Marcus Henry

Didn't expect the Mets to have six All-Stars like they did in 2006. But one?

Mets (43-44) at Philadelphia Phillies (48-40), 1:35 p.m.

Starters: Oliver Perez (6-5, 4.98) for the Mets and Kyle Kendrick (8-3, 4.58) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Perez was stellar in his last start. The erratic lefthander struck out eight, allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings in a 3-1 win over the Yankees last Sunday. That was a big start for Perez, whose spot in the rotation was in flux. In his previous two starts, Perez had surrendered 11 runs in 10 innings. Kendrick has been solid for the Phillies this season. The 23-year-old righthander won five of his last six decisions. In the Phillies' 8-3 win over the Braves on Tuesday, Kendrick scattered seven hits and allowed three runs in six innings.

Good times, bad times: Good times: Overcoming a 4-3 deficit with three runs in the eighth and ninth innings Saturday night was definitely a good sign for the Mets. Bad times: In addition the Church and Maine injuries, the bullpen is in a bit of a slump. Joe Smith gave up the tying run in the eighth yesterday, while Duaner Sanchez ruined a stellar start by Johan Santana on Friday.

Top 1st: Jose Reyes grounded out to second for the first out. Endy Chavez singled to centerfield. Chavez has been hot lately with 11 hits in his last 27 at bats. David Wright grounded out to second, but Chavez was on the move before the pitch, avoiding the double play. Beltran flied out to short right to end the inning. Beltran has just two hits in his last 29 at bats.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 1st: Jayson Werth walked to lead off the inning. Perez didn't walk a batter in his last start against the Yankees. Chase Utley popped out to third for the first out. Perez had Werth on a pickoff, but Carlos Delgado had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, allowing Werth to land safely at second. Jimmy Rollins lined a ball of Perez' left leg for an infield single. Werth moved to third. Mets manager Jerry Manuel and the team trainer came out to look at Perez. Perez will remain in the game to face Ryan Howard. Rollins stole second, after the Mets tried to pick Werth off at third. Howard struck out on an outside slider for the second out. Pat Burrell, who has 41 homers and 103 RBIs in 142 games against the Mets, popped out to first for the final out.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 2nd Delgado flied out to right for the first out. Damion Easley singled to left. Easley, who has 12 hits in his last 24 at bats, has an eight-game hitting streak. Marlon Anderson walked. Easley moved to second. Brian Schneider singled to center. Easley moved to third, Anderson to second, loading the bases. Perez popped out to third for the second out. Reyes flied out to center with three men on.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 2nd Pedro Feliz reached second on an error by Anderson, who appeared to miss judge the ball. Victorino fouled out to shortstop for the first out. Carlos Ruiz lined out to rightfield for the second out. Chavez saved a run with a great running catch. Kendrick struck out for the third out.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 3rd: Chavez grounded out to second for the first out. Wright flied out to left for the second out. Beltran lined a solo home run to right, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Delgado reached on an infield single to short. Easley lined out to centerfield for the third out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 3rd: Werth walked to lead off the inning. Utley flied out to deep centerfield. Werth remained at first. Rollins grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 4th: Anderson grounded out to shortstop. Schneider walked on four pitches. Perez sacrificed Schneider to second and is out 2-3. Reyes singled to left. Schneider moved to third. Reyes stole second base. Chavez grounded out to the pitcher, leaving two on. The Mets have stranded seven runners so far.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 4th: Howard struck out for the second time. It was Howard's 121st strikeout of the season. Last year he struck out 199 times. Burrell singled to short left. Burrell moved to second on a wild pitch. Feliz struck out swinging for the second out. Victorino fouled out to first.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 5th: Wright singled to centerfield. Beltran grounded into a fielder's choice. Wright was forced at second, 6-4, for the second out. Delgado struck out swinging for the second out, but Beltran stole second base. Beltran stole third base. It was his 14th stolen base on the season. Easley walked. Anderson grounded out to second to end the inning. That's nine runners stranded by the Mets through five innings.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 5th: Ruiz singled to centerfield to start the inning. Kendrick struck out attempting to bunt with two strikes. Werth flied out to right for the second out. Utley grounded out to first for the final out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 6th: Scneider lined out to first. Perez struck out swinging. Reyes doubled down the leftfield line. Chavez grounded out to first, stranding Reyes.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 6th: Rollins flied out to center to start the sixth. Howard singled to right. Burrell flied out to center. Feliz flied out to rightcenter for the third out. Chavez made anothe fine catch.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 7th: Clay Condrey is on the mound for the Phillies. Wright fouled out to first. Beltran singled to center. Beltran popped out to short for the second out. Beltran moved to second on a throwing error by Phillies catcher Ruiz trying to pick him off. Easley grounded out to second for the final out. The Mets have left 11 runners on base.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 7th: Victorino grounded out to short on a great play by Reyes for the first out. Ruiz struck out swinging. That six strikeouts for Perez. Chris Coste is pinch hitting for the pitcher. Coste flied out to centerfield for the third out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 8th: J.C. Romero is pitching for the Phillies. Fernando Tatis is hitting for the Mets. Tatis grounded out to shortstop. Schneider grounded out to second for the second out. Chris Aguila is hitting for Perez. Aguila walked. Aguila was picked off to end the inning.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Perez' line: 7IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 6K

