Baseball

Harvey was in line to take his first loss, but the Mets came back to tie it in the seventh before falling in the ninth. It's the first time in 17 starts that Harvey has been charged with more than three runs. The only time in his major league career that it happened was in a loss to the Padres last Aug. 5.

Parnell's only mistake was Shin-Soo Choo's leadoff double. After that came a groundout, an intentional walk, an excuse-me double down the first-base line that Ike Davis could have handled but hoped would go foul, another intentional walk and then a bloop single. Parnell didn't deserve to have three runs added to his total, taking his ERA from 0.93 to 2.21. And he probably doesn't need to be intentionally walking batters when the league is hitting .160 against him this season.

Neither play went as an error, but they both could be considered mental errors. In the seventh, Davis stayed back on a grounder rather than charge it, allowing the runner to score from third and giving the Reds a 4-2 lead. In the ninth, with the score tied 4-4, Davis elected to let a grounder go down the line, figuring it would curl foul. It didn't, giving Brandon Phillips an RBI double. In Davis' defense, the ball really did seem likely to go foul and the Reds almost certainly would have scored the go-ahead run had he handled it. In truth, Davis' decision looked much worse than it was, but since it turned out so badly, it's more fuel for those who want him demoted.

Murphy's OBP dropped below .300 10 days ago, but he's been red hot since, picking up 19 hits in 10 games. Now his average stands at .302, and while he's far from an ideal leadoff hitter, it's not as though the Mets have better options.

The triple should have been a double, too, but Xavier Paul fell down in left field twice on the play. Ankiel is now 10-for-31 with seven extra-base hits as a member of the Mets. It probably won't last, but it's nice to see him doing well. His career was in danger of being over when the Astros let him go.

Cleared of his recent clavicle issue, it was his first start since May 11. Wheeler threw a total of 67 pitches and allowed five hits and two walks while striking out two. He also hit a batter. Given the long layoff, the results shouldn't be taken too critically. Still, the Mets want to see another solid string of starts before he is called up to the majors. We're still guessing he'll be up in mid-June.

It wasn't about Montero's performance, as he allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings while striking out five. The 22-year-old right-hander should get a legitimate chance in the Triple-A rotation before long and could be a consideration for a cup of coffee with the big club in September.