On the Mets beat

Staying on top of the NL East was not going to be easy for the Mets. That much they knew.

But does it have to be as difficult as it was during Friday night's 5-4 victory over the Marlins?

Carlos Beltran was the only member of the Mets' offense who showed up ready for work, considering that he was the man responsible for all five RBI, which matched his top single-game output since signing with the Mets in 2005.

And the later it gets, the more Beltran seems to heat up. In the last week, Beltran is batting .375 (9-for-24) with three HRs and eight RBI. Last September, with the Mets crumbling around him, Beltran batted .282 and led the team that month with eight homers and 27 RBI.

While that's a positive sign, not so good is the fact that Luis Ayala was complaining of a tight right hamstring after his roller-coaster ride in the ninth inning. After throwing 32 pitches, Ayala isn't available tonight anyway -- Jerry Manuel said Aaron Heilman will assume the closer's role (getcha popcorn ready for that one).

A team official pretty much confirmed last night that Jon Niese will start Tuesday against the Brewers after he was lifted from Friday's game in New Orleans after 2 2/3 innings. The 65-pitch tuneup for the Zephyrs puts him on schedule to take the mound in Milwaukee four days later.