Bottom 8th: Duaner Sanchez is pitching for the Mets. The rain is falling steadily. Werth fouled out to Delgado. Utley reached on a fielding error by Sanchez. Utley stole second base with no throw. Rollins walked. Pedro Feliciano will come on to face Ryan Howard.
That matchup will have to wait as the tarp has been put on the field. We have a rain delay folks. Check back for updates.

Rain update 6:06 p.m.: We're still in a rain delay. But the latest radio weather reports say the rain should clear out within a half hour. Of course it's all pending what the umpires decide to do.

Rain update 6:50: The tarp is up and the game is set to resume at 7:10.

Rain update 7:07: The tarp is up and the players are stretching. Here's the situation; The Phillies have first and third with one out and Ryan Howard at the plate facing Pedro Feliciano. By MLB rules, Feliciano has to face at least one batter since he was announced before the delay.

Bottom 8th (Continued): Ryan Howard struck out swinging on three pitches. Aaron Heilman is coming on to face Burrell. Burrell walked, loading the bases. Geoff Jenkins is pinch running for Burrell. Feliz grounded out to the pitcher. Heilman escapes a bases-loaded jam.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 9th: Brad Lidge is in for the Phillies. Normally closers come in when a home team is tied or leading in the ninth. Reyes singled to right. Reyes stole second base. Chavez laid down a perfect bunt to move Reyes to third. Lidge came back from a 3-0 count to strikeout David Wright for the second out. Beltran singled to right, scoring Reyes to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. Delgado struck out and was out 2-3.
Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 9th: Wagner is on to pitch the ninth. Victorino lined a single to right to start the inning. Ruiz flied out to center for the second out. Eric Bruntlett struck out looking for the second out. Werth belted a two-run homer to leftcenter, scoring Victorino, to tie the game at 2. Utley singled to right. Rollins grounded into a fielder's choice. Utley was forced at second, 6-4. But the Phillies tied the score on Werth's two-run blast. We are headed to extra innings.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 10th: Ryan Madson is on to pitch for the Phillies. Easley lined out to centerfield. Tatis struck out swinging for the second out. Schneider singled to right. Schneider is 6-for-12 against Madson. Argenis Reyes is pinch hitting. Reyes struck out swinging.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 10th: Scott Schoeneweis is on to face Ryan Howard. Howard struck out for the fourth time today. Jenkins struck out swinging for the second out. Feliz singled to leftcenter. Victorino singled to left. Joe Smith is coming on for Schoeneweis to face Ruiz. Righthanders are hitting .221 against Smith. Ruiz grounded into fielder's choice, forcing Feliz at third.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 11th Chad Durbin is in for the Phillies. Werth flied out to centerfield for the first out. Chavez singled to right. Wright struck out. Beltran popped out to third for the final out in the 11th.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 11th: Smith is still in the game for the Mets. Gregg Dobbs (pinch hitting) grounded out to third for the first out. Wright made a great play to save a base hit. Werth flied out to deep left for the second out. Utley flied out to deep left. On to the 12th inning.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 12th: Delgado walked. Easley sacrificed Delgado to second, 2-4. Tatis smacked a two-run homer to center, scoring Delgado to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Schneider struck out. Joe Smith is batting, which means he will remain in the game in the bottom of the 12th.
Mets 4, Phillies 2

Bottom 12th: Rollins singled to left to lead off the 12th. Rollins stole second, his second steal of the game. Howard flied out to left for the first out. Jenkins grounded out to shortstop, Rollins moved to third. Reyes made a great play and saved a base hit and maybe a run. Feliz grounded out to Smith, who made a fine play to end the game.
Final score Mets 4, Phillies 2

After 7-plus hours this one is finally over.

