Washington 1 Mets 0: Where was Jose Reyes going? Down 1-0 in the 8th, Reyes led off the inning with a single. The Mets played for the tie by sacrificing him over to second and it worked, but for some reason Reyes tried to get to third. With his speed and the middle of the order coming up, it was a stupid risk and Reyes was thrown out. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only baserunning gaffe......

Mets 12 Los Angeles 1: The Mets ended their trip out West with a laugher. John Maine almost went the distance before tiring in the ninth, but he allowed only four hits and one run during the game. Maine also helped himself with the bat, driving in two runs and New York pounded out 13 hits overall. Every starter except for Jose Reyes had at least a hit and Ryan Church had a 3-for-4 game......

Photographs of Chien-Ming Wang (left) and Melky Cabrera (right) by Julie Jacobson/AP Yankees 5, Mariners 1: Things Chien-Ming Wang does that other pitchers don't. Throw strikes (two walks Friday), stay in the game (he thew six innings), keep the ball in the ballpark (only one homer allowed this year) and helps his team win games. Wang is 6-0 and his team is 7-0 in games he has started this season. Friday's effort was vintage......

Pirates 13, Mets 1: Oliver Perez didn't get help from his defense, but he didn't help himself. The inconsistent lefty was hurt by a Luis Castillo error and Jose Reyes' failure to cover second base in a rundown in the second, but he was probably hurt more by issuing as many walks -- five -- as he got outs. Perez allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings as his Mets split a rain-shortened two-game series......

Photograph of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopping a shot from Penguins player Sidney Crosby by Keith Srakocic/AP Penguins 5, Rangers 4: Martin Straka, Chris Drury and everyone's darling, Sean Avery, had the Rangers feeling good about themselves three minutes, 37 seconds into the second period. Game over? Not quite. Pittsburgh scored twice in 14 seconds near the eight-minute mark. Then they scored twice in a 20-second span five minutes into the third. Scott Gomez......

Cubs 7, Mets 1: After losing to the Phillies on Sunday and getting in to Chicago at 3:30 a.m. local time Monday, the Mets had to get ready for a game at 6:05. They looked like they could have used more rest. John Maine labored but got through six innings of two-run ball. But he got little if any help from his defense and bats. The Mets' only run scored a run on a double-play......

Rangers 5 Devils 3: There is justice in the hockey world. One game after inadvertently deflecting the winning goal for the Devils off of his skate, Marc Staal scored the winning goal for the Rangers. Staal’s slap shot beat Martin Brodeur through the five-hole with three minutes left in regulation of a 3-3 game and gave the MSG crowd another chance to serenade Brodeur. Staal’s goal was one of the many highlights for the Rangers,......

Photograph of the Mets' Jose Reyes scoring the game-winning run by Mary Altaffer/AP Mets 4, Phillies 3 (12 innings): This looked like it could be another bad loss to the Phillies. Aaron Heilman's best efforts to blow the game resulted in a two-run eighth, and the Mets had to go to extras despite leading most of the game. John Maine's strong start appeared in danger of being wasted. But Billy Wagner, Joe Smith, Scott......

Photo of Carlos Beltran rounding third after a two-run home run against the White Sox in the Civil Rights Game by AP/Bill Waugh Few players can catapult a team from worriers to prohibitive favorites, but Johan Santana can put his name on that list. Before the Mets got him, they and their fans were looking over their shoulders to the Phillies and Braves. Now the team is almost overloaded with optimism. That hope --......

Johan Santana got traded to the Mets about two weeks before the start of spring training, but his face popped up more in the Mets offseason than anyone else's. This was a great way for the Mets to take the attention off the dreadful collapse they suffered at the close of the 2007 season. Before the Mets reported to camp, they had something positive to talk about rather than the evaporation of a seven-game lead......

A Historic Collapse: The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 to play and were caught looking ahead to the playoffs. What followed was among the worst collapses in history and one that revealed the weaknesses of the players, the manager and the general manager. Jose Reyes and his questionable -- and downright poor -- play summed up the the performance on the field. Manager Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen came to light......

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......

Mets 3 Braves 2: The Mets have chosen an opportune time to get hot. Not only are they bounding closer to their second-consecutive division crown (a first for the franchise) they are putting an end to the Braves’ playoff hopes. Oliver Perez improved to 4-1 against Atlanta this season, throwing seven strong innings allowing only two runs and striking out seven. David Wright continued his quest to become a 30-30 player with his 28th home......

Mets 3 Braves 2: Some people may question Willie Randolph’s managing, but they had better give him credit for this weekend. After a dismal sweep at the hands of the Phillies, the Mets responded in a huge way, sweeping their archrival in Atlanta. Tom Glavine contributed at both ends, driving in the first run of the game and allowing only one run in six innings. David Wright added his 25th home run of the year,......

Mets 4, Dodgers 3: The performance of the Mets bullpen and of Carlos Delgado haven't exactly inspired fear recently, so when Orlando Hernandez pitched deep into the game and Delgado actually hit, things were going pretty well. Hernandez threw for 7 great innings, allowing only 2 runs by the Dodgers and retired 12-straight at one point. Delgado used the game to break out of a 0-19 slump at the plate. Dropped all the way down......

