MET NOTES

ATLANTA – Bobby Valentine said Edgardo Alfonzo felt perfect before last night’s game, and Alfonzo had a near-pefect performance.

The third baseman, who was not in the lineup in Tuesday night’s rained-out contest, returned and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, initiating rallies in the fourth and eighth innings. His third line out of the game was the final out in a 6-4 loss to Atlanta.

On Tuesday, Alfonzo seemed peeved his club ordered an X-ray for his bruised left hand the previous day. The X-ray came back negative, although it revealed Alfonzo had a bruised left hand in the soft tissue near the pinkie, and that he initially hurt the hand diving for a ball in the second game of the season.

Although Alfonzo is far outpacing his teammates in batting average, he still only has one homer. Timo Perez was the latest teammate to surpass Alfonzo, hitting his second of the year last night.

“He’s hitting the ball sharply, but he hasn’t been utilizing his body the most efficient way to drive it the furthest it can go,” hitting coach Dave Engle said before the game. “He’s using the whole field and he’s hitting the ball hard.

“It’s just a matter of the finish and the hips and coming off the back foot. Trying to get those three things in synch.

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Met farmhand Justin Huber, a 19-year-old Australian native, was unanimously selected to the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division All-Star team, the first time that’s happened since 1973. Huber was also the SAL Player of the Month for May.

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Former Met lefty Jerry Koosman is recovering from double bypass surgery in Minnesota. Valentine spoke with him recently. Koosman felt pain in his chest while chopping wood.

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Mets claimed infielder Ramon Soler off waivers from Tampa Bay, and outrighted righty Eric Cammack from Triple A Norfolk to Double A Binghamton, removing him from the 40-man roster.