Joe Smith pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball for the win. Chad Durbin took the loss. That's two of three for the Mets. And they've earned at least a split in the series. The final game of this four-game set begins tomorrow at 7:05. Good night everyone.

Reyes SS
Chavez RF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Delgado 1B
Easley 2B
Anderson LF
Schneider C
Perez P

No, Church is not playing. He's still feeling the effects of the migraine that forced him out of Saturday's game. He's available to pinch hit, which is really courageous or really stupid.

Phillies
Werth RF
Utley 2B
Rollins SS
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Feliz 3B
Victorino CF
Ruiz C
Kendrick P

Starting pitchers:
John Maine (8-6, 3.86 ERA) v. Jamie Moyer (7-6, 4.13 ERA)

The Mets are trying to bounce back after another disappointing show yesterday. Despite having Jose Reyes on third with no outs in the first inning, they again were unable to produce. This time, it came back to bite them late, as the Phillies rallied to overcome a two-run deficit and eventually won the game in the ninth. The Mets have been inconsistent and their lineup has often erupted for runs one day while going totally dry the next. After a June swoon, the Phillies have won four in a row.

Today against the Phillies, the Mets will have to solve the ageless wonder: Jamie Moyer. Moyer has been less than successful recently, losing three straight starts - issuing ten walks in those games. Moyer is all but useless without his pinpoint control, but is due for a good start. He comes in on six days rest.

Taking the hill for the Mets will be John Maine. Maine recently complained about a "dead arm" after a bad start against St. Louis. The righty insists that he's not injured, but that he's simply trying to pull through. The Mets defense didn't help, either. Maine gave up five runs, only three of them earned, on three fielding errors. His last win came on June 25 against the Mariners - a capable two-run, five-hit performance that proved to be exactly what the Mets needed.

All things considered, it should be pretty even matchup. Here to take you through it, Laura Albanese...

FINAL: 9-4, METS

Bottom of the ninth
Tony Armas, Jr. in to pitch. He retired the side, 1-2-3.

Top of the ninth
Rudy Seanez in to pitch. Tatis hitting now. (Church left the game because of dizziness, which is really bad news for the Mets) Tatis hits a double to the leftfield wall. Wright grounds out to third. Tatis moves to third. Beltran hits a comebacker to Seanez, he bobbles the ball and Beltran is safe. Tatis scores on the error. 7-4, METS. Easley lines to leftfield for a single. Beltran goes to second. It's Easley's third hit of the game. Delgado singles to right. Bases loaded with one out. Anderson grounds out to shortstop and they get the force at second. Beltran scores. 8-4, METS. Chavez lines to center. Easley scores. 9-4, METS. First and third and one out; Seanez is done. SUBSTITUTION: Clay Condrey. And, because the Phillies hate me: RAIN DELAY. It doesn't look to be raining too hard, but there might be something coming. Howie Rose: "It's barely misting!"

Rain delay lasts a good ten minutes before they realize it's not raining...the rain begins to fall as they take off the tarp.

Schneider up to bat. He grounds out to shortstop to end the inning.

SCORE: 9-4, METS

Bottom of the eighth
Schneider stays in to catch, Anderson to LF, Chavez to RF and Church comes out. Duaner Sanchez to pitch. Rollins flies out to shallow right. Victorino reaches on a bunt single and Utley hits a slow roller near the mound. Sanchez picks it up and fires low to Delgado, who makes a nice pick. Victorino goes to second. They walk Howard intentionally. Carlos Ruiz bats for Gordon. Ruiz grounds out to third.

Top of the eighth
J.C. Romero in to pitch. Beltran grounds out to short. Easly grounds a basehit up the middle. Delgado slaps a single to center and Easley goes first to third. Romero out. SUBSTITUTION: TOM GORDON. Marlon Anderson batting for Castro (3-for-25 with RISP, btw). Gordon's pitch goes through Coste's legs. Easley slides in safely to tie the game. (Charged a wild pitch) 4-4. The Mets again score without the benefit of a hit. Delgado goes to second. Anderson walks on the 3-1 pitch. Chavez in to hit for Aguila. Chavez grounds out to first and the runners move up. Schneider (.196 with RISP) in to pinch hit for Feliciano. He lines a fastball to centerfield and it rolls all the way to the wall. Two runs score and Schneider pulls in with a double. 6-4, METS. Reyes flies out to left.

