The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES—Mets slugger Carlos Delgado needs surgery on his right hip, and there’s no immediate word on when he might return to the lineup.

The Mets announced today that Delgado has a bone spur and a torn labrum in his hip.

Delgado was put on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. The first baseman is hitting .298 with four home runs and 23 RBI in 26 games.

Here’s the official statement:

“Carlos Delgado was reevaluated at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery today by Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek and Mets Team Physician Dr. Struan Coleman. It was confirmed he has an impingement of his right hip, a bone spur, and a torn labrum. Delgado will undergo hip arthroscopy surgery to remove the bone spur and repair the torn labrum. Dr. Coleman will perform the procedure tomorrow.”

The bad news is Delgado needs surgery. The good news is, it can be done with arthroscopic surgery, which probably means he won’t be out for the rest of the year. It’s minimally invasive and patients have a quicker recovery time than they would through conventional open surgery.

Last week’s question was: Now that the Mets are winning, what are your concerns about the team?

Here’s how you voted.

Getting too complacent – 26 percent
That it’s just a fluke – 10 percent
Sean Green’s effectiveness – 19 percent
Adding another big bat – 12 percent
Adding another starting pitcher – 33 percent

For all of those who voted to add another starting pitcher, the top choice, you got your wish. Although he might not have been the pitcher you had in mind, Tim Redding is joining the rotation today when he pitches against the LA Dodgers. Oliver Perez had to go on the DL in order for Redding to come up. Otherwise, it would’ve been interesting to see what kind of role Redding would have played. Would he have usurped Livan Hernandez’s spot? The more likely scenario is Redding would’ve gone in the bullpen.

Despite last night’s hiccup in San Francisco, it doesn’t seem like the Mets are getting too complacent with their winning ways. They’ve still won 11 out of their last 14 games.

The third highest vote tally was about Sean Green. He seems to have improved in the past couple of games he’s pitched. Though, it appears he doesn’t have a defined role as Bobby Parnell is the seventh inning guy.

Finally, with Carlos Delgado on the disabled list, the Mets are looking to Gary Sheffield to be that dangerous presence in the cleanup spot in the batting order. He might not be as formidable as a healthy Delgado, but he has contributed a lot more with the more playing time he’s gotten. Speaking of Delgado…

This week’s poll question is: With all of the players on the disabled list, which player is the most crucial loss for the team?

There were no correct answers for last week’s contest question: How many exclusive clubs does Citi Field have?

The answer is: 5 – Delta Sky 360 Club, Ebbets Club, Acela Club, Caesar’s Club and Promenade Club.

This week’s question is: What is the total seating capacity of Citi Field?

Each week, we’ll ask a question related to Citi Field. We’ll then take all the names of people who got the question correct and put them in a random drawing. Each winner will receive either the “The New York Mets: Essential Games of Shea Stadium DVD Set” or “The NY Mets 1986 World Series Collector’s Edition DVD Set.” Only one prize per winner will be given out.

Check back every Monday at http://mets.lohudblogs.com to see that week’s question.

Click here to register and answer the question.

Alex Cora is the latest Met to be bitten by the injury bug. He hurt his hand sliding into second base in the first inning of yesterday’s game and left after the third inning. Fernando Tatis, who has only played the position three times in his career, came in to relieve him.

All of this was because Jose Reyes was still out of the lineup due to mild tendinitis in his right leg. The Mets are hoping he’ll rejoin the starting lineup tonight.

Cora’s injury is just one in a list of ailments that are piling up. Here is the status of the rest of the team’s injuries and where they stand in terms of recuperation.

The Mets can’t really afford to lose any more position players as even some of the Minor League prospects are hurt. As it is, Jerry Manuel already has had to mix and match players, who haven’t played those positions in years or none at all as a pro.

It was one of those kinds of games that leaves fans scratching their heads. The Giants won 2-0, but it was the way they won that made this game so frustrating.

Mike Pelfrey was caught balking three times in the game, which ties a Mets record. It hadn’t happened in 46 years. The last pitcher to do it was former Met Al Leiter, who was playing with the Blue Jays at the time, which was 15 years ago. The ESPN commentators said they actually caught him balking five times.

Pelfrey seemed jittery on the mound, like he had too many Red Bulls. He couldn’t get set and didn’t look comfortable at all. He kept stepping on and off the mound, but every time he would step off, it was as if he forgot how to do it. He looked like a baby deer taking his first steps.

The first balk came when his spike got caught on the rubber. He stumbled forward and almost fell down, keeping the ball in his hand. This really wasn’t his fault. It could happen to any pitcher. The problem was that this and his second balk resulted in the only two runs scored in the entire game.

