After hearing the disheartening Billy Wagner news, (he requires rest before he can resume throwing) the Mets went out and beat Atlanta 7-3. The game was a lot closer than that, however. Good starting pitching by both Jo-Jo (not a typo) Reyes and Oliver Perez left the game at 3-2 in favor of the Braves going into the bottom of the eighth.

The eight inning, the clear turning-point of the game, featured 5 Met runs including 2 RBIs each by Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley and one by Ramon Castro.

The fielding (at least for the Mets) was satisfactory once again.

The Mets maintain a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies.

Yankee Update: After their loss today, the floundering Yankees (3-7 in their last 10 games) are 11 games out of first place and 6.5 games out of the wild card. With Melky Cabrera (lost at the plate, so redirected to the minor leagues) out of the picture and Hideki Matsui in it, Johnny Damon is finding his way into center field. Not very effectively. He made two big miscues in tonights' game, and while only one went for an error, he really showed what he can - or can't - do out there in centerfield.

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