SCORE: 6-4, METS

Bottom of the seventh
Joe Smith into pitch. Burrell hits a long single to the wall in right. Feliz bunts him over to second. The Mets intentionally walk Jenkins. Coste hits a hanging slider to deep to left center field. Aguila tracks it down at the track and the runners skitter back. SUBSTITUTION: PEDRO FELICIANO. Jayson Werth pinch hitting. Werth lines a the ball to left. Burrell beats the ball to the plate, but Werth is out trying to go to second on the throw.

SCORE: 4-3, PHILLIES

Top of the seventh
Castro flies out to right. Aguila singles to left. Argenis Reyes bats for Heilman. Reyes flies out to center. The other Reyes comes up to bat. Jose lines the pitch to the gap in left center. Reyes goes to second. Aguila holds at third after Victorino gets it in to Utley. Second and third with two outs - huge spot for Church. Church is struck on the side to load the bases. Moyer is taken out of the game after 99 pitches. SUBSTITUTION: RYAN MADSON. Wright grounds out to short to end the inning.

Bottom of the sixth
Victorino flies out to center. Utley grounds out to second. Something is wrong with Maine, who is grabbing his left (non-pitching) forearm. He looks to be in a lot of pain (cramp, maybe?) and Manuel lifts him. SUBSTITUTION: AARON HEILMAN. Heilman tosses one pitch and Howard, who had a 2-2 count when Maine came out, strikes out.

Top of the sixth
Wright pops out. Beltran walks for the second time tonight. Easley fouls out. Delgado hits a looper to second for the out.

Bottom of the fifth
Jenkins lines out to first. Coste lines out to center. Moyer walks on the 3-2 pitch. Rollins strikes out swinging on a slider.

Top of the fifth
Aguila grounds out to third. Maine lines a single to center for his fourth hit of the year. Reyes pops out to third on the first pitch. Church strikes out looking at a low changeup. He has some words with the umpire, but Wright drags him back to the dugout.

Bottom of the fourth
Rollins pops out to third. Shane Victorino is hit on the shoulder for the first Philly baserunner of the game. Victorino steals second. Utley walks on a 3-2 pitch. Howard hits an opposite field homerun to tie the game up. 3-3. It's the Phillies' first hit of the game. Pat Burrell strikes out swinging. Feliz grounds out to short.

SCORE: 3-3

Top of the fourth
Church strikes out swinging. D-Wright hits it to the gap in right center for a double. Wright takes off for third after a huge jump and comes in safely. Beltran walks. The Phillies pick off Beltran, but he sprints for second. Ryan Howard airmails the throw; Beltran goes to second and Wright scores. 2-0, Mets. Easley hits it up the middle and Beltran scores easily. 3-0, Mets. Delgado pops out to shortstop on the first pitch. Ramon Castro strikes out swinging on an offspeed pitch.

SCORE: 3-0, METS

Bottom of the third
Jenkins chases a fastball away for Maine's second K of the night. Chris Coste hits a ball to the gap in left-center but Aguila tracks it down for the out. Moyer strikes out looking.

Top of the third
Chris Aguila grounds out to Rollins for the out. Maine grounds out, 5-3. Reyes strikes out looking on a fastball.

Bottom of the second
Ryan Howard strikes out swinging to lead off the inning. Burrell hits the first pitch by Maine to Reyes for the out. Pedro Feliz grounds out to first and Delgado takes it to the bag himself..

Top of the second
Easley grounds out to short. Delgado grounds out to Utley. Castro grounds out to third to end the inning.

Bottom of the first
Jimmy Rollins grounds out to second. Shane Victorino flies out to left. Chase Utley flies out to shallow center.

Top of the first
Reyes hits the second pitch of the inning for a single to left. Ryan Church rips a changeup to left for a single. Reyes goes first to third. Wright grounds into the 6-4-3 double play. Reyes scores. 1-0, Mets. Carlos Beltran pops out to the catcher.

