more ›

The Mets offense didn’t take long to get going with Jose Reyes leading off with a single and stealing second. He scored on an infield single by Carlos Beltran, which ended with a collision at first base. Beltran was shaken up on the play and although he stayed in the game and ran the bases, he was lifted before the start of the second inning. He has a bruised right knee and will get a MRI on it Friday. more ›

Chavez’s home run wiped out a 2-1 Yankee lead, which they had taken on a home run from Hideki Matsui. Apart from Matsui, the bats continued their cold streak managing only six hits against Oliver Perez and two relievers. Bobby Abreu continued his pathetic hitting, looking lost in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth. more ›

Tom Glavine wasn’t at his best and Chicago jumped out to a 4-0 lead. David Wright cut that in half with a home run that barely cleared the fence in right. In the sixth, the Mets tied the game off of a LoDuca double and an Easley sacrifice fly. more ›

Sigh, the Mets cleaned out their lockers at Shea yesterday. We imagine that the hurt has just set in for Mets fans after last night's disappointing end to the season. (Our head is still spinning. ) Everyone is talking about the lack of offensive power, and it's so true. But since there will be many recriminations, let's savor Endy Chavez's beautiful catch for now with this clip. more ›

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After the Mets' Tom Glavine and the Cardinals' Jeff Weaver exchanged shutout innings Thursday, few were surprised by who blinked first. Weaver did when he allowed a two-run homer by Carlos Beltran in the sixth. The shot broke a scoreless tie and helped the Mets to a Game 1 win. With their only reliable starter going, the Mets surely wanted this game. Series are not won or lost in the first game, but with St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter looming before Friday's game, New York is pleased to have this one in the bag. more ›

- Yankees 8, Twins 1: Doing well against a potential first round opponent is never a bad thing. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they weren't facing one of the Twins' aces yesterday. Fortunately, it looks like Alex Rodriguez might be coming out of his slump. A-Rod got the Yankees off to a good start with a solo home run in the 2nd inning and later added another solo shot in the 7th. There was even a bases-loaded single in a four-run Yankee fifth inning. It was the 2nd game in a row that Rodriguez had a home run and the first time since July 1st and 2nd, good enough to earn him a curtain call. Corey Lidle pitched six shutout innings for his 3rd win as a Yankee. more ›

-Mets 5 Pirates 0: The game could have ended after the first inning when New York jumped all over Kip Wells for all of their scoring. Jose Reyes led off the game with a triple and scored on Paul LoDuca’s single. The Mets loaded the bases and Jose Valentin doubled home two runs. After a wild pitch scored another run, Endy Chavez singled home the fifth run of the inning. more ›

-Mets 5 D’Backs 0: Alay Soler had his finest outing as a Met, going the distance while only allowing two hits three walks as New York beat Arizona for the third-consecutive game. Carlos Beltran kept up his hot hitting with a RBI double to get the Mets on the board. Endy Chavez had two hits while Lastings Milledge has a hit and a stolen base. more ›

-Red Sox 9 Yankees 3: For five innings it seemed like the Yankees might pull off an improbable sweep. They led Boston 3-1 heading into the sixth, but Jaret Wright suddenly lost control of his fastball and Boston jumped all over him and two subsequent relievers to cruise to a 9-3 victory. The loss leaves New York with a ½ game lead in the AL East. more ›

-Yankees 2 Boston 1: No Matsui, Sheffield or Jeter; no problem. You may think the Yankees’ offense isn’t what it used to be, but it still can draw a key walk or get a key hit to provide the win. Tuesday, it was Jason Giambi who walked with the bases loaded to provide the winning run. more ›

At Shea Stadium, a pitching duel lived up to its billing in the Mets' 1-0 win over Arizona. In Detroit, rain delayed the game but couldn't stop a 6-1 Yankee win over the Tigers. The more exciting game happened in Queens. more ›

After stumbling through the last two games of the series against the rival Braves, the Mets must have had a long flight to San Diego Wednesday afternoon. For a while, it looked like Thursday night's 7-2 win over the Padres would feel long also. The Mets could only manage a Kaz Matsui inside-the-park home run (which could have been caught by Padre rightfielder Brian Giles) off Jake Peavy. Once Peavy left in the 8th, the Mets woke up. Julio Franco became the oldest player to hit a home run. His two run shot put the Mets up 3-2, and they cruised. more ›

After four innings, the Mets had a 4-0 run, and when Jae Seo exited the game in the top of the 7th inning, the Mets were ahead 4-1. Immediately after entering the game in relief, Mike Stanton gave up a 3 run homer to the light hitting Endy Chavez. Lucky for the Mets, the Expos played to their record of 33-61 and lost the game in the 8th inning. Wigginton walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Todd Ziele then hit a grounder to Tony Batista, who threw the ball to Nick Johnson. Johnson flat out dropped the ball, allowing Wigginton to score and the Mets eventually won, 5-4 (box score). more ›