Baseball dignitaries will represent at '13 Draft

A star-studded cast of accomplished baseball legends will be on hand for the first day of the First-Year Player Draft on June 6, as the league welcomes its next crop of top prospects.

Today's MLB starting lineups: May 21

Every lineup, every day, as they are made public by the clubs.

Moore native Hefner has hometown in his thoughts

The town where Jeremy Hefner spent the early part of his life has become unrecognizable. After a devastating tornado ravaged Moore, Okla., on Monday, Hefner watched the horrifying images of the destroyed town with an increasingly helpless feeling.

Hawkins, Collins ejected for arguing hit-by-pitch call

Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins' seventh-inning appearance against the Reds in Monday's 4-3 loss was filled with frustration and controversy, culminating with the ejections of both he and his manager, Terry Collins.

Mets to honor military on Sunday

On Sunday, more than 3,000 servicemen and women, as well as their families, will be at Citi Field to participate in the Mets' sixth annual Military Appreciation Night. Since budget cuts from government sequestration forced the cancellation of Fleet Week, an annual event in New York, the event at Citi Field will be one of the largest military events in the city over Memorial Day weekend.

Niese tasked with cooling red-hot Reds

Although running into All-Star Joey Votto, who is fresh off leading the Majors with a .583 batting average last week, should be a concern for Jon Niese and the Mets as they get ready for the second game of the three-game set on Tuesday, the biggest problem for them might be that Votto has plenty of help.

Lack of run support hurts Marcum, Mets

Shaun Marcum gave the Mets six adequate innings, but the offense could not support him in a 4-3 loss to the Reds.

Murphy maintains top spot in lineup

Seeking some sort of production out of the first spot in his lineup, Terry Collins solicited advice following Saturday's loss in Chicago. Bench coach Bob Geren presented the winning suggestion, revisiting an idea that the team had broached several times in recent years: Daniel Murphy, leadoff man.

Davis moved to sixth in batting order

Manager Terry Collins bumped Ike Davis to sixth in the lineup on Monday, marking the first time in more than a week he has hit anywhere other than fourth against a right-handed pitcher.

Aardsma signs Minor League deal with Mets

David Aardsma on Monday signed a Minor League deal with the Mets and will report to Las Vegas. Aardsma, 31, was one of the most accomplished closers in baseball from 2009-10.

Hot-hitting Murphy does it again in Mets' win

The Mets slid Daniel Murphy into the leadoff spot on Sunday in hopes that he could provide the slumping offense with some timely hitting. So far the role suits him just fine. Murphy hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth, capping a late rally for a 4-3 victory and series win over the Cubs.

Mets hope Ike's woes don't extend to defense

Part of the reason the Mets were able to persevere through Ike Davis' early-season struggles last year was his vitality at first base. And as he slumps again to start this season, the club hopes his defense won't also fall victim in the meantime.

Murphy gets a shot to be Mets' leading man

The Mets are going with a new leadoff hitter in an attempt to spark their struggling offense. Daniel Murphy was at the top of the order for Sunday's series finale against the Cubs for the first time this year and the fifth time in his career

Twitter scavengers race for All-Star rewards

Fans all over New York City competed to be the fastest in a social media scavenger hunt that rewarded winners with All-Star Sunday and Fan Fest tickets. With five different winning locations scattered around Manhattan, baseball fans took to Twitter starting at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday to search for the secret password to help them discover where to head and win the prizes.

Mets appealing earned-run call from Friday

The Mets are appealing to Major League Baseball to have Matt Harvey's second first-inning earned run from Friday's game switched to an unearned run.

Collins impressed by Parnell's performance

Terry Collins has been impressed by Bobby Parnell this year, perhaps so much so that he wanted to actually hold the closer back from an early appearance on Friday.

Mets struggles continue in games started by Hefner

The Mets remain winless in each of Jeremy Hefner's starts this year, after an 8-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Mookie encourages fans to hunt for FanFest tickets

Mookie Wilson stopped by MLB.com headquarters on Friday to discuss the All-Star FanFest Ticket Hunt, which will afford fans a chance to compete in a race of both feet and mind that could land them tickets to all of the fun.

Harvey beats Cubs with his arm and his bat

Matt Harvey drove in his first run of the season to supplement another superb pitching performance, and he and the Mets beat the Cubs, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Collins hopes series in Chicago can turn Ike around

Ike Davis has hit just .160 this year, with a slugging percentage of .267. Manager Terry Collins hopes Davis can use the weekend series at Wrigley Field as a jumping-off point.

With runs at a premium, defense paramount

With two converted infielders playing the corner outfield positions and a new center fielder, the Mets understand how important their outfield defense is. Especially when their runs are at a premium.

Ike's struggles stand out as Mets' bats come to life

Ike Davis' struggles only deepened with an 0-for-5 performance against the Cardinals, including strikeouts in each of his first four at-bats.

Murphy's odd double continues hot stretch

Batting in the sixth inning Thursday against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, Daniel Murphy drove a ball toward the right-field corner, where it hit directly between two sections of the Busch Stadium wall. The ball squirted right through the panels, good for a bizarre ground-rule double.

Lightning rod: Unpredictable Valdespin sparks Mets

Jordany Valdespin helped spark a rally and the Mets' offense showed more life than usual Thursday, and Jon Niese looked more ace-like than Adam Wainwright in a 5-2 win against the Cardinals.

Rice maintains heavy workload as other lefties struggle

Scott Rice made his league-leading 23rd appearance in Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals, putting him on pace for an even 100. The Mets understand they are asking a lot of Rice, who -- perhaps not coincidentally -- holds a 15.43 ERA over his past four appearances.

Murphy's hot bat forces Valdespin to right field

Mets manager Terry Collins originally figured he would slot Jordany Valdespin in at second base for Thursday's series finale, but Daniel Murphy nixed that plan by catching fire this week in St. Louis.

Mets, MLB to host All-Star FanFest ticket hunt

Tickets to this year's All-Star Week events in New York will be up for grabs when the T-Mobile All-Star FanFest Ticket Hunt begins Saturday.

Wheeler to miss just one start; Mets relieved

As the Mets hoped and expected, top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler has no structural damage in his right arm, and will miss only one start for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Niese makes adjustments, hopes for results

Jon Niese spent this week refining his mechanics in front of a weight room mirror, trying to keep his body tall and on a straight line. Those were the issues that he considered crucial to his recent struggles, resulting in 15 runs over his last two starts.

Brief hope for Mets extinguished on wild pitch

Finally the beneficiaries of an efficient starting pitching performance, the Mets dropped Wednesday's game, 4-2, to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium for their sixth straight defeat.