SCORE: 1-0, METS

Phillies
Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Feliz 3B
Jenkins RF
Coste C
Moyer P

NOTES: Jerry Manuel had a lot of lineup choices to make. He decided to play Delgado against the lefty Moyer and put Aguila in left, which relegated Fernando Tatis to the bench. Manuel explained he wanted to see what Aguila can do. The Mets have quite a bit of dead wood, don't they?

Manuel also said Beltran is going to end up batting second soon if he doesn't get it going.

On the All-Star Game, the players are going to be announced tomorrow. Mets candidates are Billy Wagner, Wright, Reyes, maybe Santana. Remember how everyone thought the Mets were the best team in the NL? Hard to be the best team if the most you can scrape together is one to four All-Stars. Who do you all think should represent the Mets at Yankee Stadium on July 15?

The Phillies will start J.A. Happ, who was called up to replace the demoted Brett Myers. The 6-6 lefthander made his only major league appearance against the Mets last season and allowed five runs in four innings. He went 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and led the International League with 104 strikeouts.

Bottom 9: Duaner Sanchez is now on the mound. Howard strikes out swinging. Burrell strikes out swinging. Feliz doubles to left. Victorino singles to right scoring Feliz. Phillies win, 3-2.

Top 9: Brad Lidge is now pitching. Easley grounds out to short. Church, pinch hitting, and pops up to Howard on the first pitch. Anderson pinch hits for Aguila and grounds out weakly to first. Lidge throws five pitches. Have to love this offense. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 8: Werth strikes out. Utley grounds to second. Rollins grounds to third. He has retired seven straight and certainly deserves a win. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 8: Ryan Madson is now on the mound. Chavez reaches on an infield single. Wright grounds out to first. Chavez to second. Beltran pops up to Utley. Delgado grounds out to second. We've seen this way too many times this season. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 7: Victorino grounds out to third. Coste strikes out. Bruntlett strikes out. Nice bounce back for Santana who gets them in order. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 7: Aguila strikes out. Santana strikes out. Reyes strikes out. Mets offense has hibernated...again. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 6:Durbin strikes out. Werth singles to left. Utley singles to right. Rollins pops up to center. Howard singles to left scoring Werth bringing the Phillies within 2-1. Burrell singles scoring Utley to tie it at 2. Feliz grounds to short. Santana threw 22 pitches and missed badly on some pitches. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 6: Delgado strikes out. Easley grounds out to third. Castro strikes out. Oh yeah, Santana is pitching. The Mets can't score too many runs. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 5: Feliz grounds out to first. Victorino flies to right. Coste flies out to right. He has thrown 50 pitches in five innings and hasn't worked too hard. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Top 5: Easley singles to left. Castro hits a ground rule double to the rightfield corner, which costs the Mets a run. Aguila walks on a full count to load the bases. Santana fouls out to Coste. Reyes grounds into a fielder's choice to score Easley. Chavez walks on four pitches. Wright walks to force in a run after he was down 0-and-2 in the count. Happ is taken out of the game. Chad Durbin enters to pitch. Beltran strikes out swinging on a full count. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 4: Utley strikes out swinging. Rollins fouls out to Castro. Howard singles to right. Burrell pops up to shallow right. Another solid inning for Santana. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 4: Wright pops up to right. Beltran struck out looking. Delgado strikes out swinging. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 3: Coste hits a liner to right and Chavez makes a nice diving catch. Happ strikes out looking. Werth grounds to short. Another great inning for Santana. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 3: Santana grounds out to short. Reyes lines to right. Chavez lines to left as the rain becomes harder. Not shocked here. Eleven runs last night means two tonight. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 2: Burrell flies to right. Feliz pops up to short. Victorino pops up to short as Santana throws just eight pitches. Not going deep into games because of high pitch counts has been one of his problems, so this is a good sign. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 2: Delgado strikes out looking. Easley flies to second. Castro singles to center for the Mets first hit. Aguila hits a liner to right and Werth makes a great diving catch. It also means Santana leads off the third. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 1: Werth singles to lead off. Just a routine 3-4-1 play on Utley. The ball went off Delgado's glove and to Easley who found Santana covering the bag. Werth advances to second. Rollins grounds to second and Werth goes to third. Howard grounds out to Santana. Way to work around the leadoff hit with three ground balls. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 1:Reyes leads off with a walk. Chavez grounds out to third sending Reyes to second. Reyes steals third for his 29th of the season. Wright pops up to second. Beltran pops up to right. Guess the Mets realize Santana is on the mound and they don't like scoring runs for him. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Reyes (ss)
Chavez (rf)
Wright (3b)
Beltran (cf)
Delgado (1b)
Easley (2b)
Castro (c)
Aguila (lf)
Santana (lhp)

Mets (41-43) at St. Louis Cardinals (49-37), 8:15 p.m.

