Mets rally, secure first win

MIAMI -- For better or worse, the fortunes of David Wright and the Mets are intertwined. There is no separating the two, even as the names change around him.

Jose Reyes has one foot out the door. Carlos Beltran is playing on two bad knees. Jason Bay is on the disabled list.

That leaves Wright with the Mets mostly on his shoulders, and last night at Sun Life Stadium, he proved capable of leading them to a tumultuous 6-4 victory over the Marlins in 10 innings.

Wright sparked the Mets to life with a fourth-inning homer, his first hit of the season, and delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th that allowed them to shake off a blown save by Francisco Rodriguez. K-Rod flushed a 3-2 lead in the ninth but still picked up the victory, if not the crucial finish. That went to Blaine Boyer, who was credited with the save.

"That's what a team is built on," Wright said. "In order to be successful, you've got to pick each other up."

Wright's pivotal single off reliever Ryan Webb was the 89th game-winning RBI of his career, tying Mike Piazza for the franchise record. It couldn't have come at a more crucial time, with the Mets trying to rebound from Friday's Opening Night loss and wipe away Saturday's miscues.

"He walks in the dugout before the game starts with a look on his face that I haven't seen in a long time on a player," manager Terry Collins said. "He's the ultimate teammate as the game's going on. He's behind everybody, trying to lift guys up. It's all you're supposed to get out of the leader of your team."

In addition to Wright's heroics, there were plenty of others. In the 10th, Reyes snapped his opening 0-for-8 slump with a leadoff single and Angel Pagan followed with a bunt single to set up Wright. Afterward, Willie Harris, who had replaced Lucas Duda in leftfield, tacked on a two-run double for a 6-3 lead.

"It's good to have a game like that early," said Ike Davis, who had a pair of doubles, including one that tied the score in the sixth inning. "It's just going to help us in the long run."

In the ninth, the Mets went ahead 3-2 for their first lead in 17 innings. Josh Thole's third hit, a single off reliever Leo Nuñez, drove in pinch runner Chin-lung Hu. It came two innings after Thole was thrown out at first base by rightfielder Emilio Bonifacio after taking too big a turn on his second single.

"That was unfortunate," Thole said. "I should know my speed, huh? It's tough any time you let the guys down. It's not fun by any means."

Jon Niese got the Mets through seven innings tied at 2 before Collins pulled him after 87 pitches. Niese pitched six scoreless after Florida got two runs in the first inning -- helped by some shaky defense.

Chris Coghlan led off with what seemed a harmless grounder to Brad Emaus. But Emaus didn't charge quickly enough and Coghlan beat his rushed throw.

The next hitter, Omar Infante, lifted a pop-up behind the second base bag that Emaus and Reyes circled under. But at the last moment, both pulled away, and it dropped between them. That didn't hurt, as Coghlan was retired at second, but the bases should have been empty.

The Marlins eventually made them pay for those lapses. Hanley Ramirez followed with a double, and after a walk loaded the bases, Logan Morrison punched a two-run single to centerfield. It took nine innings, but the Mets made up for it. "That's what baseball is about," Collins said. "It's the games like that that test your character. Obviously, they responded great."