Quick Hits

☛ In one of the Mets' weekend games, why did Jerry Manuel have Rod Barajas try to steal second? Of course, Barajas, who's s-l-o-w, was thrown out. Luckily, Barajas "race" toward second caught the Braves pitcher by surprise. The pitcher balked, so Barajas, who had been thrown out, was allowed to stay on second base. But again, what was Manuel thinking? (Wally, the Mets need you.)

☛ The Cyclones won. Second-baseman J. B. Brown keeps inching his average upward after a terrible start. A single in yesterday's game in four at bats boosted his to average to .238. In nine of his last 10 games he's gotten at least one hit and, in three games, he's gotten two hits. During that span, he's hit .387.

☛ Ryan Fraser pitcher the final 2.2 innings in yesterday's Cyclone game. No runs, no hits, four strikeouts. In his last seven appearances — all in relief — his ERA is 0.93. Opponents are hitting .152 against him. This is the same pitcher who, pitching this past college season for the University of Memphis Tigers, had a 3-5 record with a 7.04 ERA. Some Mets coach is earning his pay.

☛ In two games over the weekend, the Kingsport Mets surrendered 24 runs. Naturally, they lost both games. One of the few bright spots was the play of second-baseman/shortstop Justin Schafer, drafted this year in the 34th round. He's hitting .379. Sunday, he went 3 for 5. His OPS is .958.

☛ Ike Davis is a player. He hustles, he's game smart, and he has a lot of potential. If I were Minaya, I wouldn't trade Davis for anyone.