Starters: Mike Pelfrey (5-6, 4.47) for the Mets and Mitchell Boggs (3-0, 4.37) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Pelfrey wasn't great in his last start against the Yankees last week. But he didn't need to be. Pelfrey gave up eight hits and four runs in five innings in the Mets 15-6 win over the Yankees last Friday. It's worth noting that Pelfrey has won his last three starts, including 5.2 innings of three-hit, scoreless baseball in a win over Colorado on June 22. It's also worth noting that Pelfrey has shaved half a run off his ERA since May 10th. Boggs has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. The 24-year-old righty give up just one run in six innings in a win over the Royals on June 28. In a win over Boston on June 21 he gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Good times, bad times: One good thing going for the Mets is that they can salvage a split with a win tonight. That notwithstanding, losing the way they did last night couldn't have left a good feeling in their mouths. The Mets fought back and actually led 7-5, only to have the pen blow the lead, blowing a chance at leaving St. Louis with a .500 record. The Mets also blew a chance to cut the gap between themselves and the Cardinals in the wild card race.

The game's first pitch, scheduled for 8:15, will be delayed due to heavy rains earlier in the day. The St. Louis ground crew put the tarp back on. Stay tuned for more updates. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40.

A couple of quick notes: Louis Castillo was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hip flexor and Carlos Muniz was demoted. The Mets purchased the contract of second baseman Argenis Reyes and called up outfielder Chris Aguila from Triple-A New Orleans.

Top 1st: Jose Reyes chops the second pitch to the pitcher for the first out. Endy Chavez reached on an infield single. David Wright walked on five pitches. Chavez moved to second. Ryan Church walked to load the bases. Carlos Delgado scored Chavez with a sacrifice fly to right. Wright moved to third. Mets lead 1-0. Church moved to second on a wild pitch. Damion Easley scored Wright on a broken-bat line drive that bounced off the pitcher's glove. Mets lead 2-0. Church moved to third. Marlon Anderson reached on an error by the pitcher. Church scored. Mets lead 3-0. Easley moved to second. Ramon Castro flied out to center for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 1st: Aaron Miles grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Chris Duncan singled up the middle. Albert Pujols struck out for out number two. Rick Ankiel walked. Duncan moved to second. Troy Glaus flied to center for the final out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 2: Mike Pelfrey grounded out to the pitcher for the first out. Reyes grounded out to second for the second out. Chavez grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 2: Ryan Ludwick lined out to third for the first out. Yadier Molina singled up the middle. Molina was thrown out by Ramon Castro attempting to steal for the second out. Mitchell Boggs struck out for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 3: Wright flied out to centerfield. Church legged out a double to left centerfield. Delgado walked. Easley reached on an infield single to load the bases. Anderson reached on a fielder's choice to second. Easley was forced out at second, 4-6, and Church scored. The Mets lead 4-0. Castro walked, loading the bases. Pelfrey lined a single to right, scoring Delgado. Mets lead 5-0. Reyes tripled to center, scoring Anderson, Castro and Pelfrey. It was Reyes' 62 triple of his career, tying Mookie Wilson's club record. The Mets lead 8-0. Chavez doubled to right centerfield, scoring Reyes. The Mets lead 9-0. Wright grounded out to shortstop. Six runs in.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 3: Adam Kennedy flied out to left on the first pitch for the first out. Aaron Miles singled up the middle, extending his hit streak to 15 games. Duncan grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 4: Church struck out for the first out. Delgado grounded out to second. Easley grounded out to second for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 4: Pujols flied out to centerfield. Ankiel popped out to second. Glaus struck out looking for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 5: Anderson singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Castro struck out swining for the first out. Pelfrey sacrificed Anderson to second. Pelfrey is out 2-3. Anderson advanced to third on a wild pitch. Reyes walked. Chavez bounced into a fielder's choice. Reyes was forced at second, 4-6, for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 5: Ludwick singled to shallow left. Molina grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Boggs grounded out to the pitcher for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 6: Wright walked. Church lined out to first. Delgado belted a two-run homer to right. The Mets lead 11-0. Easley grounded out to third for the second out. Anderson lined a single to centerfield. Castro grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 0