It was a pathetic day for the Mets offense as well. They managed just five hits and no runs after scoring 24 runs in the other three games of the series. It was like they used up their run allotment. Of course, none of the five hits came with runners in scoring position. They left nine men on base.

It wasn’t like there weren’t any opportunities. Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain walked the bases loaded in one inning. In the eighth inning, the bases were loaded again, but the Mets hit into double plays to end both of the rallies. Angel Pagan was brought in to pinch hit for Daniel Murphy and promptly grounded into the inning-ending double play.

Although the series ended with a loss, the Mets and fans have to be happy with taking three out of four from a Giants team that had played extremely well at home. The Mets can’t let that game bleed into tonight’s game in Los Angeles.

Tim Redding, fresh off the disabled list, will be starting against the Dodgers’ Randy Wolf. The Mets need a good performance from Redding to have a shot at the Dodgers who have won four of their last games. And the Mets need to get off their offensive lull from yesterday’s game.

The Mets have placed Carlos Delgado on the DL, retroactive to May 11, today, a move that was expected this weekend. The Mets seem to be doing OK without him so far. As long as Gary Sheffield can keep his offense going, they should be fine.

The Mets are expecting Delgado to be out for quite some time with the impingement on his hip. They called up Angel Pagan to fill his roster spot.

How do you think Delgado’s situation will affect the Mets?

Luis Castillo 2B
Alex Cora SS
Carlos Beltran CF
Gary Sheffield LF
David Wright 3B
Fernando Tatis 1B
Ramon Castro C
Ryan Church RF
Johan Santana P

Reyes is out again today with a stiff calf. Castillo is once again batting leadoff, although I don’t understand why after he went 0-for-4 in that spot two games ago.

Santana faces Giants pitcher Randy Johnson, who is seeking his 299th win.

It looked like the Mets were going to lose this game as Livan Hernandez gave up five runs in the first two innings. He settled down and was able to get through five innings without allowing any more runs.

The Mets then proceeded to pick away at the lead. They actually scored first in the first inning off of a David Wright single. Wright had another amazing night, going 3-for-5, with a stolen base and four RBI, including a three-run double to tie the game in the seventh. Sean Green had come on and gave up another run.

Wright’s stolen base was one of four on the night. The Mets have been running like crazy. They’ve stlolen 11 runs in two games vs. the Giants who hardly have been able to stop anyone.

Giants closer Brian Wilson coughed up the lead in the ninth for the second straight game and allowed two runs after he caused an error on a bunt. That was enough for the Mets as Frankie Rodriguez once again closed the door. It was his 11th save of the season. He’s pitched four days in a row for the second time but is still perfect in save chances.

It was a bad night to be a manager as both Jerry Manuel and Giants skipper Bruce Bochy were ejected in the eighth inning.

Gary Sheffield also had a very good night in the cleanup position in the batting order. He was 2-for-3 and scored three runs. It’s a welcome sign. He’s not exactly the threat Carlos Delgado is but he’s been effective so far.

Ryan Church also seems like he might be coming out of his slump as he went 2-for-5. Jeremy Reed, who played first base for the first time since college, also had two hits.

It’s a good sign that the Mets were able to get to Tim Lincecum and now have a really good chance at winning the four-game series with Johan Santana on the mound Saturday afternoon.

Alex Cora SS
Luis Castillo 2B
Carlos Beltran 3B
Gary Sheffield LF
David Wright 3B
Ryan Church RF
Omir Santos C
Jeremy Reed 1B
Livan Hernandez P

Jose Reyes is once again sitting out. With Castillo batting poorly in the leadoff spot in last night’s game, it’s no wonder Jerry Manuel decided to put Cora there.

Also of note is Reed playing first place, instead of Fernando Tatis. Tatis has played well enough at first so I’m not sure what Manuel is doing, except maybe to get Reed some more at-bats and playing time.

The Mets are facing 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. The core Mets players actually have hit very well against Lincecum. Nevertheless, Hernandez will have to be on top of his game.

It was a banner night for David Wright, who had a personal-best four stolen bases and made it safely on base five times. He was 3-for-3, with two walks, two RBI and a run scored. He was part of a base-stealing explosion that saw the Mets steal seven bases, a franchise record, with Jose Reyes sitting on the bench.

John Maine had a shaky first inning but settled in, going 6 2/3 innings and threw 118 pitches, more than any other Mets starter this season. He held the Giants to two runs. The always-hard-on-himself Maine cursed under his breath as he marched off the field in the seventh inning after throwing four straight balls. He presumably was upset with himself for not being able to finish out the inning. He even had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-3.

