Santana cruises, Mets beat Cards to take series (AP) Johan Santana took in six innings at Shea Stadium on Saturday night before heading home. He flipped on the TV and proceeded to watch the Mets' bullpen doggedly battle St. Louis into the 14th before finally succumbing. The two-time Cy Young Award winner woke up Sunday knowing exactly what he needed to do. Pujols' 2-run homer in 14th lifts Cards past ... Read More

Pujols' 2-run homer in 14th lifts Cards past Mets (AP) Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the 14th inning for his fifth hit of the night, Skip Schumaker did him one better with a career-best six hits and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 10-8 Saturday to snap a season-worst five-game losing streak. Schumaker singled with one out in the 14th against a tiring Aaron Heilman (1-4). ... Read More

Pelfrey, Delgado lead first-place Mets past Cards (AP) Mike Pelfrey looks nearly unbeatable right now, and so do the New York Mets. Pelfrey won his seventh consecutive decision and Carlos Delgado homered again, sending the NL East leaders to a 7-2 victory over the slumping St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. Jose Reyes added a two-run triple and Endy Chavez had four hits for the surging Mets, who have won 14 of 17. ... Read More

Delgado's big hit puts Mets alone in first place (AP) Jerry Manuel was curious to see how his New York Mets would respond after a heartbreaking loss to Philadelphia. They answered with two big wins. Carlos Delgado hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning and Oliver Perez stifled the Phillies again, helping the Mets earn a 3-1 victory Thursday that gave them sole possession of first place in the NL East. ... Read More

Reyes, Wagner help Mets rebound to beat Phils (AP) For the second consecutive night, the New York Mets built a three-run lead going into the ninth inning against Philadelphia. This time, they had Billy Wagner ready to close it out -- and that made all the difference. "He makes it easy," Jose Reyes said. Reyes' three-run homer snapped a sixth-inning tie and the Mets, with Wagner back from a sore shoulder, rebounded from a demoralizing defeat ... Read More

Phils rally for 6 runs in ninth to beat Mets (AP) When Jimmy Rollins saw New York reliever Duaner Sanchez come out to pitch the ninth inning instead of starter Johan Santana or closer Billy Wagner, he went straight to the batting tee to stay loose. It didn't matter that he was due up sixth and the Philadelphia Phillies trailed by three runs. He thought they had a chance. Read More

Encarnacion's error helps Mets rally past Reds (AP) Ready for an encore, Shea? One month after they fired their manager, the New York Mets are headed home with a share of first place and a showdown ahead. Their next act comes at Shea Stadium, where they can provide a fitting follow to the ballpark's farewell concerts by Billy Joel last week. They'll face the Phillies in three games for the top spot in the NL East. ... Read More

Fogg, Votto lead Reds to 7-2 victory over Mets (AP) For the New York Mets, it was a throwback game. They hit into three double plays. Took a pair of third strikes with the bases loaded. Misplayed a pair of balls in the outfield. Gave up walks and had a passed ball. And, they lost. Right-hander Josh Fogg extended his midseason resurgence by getting New York to hit into three double plays, and Joey Votto drove ... Read More

Arroyo, Reds snap Mets' 10-game winning streak (AP) A whole lot of little things ended the New York Mets' winning streak. Bronson Arroyo extended his latest surge by pitching eight innings Friday night, and the Cincinnati Reds used a minimal rally to beat the Mets 5-2, ending their 10-game winning streak. It took a lot of Arroyo and a little bit of luck to end the Mets' run, which ended one win shy of the franchise ... Read More

Mets rally late, win 10th straight, 10-8 over Reds (AP) Ten straight wins and a share of first place. The New York Mets don't look like a $138 million disappointment anymore. Right now, they're golden. David Wright's two-run homer in the ninth inning sparked New York's biggest comeback of the season Thursday night, a 10-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that extended Mets' winning streak to 10 games and brought them a share of first place ... Read More