Bottom 6: Wright is out of the game. Fernando Tatis is in at third. Wright may have tweaked his back in the top of the sixth on Church's line out to first. Kennedy doubled to left. Miles grounded out to the pitcher. Kennedy moved to third. Duncan grounded out to first, scoring Kennedy. Mets 11, Cardinals 1. Pujols walked. Ankiel struck out swinging for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 7: Lefthander Ron Villone is in for boggs. Pelfrey struck out looking for the first out. Reyes grounded out to shortstop. Chavez grounded out to shortstop for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 7: Argenis Reyes is in at second for Easley. Glaus filed out to deep center. Ludwick struck out swinging for the second out. Molina doubled to right centerfield. Brian Barton is pinch hitting. Barton struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 8: Brendan Ryan is in at shortstop and Jason LaRue is catching for the Cardinals. Tatis flied out to right. Church struck out. Chris Aguila is batting for Delgado. Aguila struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 8: Scott Schoeneweis is in for Pelfrey. Kennedy singled off the foot of Schoeneweis. Miles walked. Duncan struck out. Braden Looper is pinch hitting. Looper struck out for the second out. Ankiel legged out an infield single to third. Kennedy moved to third. Ryan grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 9: Jason Isringhausen is pitching for the Cardinals. Argenis Reyes bounced out to Isringhausen. Anderson flied to right. Castro grounded out to short.
Mets,11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 9 Joe Smith is in for Schoeneweis. Ludwick reached on an infield single to third. LaRue struck out. Barton grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Final Score: Mets 11, Cardinals 1

The Mets leave St. Louis with a split and are headed to Philadelphia for a crucial four-game set, which starts Friday. Pelfrey (6-6) picked up his fourth straight win. Mitchell Boggs (3-1) took the loss.
Pelfrey's line: 7IP, 6H, 1R, 2BB, 6K.
Boggs' line: 6 IP, 10H, 11R (10ER), 6BB, 2K

Good night Mets fans.

-- Luis Castillo was placed on the disabled list this afternoon and returned to NYC for an MRI. He's officially on the shelf with a strained left hip flexor, but manager Jerry Manuel joked that they could get a good look at his whole body while he's in the MRI tube. With Carlos Muniz also demoted, the Mets called up outfielder Chris Aguila and infielder Argenis Reyes to fill the roster spots.

-- The Mets have backed off on Moises Alou, who now is not even expected to play in a rehab game until at least Monday. Alou visited with the team's medical staff Thursday in NYC and the suggestion was to let him take it slow over the weekend before reporting somewhere for a minor-league tuneup. Bottom line: looks like no Alou for Philly.

Nothing against Carlos Muniz, but when he entered for the ninth, it seemed like just a matter of time. Someone was going to hit the walkoff -- Pujols, Ankiel or Glaus -- and that's exactly what happened. Pujols, stuck on HR No. 299, took a huge hack but popped up foul to David Wright. Ankiel, who already had homered off Pedro Martinez, pushed Carlos Beltran up against the centerfield wall with a 400-foot fly ball. And then, of course, it was Glaus' turn. It was like a round of Home Run Derby.

Well, Muniz got a ticket back to Triple-A New Orleans following the game and the Mets will call up an outfielder for tonight's game. It looks like Oliver Perez will be available out of the bullpen if needed.

In other news, Pedro Martinez says he isn't ready to quit yet. I'm sure the Mets are relieved. And Castillo -- brace yourselves -- is still hurting. Moises Alou is now pencilled in for Monday in Philly, as long as he survives any drama in Binghamton.

ST. LOUIS – As the raindrops fell, and lightning flashed above Busch Stadium, the Mets hustled for the dugout last night in the third inning. Only Pedro Martinez never stepped off the rubber. He stared up at the sky, the baseball still in his glove, and refused to leave the mound.

“I looked up and thought, this must be a blessing, because it was 98 right before the game, sunny,” Martinez said. “And then all of a sudden, I get to the mound, it’s cloudy, it’s humid and the rain stopped the game. It must be a blessing. There’s something going on with me. There’s some adversity that I have to go through. I’m paying for something or I’m being tested.”

