Mets 4, Braves 3: Wheeeeew
By Adam Rubin, NY Daily News
Posted on Surfing The Mets, May 5, 2009

Carlos Delgado found it appropriate to remind everyone that he had two hits and two RBI in Tuesday’s 4-3 win against the Braves. Of course, had the first baseman not dropped Omar Infante’s routine pop-up on what would have been the game’s final out, and had two unearned runs not scored as a result, Delgado’s two-run ninth-inning single would have been a footnote.

Delgado didn’t have much of an explanation for droping the ball.

“I really don’t know,” he said. “The only thing I can tell you is I missed it. I clanked it. Whatever term you can use.”

Also Tuesday:

* Carlos Beltran has reached base in each of the Mets’ first 25 games, passing Kevin McReynolds’ 1989 streak for the second-longest in franchise history to open a season. John Olerud, who reached base in the first 30 games of the ’99 season, owns the team record. Beltran is the only player in the majors this season to reach base in every game now that Baltimore’s Nick Markakis failed to do so Tuesday.

* Ramon Castro has started three straight games, and he’s responded at the plate. He matched a career high with three hits and drove in the second run with a double that scored David Wright. It’s clear Omir Santos will be optioned to Triple-A and Castro will stay once Brian Schneider returns, although that may take a while. Jerry Manuel said Schneider isn’t scheduled to resume playing in extended spring training games until Monday, after allowing his barking calf muscle to recover.

* Livan Hernandez required only 75 pitches in order to navigate 6 1/3 innings. He was charged with one run, when Bobby Parnell allowed an inherited runner to score. Hernandez might have been in line for a complete game had the Mets taken advantage of all the early baserunners against Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami. But with no margin for error, Manuel rightfully summoned Parnell. Parnell, by the way, had only inherited two runners in his professional career before receiving the two from Hernandez on Tuesday. Hernandez, incidentally, had been 3-15 with a 5.52 ERA in his career against the Braves. He all but intentionally walked Chipper Jones in the sixth, even though that pushed Yunel Escobar to second base with a 2-0 lead, because Hernandez figured he could get Garret Anderson to hit into a double play. He did just that.

* Wright had an RBI double and another single and looks to be finally getting out of his funk.

* Tim Redding’s rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo was rained out.

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