Mets 7, Padres 6: When Trevor Hoffman enters a game, more often than not, it's over for the opposing team. Then again, the all-time save leader with 513, has never been good in New York. Last night, the Mets came back from a one-run deficit in the 9th with Hoffman in the game for a dramatic victory. From the Mets standpoint, the bottom of the 9th was perfect and they looked like the Mets of......

Yankees 6 Tigers 1: In desperate need of starting pitching the Yankees turned to a reliable source. Andy Pettitte threw eight innings of five-hit ball shutting down the Tigers’ offense and giving his team a chance to win. And, the offense responded with Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Andy Phillips providing big hits. With Boston splitting a doubleheader, the Yankees gained a ½-game in the standings. But, they will have to keep their......

The Yankees and Mets head into today’s trade deadline with similar objectives, upgrading their bullpens, but the Mets have already strengthened their team. Yesterday, the Mets acquired Luis Castillo from the Minnesota Twins for AA catcher Drew Butera and Class A outfielder Dustin Martin. Martin had a .779 OPS for St. Lucie while Butera, considered more of a defensive player, had struggled in AA hitting only .188. In Castillo, a three-time All Star and former......

Devil Rays 14, Yankees 4: Pitchers can go from cruising to losing in a matter of batters. Mike Mussina's propensity to allow home runs makes him especially prone to such reversals of fortunes. He looked good for two innings on Friday but couldn't finish the fifth. Four games at home against the Devil Rays might look like a well-wrapped Christmas present, but with Matt DeSalvo and Kei Igawa scheduled to start both ends of......

Mets 5 Reds 2: Oliver Perez made a triumphant return from the disabled list pitching six innings and striking out six while leading the Mets to victory. Perez’s start was just part of the excellent pitching by the Mets as Feliciano, Heilman and Wagner combined for the final three innings while only allowing one baserunner. Jose Reyes was 2-for-3 with a home run and Ramon Castro continued to show what a great backup he is......

Yankees 7 Tampa Bay 3: If the Yankees are going to start winning regularly they will need more nights like this. A-Rod, Jeter and Abreu homered to pace the attack and Andy Pettitte gutted out 5 2/3 innings for the win. Before the game, A-Rod announced that he will not discuss a new conteact with the Yankees until the season is over. Mets 3 Reds 2: Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay started the game off......

Jose Reyes did all he could for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game in San Francisco, but his team was still undone by the American League's best. Reyes played eight innings, had three hits and a run scored, but that wasn't enough. Perhaps his best performance came when he pulled back his fist from Carlos Beltran and David Wright during the pregame introductions. Billy Wagner's performance might have been the most damaging. The Mets......

Yankees 12, Angels 0: While the Yankees take three days off, they'll have pleasant thoughts about a rare laugher against the nemesis Angels. Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all hit three-run homers off Ervin Santana, one player involved in last winter's trade rumors surrounding Rodriguez. Despite winning five of seven, the Yanks enter the break under .500 for the first time since 1995. The good news? They made the playoffs as the wild-card......

Mets 10 Oakland 2: What a difference a week makes, the Mets snapped out of their recent slump and swept Oakland this weekend, finishing them Sunday with an easy win. As usual, Jose Reyes got things going, 3-for-4 with a RBI and a double. Valentin and Gomes added three hits and John Maine pitched seven great innings to send the Mets to the victory. The division lead is now 3-games and a big series......

Yankees 11 Mets 8: This game had a little bit of everything, a balk, a rain delay, four home runs, eight stolen bases, a switch-hitter batting righty against a righty and a sweaty finish for the Yankees. The Mets jumped out to the lead in the first after Tyler Clippard made the mistake of walking Jose Reyes. Reyes stole second and scored on a single by David Wright. Ruben Gotay homered to make it 2-0......

Mets 2, Yankees 0: Poof! Just like that, the Mets' five-game losing streak and the Yankees' nine-game winning streak have been snapped. Oliver Perez shut down the Yankees for the second time this season, and Roger Clemens was good but not good enough in the loss. Jose Reyes and Carlos Gomez -- the two Mets speedsters and fans of untucking their jerseys within seconds of the final out -- supplied the two Mets runs.......

Boston 11 Yankees 6: It was a bunch of little things that proved the Yankees undoing in a disastrous seventh inning. Bobby Abreu showed once again that he is afraid of walls by completely botching a flyball to start the inning. After an intentional walk to Manny Ramirez, Scott Proctor, not wanting to come anywhere near Kevin Youkilis after last night, walked him to load the bases. Then Robinson Cano half-assed a throw to Jeter......

Mets 4 Giants 2: El Duque gave up two runs and two hits in the first and then proceeded to dominate San Francisco. Apart from a walk, he did not allow another base runner over seven innings as he outdueled Matt Cain. 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......

The first release numbers for All-Star Game balloting was released yesterday for the National League and four Mets are leading in the yearly popularity contest. Jose Reyes, David Wright, Paul Lo Duca, and Carlos Beltran lead at their respective positions, with Beltran as the leading vote-getter in the National League across all positions. Reyes and Wright made their first appearances at the "Midsummer Classic" last season, while Lo Duca is a four-time All Star and......

Mets 5 Giants 4 (12 innings): This is the type of game that a Met fan can really appreciate. After all those times when Armando Benitez blew it for you, how enjoyable is it to see him blow it against you? That’s what Benitez did, coming in with a 4-3 lead in the twelfth and issuing a leadoff walk to Jose Reyes. Benitez showed his characteristic pose and balked Reyes to second. Reyes was......