Game 87: Mets vs. Astros @ Minute Maid Park

So far, the Mets and Astros have each won a game in their four game series. Tom Glavine seeks win number 298 tonight as he opposes right-hander Woody Williams.

Recap:

Innings 1-3: The Mets latest storyline involves Jose Reyes' first game since being benched by Willie Randoph for lack of hustle. He started off the game 0-3 and didn't show any extra effort in his first three at bats. Glavine put up zeroes through the first three and seemed poised for a quality start. However, the Met offense was nonexistent yet again.

Innings 4-6: Glavine gets squeezed on a 2-2 pitch to Morgan Ensberg and Ensberg promptly doubles to deep left center to score two runs. Chris Burke then adds a triple that is barely out of the reach of Shawn Green's diving attempt. Here, it seemed like another case of "Here we go again." However, the Mets would respond in the top of the fifth with a two run home run by Carlos Delgado that cut the deficit to one.

Innings 7-9: David Wright ties the game in the top of the seventh with a laser to left center field. Pedro Feliciano bails Aaron Heilman out of ninth inning trouble by striking out his only batter, Lance Berkman, on three nasty pitches.

Innings 10-12: Nothing going. Joe Smith strikes out Hunter Pence in the bottom of the twelfth to end the bases loaded threat. He hit Craig Biggio on his first pitch to load the bases to begin with.

Innings 13-16: "Somebody please win." In the bottom of the fourteenth, Carlos Beltran made one of the best catches of the season and maybe even Minute Maid Park history when he raced back from average center field range and onto Tal's Hill to make an over-the-shoulder catch while tumbling to the ground. In the bottom of the fifteenth inning, there would be a less emphatic inning-ending play when David Wright picked up Ensberg's grounder, stepped on third, and gunned to first for the double play.

17th inning: Sele grounds out, Reyes walks, Gotay hits it into the six-hole left open because of Reyes' attempted steal, Beltran singles to right for the go-ahead run, Wright singles to left to score Gotay, and Delgado & Lo Duca strike out swinging. In the bottom half, Billy Wagner came on to close the game after warming up about seven times. Mike Lamb lined out to left, Eric Munson blooped a single to left, Hunter Pence fouled out to first, and Mark Loretta hit a screamer into Ledee's glove to end the game with Carlos Lee in the on-deck circle. It was Billy Wagner's seventeenth save of the season.

The Good: Ever since I bashed him a few games back, Carlos Delgado has had numerous top plays in the field over the past week. He also continues to swing a decent stick with his two run homer tonight. David Wright continues his power surge as well with his clutch home run tonight, his seventeenth of the season. Tom Glavine pitched well. The bullpen pitched well and got numerous big-outs; they didn't allow a run over the final ten innings of the game. Jose Reyes collected two hits and stole his 44th base. Ricky Ledee plays another good game, both at the plate and in the field. Carlos Beltran quieted the boo-birds with his amazing catch and seventeenth inning rbi. Shawn Green collected three seeing eye hits. Ruben Gotay clutch again with three hits of his own.

The Bad: Paul Lo Duca's recent struggles continue with tonight's 0-8, dipping his average to .274.

Notes: Tonight's game was the longest game for the Mets, inning-wise, since 1993. Back then, they beat the Cards 1-0 on Sept. 29.

2 Cents: We had to win this one and thank God we did. Very entertaining game.

Final Score: Mets 5, Astros 3. Record: 48-38.