The Mets didn’t just mail it in today, they used FedEx.

Especially their pitcher. Question: Can The Jacket fix Oliver Perez? Can anybody fix Oliver Perez?

I wrote today that the Pirates are a team the Mets should beat up on, not be humiliated by. They showed nothing today. What’s alarming is it comes on the heels of a game they could have lost last night. Tuesday should have been a wake-up call for the Mets to not take teams for granted. So much for alarms and messages.

If the Mets were a high school team, Willie Randolph would be out having them run laps tomorrow. Maybe he should, anyway.

METS

SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Angel Pagan
C Gustavo Molina
LH Oliver Perez

The players say when they have a day game after a night game that runs long that they “have to sleep fast.” They need to be awake today, and more importantly, he needs to be the “Good Oliver Perez” this afternoon.

They’ll be sluggish enough as it is. They don’t need Perez to be running deep into the count otherwise they’ll be sleepwalking in the field.

Line-ups soon.

No matter how good or bad a team is, it will win and lose 60 games a season. That’s 120 out of 162 games. More often than not a team needs 85 victories to contend. That’s 25 wins added to the 60. That’s 145 games, leaving 17 games remaining that could go either way.

It’s what a team does in those 17 games that determines if it makes the playoffs. Tonight they won a game they could have, and perhaps should have, lost.

What stands out for you tonight?

It’s terrible where I am, but I’ve heard nothing about the game being bagged.

We might have something more definitive on Moises Alou and Brian Schneider today.

If I were to say the All-Star break on seeing Alou, would you take the over or under?

The game is bagged. I am thinking about a movie. Anybody seen “21″ and have a review?

The Room is always open should you want to talk baseball and the Mets.

The Mets’ minor league system is a good topic. I saw some of you guys talking about it earlier.

It has been barren for a long time. It pretty much has been Tom Seaver and little else in way of position players.

David Wright and Jose Reyes are keepers, but there isn’t much there.And, there isn’t much now, either.

We should have something more on Moises Alou and Brian Schneider later this afternoon. Nothing yet, say the Mets. The timing of the Alou mess couldn’t have come at a better time. If the team knows it won’t have him for another month or so, it is far better to know that now than later.

Johan Santana to pitch through the raindrops tonight.

BTW: In response to a caller to the office: Shawn Green never officially retired. He’s technically still a free agent.

Stay tuned for medical news.

And, the hits keep on coming …

GM Omar Minaya said Moises Alou had a CT scan that “showed something.” That something, Minaya said, could be a fracture. He’ll be in NY tomorrow for a MRI. A show of hands from anybody not surprised by this.

And Brian Schneider will be in the hospital another day.

And, finally, the hits kept coming in the game, too. The Mets scored in five innings to beat the Braves.

IN A NUTSHELL, Mets 6, Atlanta 3

Two games in a row the offense has clicked.
IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Willie Randolph on Carlos Delgado: “I said he’ll have a good year. Hopefully, this is a start for him.”

Ryan Church on his catch against the wall: “I felt I had a chance for it. It was up there high enough.”

Carlos Delgado on not taking a curtain call: “I have a great deal of respect for the game. I didn’t think it was the right situation for it.”

IN-GAME ANALYSIS

1ST INNING: Jose Reyes doubles and took third on a grounder. That put him in position to score on a wild pitch. We’ve been waiting for that Reyes. Mets 1, Atlanta 0.
2ND INNING: Raul Casanova homers, but they miss a chance to break the game open when David Wright leaves the bases loaded. Mets 3, Atlanta 0.
3RD INNING: Carlos Delgado is loved again … at least for one more day. Mets 4, Atlanta 0.
6TH INNING: They stick with Nelson Figueroa too long, but Wright gets a run back. Mets 5, Atlanta 3.
9TH INNING: Billy Wagner gets his sixth save. Mets 6, Atlanta 3.
NOTEBOOK

-Alou will have exam tomorrow to see if he has fracture in left ankle.

-Schneider is to be released from hospital tomorrow.

-Closer Billy Wagner gave up his first his of the season.

A lot of the tailgaters were tossing footballs this morning. The weather was good for it.

Prompts the question: How did your NFL team do in the draft?

METS

SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
1B Carlos Delgado
C Raul Casanova
LF Endy Chavez
RH Nelson Figueroa

Call the Mets’ four-run third a start. It was a positive, but let them do it again … and again.

That’s what I took out of yesterday. There are good hitters on this team and you figured they would stay down all year.

Willie Randolph said he’s “not overly concerned with the team right now.” He said they’ll play better. He did not provide a date, but improvement was shown this afternoon.

John Maine gave them five, but left the game as a precaution after experiencing tightness in his forearm. The Mets scored four in the third and the bullpen gave up a run in four innings.

IN A NUTSHELL

The offense awakens and the bullpen picks up Maine.

FROM THE CLUBHOUSE

Willie Randolph on the offense breaking through in the four-run third: “It’s been awhile since we strung together a bunch of hits like that. It was good to see them attack a really fine pitcher. We’ve been struggling a little bit.”

John Maine on leaving the game after the fifth inning with tightness in his right forearm: “I could have gone out in the sixth and I wanted to, but it’s still April and there’s no reason to take a chance. I’m OK.”

Carlos Beltran on how the team is playing: “We’re a better team than how we’ve been playing. Things are going to change. Hopefully, soon.”

IN-GAME ANALYSIS

1ST INNING: John Maine loses focus and it costs him a run. The offense goes down meekly. Atlanta 1, Mets 0
2ND INNING: Runners left on the corners. Three so far.
3RD INNING: There’s nothing like a big inning to wake up the place. Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church have the big hits. Delgado drives in a run. Let’s see if Maine can hold the lead. Mets 4, Atlanta 2
5th INNING: Maine gone after five.
9TH INNING: Billy Wagner remains lights out. Mets 4, Atlanta 3

-The arrival of Moises Alou from the disabled list is tied to Brian Schneider’s infected left thumb. When the Mets know about Schneider they’ll be able to activate Alou and option Gustavo Molina.

-Willie Randolph said he’s not giving up on Carlos Delgado, but then again what would you expect him to say?

-I asked Randolph if any of the minor league first basemen impressed him in spring training and he said no.

Angel Pagan is coming back to Earth. He’s not in the line-up this afternoon.

Pitchers are working Pagan away with change-ups.

“I’m not being as patient,” Pagan said a few minutes ago. “I have to swing at my pitch and not his pitch.”

METS

SS Jose Reyes
LF Endy Chavez
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
1B Carlos Delgado
2B Damion Easley
C Gustavo Molina
RH John Maine