Martinez, who put the Mets in a 4-0 hole in the first inning, returned after the 47-minute rain delay with a vengeance, and retired seven of eight before Rick Ankiel crushed a tie-breaking home run in the fifth inning. That spoiled Martinez’s shot at redemption, and the Mets’ valiant comeback later was foiled as well.

With Duaner Sanchez still nursing a bruised left leg, Pedro Feliciano served up the tying two-run homer to pinch-hitter Chris Duncan in the seventh inning. And in the ninth, Troy Glaus’ second homer of the game was a walkoff shot against Carlos Muniz with two outs as the Mets fell to the Cardinals, 8-7. Glaus also drilled a three-run shot off Martinez in the first inning.

The Mets slipped to 41-43 and 4 ½ games in back of the Phillies. But when asked if this brutal loss might come back to haunt them in September, manager Jerry Manuel was unfazed.

“Nah, we’ll probably be five games up by then,” Manuel said, laughing. “We’ll be fine by then. If we keep competing like this on a nightly basis, we’ll be good.”

Muniz got Albert Pujols to pop up foul on his first pitch of the ninth and survived another scary moment when Rick Ankiel took him to the warning track – Carlos Beltran caught it with his back to the wall. But Muniz was not so fortunate with his 3-and-2 pitch to Glaus, who lifted a high fly ball to left that barely cleared Endy Chavez’s leaping attempt. It was reminiscent of
Chavez’s amazing grab of Scott Rolen’s deep shot in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, only this time he didn’t come down with it.

“He got Rolen’s ball but he couldn’t get Glaus’ ball,” Manuel said. “Maybe we’ll go ahead and win the World Series now. That will turn it around for us.”

Chavez thought he had this one, too. But it just got over his glove, caromed off the Geico billboard and dropped between the wall and the bleachers.

“It was pretty close, but it didn’t hit my glove,” Chavez said. “For me, I did everything right. I just didn’t get to the point.”

The Mets erased deficits of 4-0 and 5-4 to take a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning. Carlos Delgado had an RBI single and Damion Easley added a sacrifice fly off Cards reliever Mark Mulder. When Russ Springer replaced him, Fernando Tatis followed with a pinch-hit RBI single with two outs.

But the Mets’ bullpen couldn’t close the deal. With Sanchez unavailable – he would have started the eighth inning -- Aaron Heilman made it through the seventh but was pulled after nailing Ryan Ludwick to open the eighth. With Duncan headed to the plate, Manuel called on Feliciano, and Duncan pulled his first pitch into the rightfield seats for a tying two-run homer.

While Martinez’s performance last night did not put to rest any lingering concerns, he was resilient enough to put the Mets back in a position to win right up to Ankiel’s 422-foot blast into the rightfield seats. Just looking at the numbers, it was another ugly night for Martinez, who allowed seven hits and five runs in five innings to push his ERA up to 7.39 in seven starts this season.

But most of that came in the first inning, when Martinez threw 32 pitches, surrendered five hits and served up a three-run homer to Glaus that put the Mets in a 4-0 hole. Over the next four innings, Martinez allowed only two hits – Ankiel’s homer and two-out single to Ryan Ludwick. In his last two starts, however, Martinez has been ripped for 13 hits and 11 runs in 10 2/3 innings. And it’s not something he’s been taking lightly.

“It’s been crossing my mind every time I go out there and look like I look,” Martinez said. “But I know someday it has to stop. And if I was to quit right now, I’d be a coward. You have a lot more chances to see me quit when everything is going smooth than right now. Right now is not the time that I’m going to quit. I’m going to try to find a way.

“I’m going to face whatever adversity is out there for me, and now I know how it feels to be on the other side of the coin. I’m just going to continue to battle and do what I can to help this team win a ballgame. If I fall short, I’m going to go home proudly. I’m not going to quit. That would probably be the easiest way right now and I’m not going to do that. There’s so many fans out there giving me support, I’m not going to let them down. If I’m going down or I’m going to quit, it’s going to be when things are going right.”

Stay tuned.

****** UPDATE ******** (9:05 p.m.)

Martinez is now warming up on the mound. The umpires are huddled over on the third-base line and Carlos Delgado is flipping grounders to the infielders. It's not raining but there are occasional flashes of lightning.

But to no avail. The Mets rallied from a 4-0 deficit to cut it to 4-3 by the time the game was stopped, but Martinez is still on the hook if they lose this game.