The Mets were up 4-2 in the eighth inning when Bobby Parnell, filling in for JJ Putz, came into the game and gave up the lead. He had pitched very well this season before tonight. Ironically, he ended up with the win.

Gary Sheffield started in left field and had his best night so far as a Met. He batted in the cleanup spot and went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and two runs. He even led a double steal in the ninth inning to help the Mets score one of the final two runs after Ramon Castro hit a 2-run single.

Luis Castillo batted in the leadoff spot for the first time as a Met and had a tough go of it, going 0-for-4. Alex Cora, who was filling in for Reyes, couldn’t quite fill Reyes’ shoes at short stop. He committed an error and couldn’t make some plays that Reyes probably could have.

The Mets are now two games up in the division and have won nine of their last 11 games. It’s a great sign that they could come back and win this game, despite not being able to tack on runs until the ninth inning. Even in the close games they lost the recently, they’ve had a little more fire than they exhibited earlier in the season.

In other news, Tim Redding might be ready to come back this weekend and start, pushing the newly re-signed Nelson Figueroa to the bullpen. Livan Hernandez faces 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum on Friday night.

Luis Castillo 2B
Alex Cora SS
Carlos Beltran CF
Gary Sheffield LF
David Wright 3B
Fernando Tatis 1B
Ramon Castro C
Ryan Church RF
John Maine P

It’ll be interesting to see if Reyes is available in a pinch-hitting situation. If not, that’ll leave the bench incredibly short. Maine better pitch deep into this game, especially considering all seven relievers were used yesterday.

The good news is the Phillies and the Marlins lost, and Atlanta has an off day. So, even if the Mets lose, they’ll still be in first place in the division.

Carlos Delgado and JJ Putz are both on the bench due to bone spurns, and now Jose Reyes will be joining them. He will not start tonight’s game thanks to an injured ankle a stiff calf.

This could be a blessing in disguise as Reyes will get a chance to rest without being embarassed about a much-discussed benching following his poor base running over the past few games. No one on the Mets has said a benching had been a possibility, but it’s been chirped about a lot around the talk radio circuit.

Jerry Manuel said he didn’t think Reyes’ trot to second after what he thought might have been a homer in yesterday’s game was a lack of hustle. You’d think that the guy who notably yanked Reyes from the first game he managed last year after Willie Randolph was fired would have no problem benching Reyes. This way, he doesn’t have to.

Hopefully, Reyes will take this opportunity to reflect on his base running and maybe clear his mind a little. He’s practically played every game this season. A rest seems warranted, but only if it’s for a day or two. The Mets can ill afford to have three important players riding the pine at one time.

The Daily News is reporting that Mets setup man JJ Putz will miss at least a couple of games due to a bone spur caused by inflammation behind his elbow. This, of course, begs the question of who the setup man might be while Putz recovers. Will it be rookie Bobby Parnell or will Jerry Manuel go with Brian Stokes, who has pitched very well this year? My money is on a platoon situation depending on the lineup of the opposing team at that particular time.

Putz is the second Met to develop a bone spur. Carlos Delgado’s injury to his hip is leaving the Mets shorthanded on the bench. A decision on whether or not to place him retroactively on the disabled list probably won’t come until this weekend.

I think they should place Delgado on the disabled list sooner than later. He’s doing the Mets no good by taking up a spot. That was evidenced yesterday in an extra-innings game where the Mets used every last available player except Delgado. The problem is, whom do you bring up? Nick Evans is performing horribly and has been sent down to AA, and several other prospects are nursing injuries themselves.

Back later tonight with the starting lineup.

Look who’s back. Back again. Figgy’s back. Tell a friend.

Nelson Figueroa is being called up again after Jonathon Niese allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings today vs. the Atlanta Braves. He was sent back down to Triple-A.

Figueroa, who went on the free agent market after being designated for assignment by the Mets, will make the 10-game road trip starting in San Francisco. He found no biters, so he decided to return to the Mets. Apparently, there were no hard feelings on either side. I guess the Mets would rather have a journeyman like Figueroa, rather than a rookie, on their roster as they head to the West Coast for a tough road trip.

Who’s happy to see Figgy back and who thinks Niese should’ve been given another shot?

Don’t forget to enter our contest to win some cool prizes.

This week’s question is: How many exclusive clubs does Citi Field have?

Each week, we’ll ask a question related to Citi Field. We’ll then take all the names of people who got the question correct and put them in a random drawing. Each winner will receive either the “The New York Mets: Essential Games of Shea Stadium DVD Set” or “The NY Mets 1986 World Series Collector’s Edition DVD Set.” Only one prize per winner will be given out.

Check back every Monday at http://mets.lohudblogs.com to see that week’s question.

Click here to register and answer the