Mets Dumbfounded by Their Mistakes  —  LOS ANGELES — His shoulders slumped, his eyes heavy, his goatee likely grayer than it was just four hours earlier, Jerry Manuel emerged from the Mets' clubhouse late Monday night and spotted a massage table.  —  “I need to lie down,” Manuel said.  —  No wonder.

ERIC CHAVEZ CAREER IN CRISIS  —  Chavez nearing end of the road  —  (05-19) 04:00 PDT St. Petersburg, Fla. — The next time Eric Chavez's back goes out, it will be the end of his career.  —  “Pretty much game, set and match,” the A's third baseman told The Chronicle by phone from his home in Phoenix.

Noah Lowry's agent: San Francisco Giants misdiagnosed arm injury  —  As San Francisco Giants pitcher Noah Lowry prepared to undergo surgery for a circulatory problem Tuesday, his agent charged the team's medical staff with misdiagnosing a forearm injury 14 months ago, subjecting Lowry …

As Yankees' saver, Coke floats  —  Maybe Tuesday Phil Coke will allow himself to feel some happiness about taking over the closer's role from Mariano Rivera for one night and earning his first career save.  Because in the clubhouse after Monday night's game, he spoke like a man who had just been through a harrowing experience.

Early trade winds for Boston and Milwaukee  —  Some executives report that in the last couple of weeks, they've started the process of defining their own team's needs, of glancing over the rosters of opposing teams and formulating possible trade options.  It might be weeks before those conversations turns …

Strasburg won't see D.C. this season  —  Buzz up!  —  Swallow hard, Washington Nationals fans, or what's left of you.  A long summer is about to get longer if acting general manager Mike Rizzo has his way.  —  Stephen Strasburg isn't coming to the nation's capitol.  —  Oh, calm down.

told he'll play less as he battles anxiety  —  May 7, 2009 - Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene turns a double-play to force out Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth at second in the first inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Chris Lee/P-D)

Helton's easy call: It's a hit  —  ATLANTA — Todd Helton has more hits than Elvis Presley.  He knows one when he sees one.  And his ninth-inning shot past Atlanta Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar on Monday night left no doubt in his mind.  —  “I have never seen that ball ruled an error,” Helton said.

With vastly improved defense and pitching depth, Rangers are for real … A funny thing happened in Texas the other day: There was a walkup crowd of 11,000 fans and it wasn't for a high school football spring scrimmage but rather an actual, live Major League Baseball game.

Atlanta Braves and Publix Invite Fans to “Shop with the Braves” this Friday, May 22  —  First of Five “Shop with the Braves” Dates Scheduled  —  Atlanta Braves players Mike Gonzalez, Jordan Schafer and Greg Norton will greet fans and assist shoppers this Friday, May 22, at Publix in Buckhead …

Despite Detwiler, Down to Defeat  —  Solid Start Done In By Defense, Bullpen : Pirates 12, Nationals 7  —  Six professional pitchers performed for the Washington Nationals last night.  One had been promoted from Class AA Harrisburg earlier in the day, for the purposes of a cameo start.

Some mid-day thoughts and an unexpected Stadium critique ...  I'm getting ready to head into the city shortly for a TV thing before going over to the Stadium, but here are a few thoughts before we get the game post up and running:  —  1. CC Sabathia, who starts tonight, wears baggy pants.

Checking In On Harper  —  We hope you are enjoying our 2009 draft coverage so far.  There is a ton of information that is being rolled out this week so try to keep up.  For just a moment, I'm going to steer away from 2009 and look ahead to 2011.  If you haven't heard of Bryce Harper …

Gonzalez finds going to a bigger bat was well worth the weight  —  One simple question addressed to one of the game's premier power hitters was part of the evolution that has made Adrian Gonzalez the major league leader in homers entering tonight's Padres-Giants game at Petco Park.

Would we have beaten Mike Scott in Game 7?  Yes, we would have found a way  —  Jesse Orosco jumps for joy after striking out Kevin Bass in the 16th inning to win Game 6 of the NLCS.  (Photo by AP)  —  By GARY CARTER  —  Speaking of Mike Scott, I have often been asked if I thought …

A-ROD BATTERS UP WITH KATE HUDSON  —  YANKEES slugger Alex Rodriguez seems to have traded in a vintage Madonna for a late-model Kate Hudson.  —  The blond, Los Angeles-born actress — who met A-Rod at the reopening of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach last November …

Iribarren called up  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Houston - As expected, second baseman Hernan Iribarren was called up from Class AAA Nashville today to replace second baseman Rickie Weeks, out for the season with a wrist injury.  —  Iribarren, 24, was batting .311 …

Braves counting on Francoeur to rebound  —  Atlanta (18-19) vs. Colorado (15-22), 7:00 p.m. ET  —  ATLANTA — Before this season started, Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said that Jeff Francoeur would be a key to the team's success.  While there's plenty of time for this to prove to be true …

TORRE'S DODGERS MAY PLAY YANKEES IN '10  —  Joe Torre appears headed toward a Bronx homecoming in 2010.  —  Though next season's schedule won't be official for several weeks, an industry source told The Post yesterday that the Dodgers are preliminarily slated for a three-game …