The Mets won this afternoon, but there was cause for concern when Angel Pagan left the game with tightness in his lower back.  Pagan should be just fine and return to his normal routine tomorrow, but if the injury turns out to be more than a short-term, Mets fans can find comfort in the fact that Willie Harris hit a grand slam today, right? 

As for the rest of the game, apparently Brad Penny is just as bad against the Mets in spring training as he has been in real games (120.0 IP, 6.38 ERA).  The Mets clobbered Penny for a 5-run 2nd inning highlighted by the aforementioned grand slam.  

Jon Niese must have been watching, as he gave up four consecutive hits and hit the fifth batter in the bottom of the 2nd, allowing 4 runs of his own in the frame.  Those were the only runs he allowed as he pitched 4 innings, struck out 3, and walked 1.  Pedro Beato had a strong outing, tossing a pair of clean innings, and Tim Byrdak and Taylor Buchholz each threw a scoreless frame after that.  Les Walrond got an appearance in the 9th, and he made things very interesting, handing over a bases-loaded, two-out situation to Roy Merritt, who bailed him out.  

The Mets added a run in the 8th inning when Ronny Paulino drove in Nick Evans with a double, and they added another run in the 9th when Cory Vaughn drove in Lucas Duda with a double.  

The second base competition continued as Brad Emaus got the start this afternoon, going 0-for-2 with 2 walks.  Justin Turner, Daniel Murphy, and Luis Hernandez all came into the game at other positions late in the game, and they were all hitless in their limited plate appearances.

The updated second base stats:

The Mets visit the Cardinals tomorrow at 1:05 pm, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Game Thread Roll Call
Nice job by Russ; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.