MET NOTES

MEXICO CITY – Al Leiter got plenty of work in yesterday, but not the kind he was hoping for.

“I got tired of backing up bases. That’s what I worked on today,” Leiter said after allowing 10 hits and eight runs (five earned) in a 9-5 drubbing by the Marlins in Port St. Lucie.

Leiter threw a robust 83 pitches but was scheduled for longer than his 32/3 innings. He surrendered three runs in the first and five in the second, before escaping in the third and fourth without further damage.

“It’s like a scramble,” he said. “Even though it’s not about the results, you don’t want to get knocked around.”

Because of his start yesterday, Leiter was not on the travel list to Mexico City.

*

Pedro Astacio is progressing, according to GM Steve Phillips, but the club has not pinpointed a time when he can throw off a mound again. Phillips said it would be unlikely he would throw a bullpen session by the end of the weekend.

Manager Art Howe wouldn’t concede that the Mets might be without Astacio for more than a start in April.

“We’ll have to see how quickly he comes around once he starts throwing again,” Howe said.

*

Because Thursday night’s game was rained out, Jae Seo threw in a minor-league intra-squad game on one of the back fields yesterday instead. Seo allowed five hits and two earned runs over four innings, walking one and whiffing two . . . Every position player is making the trip to Mexico City, but among the pitchers staying in Florida are: Tyler Yates, Grant Roberts, Leiter, Jason Middlebrook, Michael Bacsik, Aaron Heilman, Astacio and Seo . . . This trip marks the eighth time the Mets have made outside the U.S. and Canada. From March 6-8, 1964, the club played three exhibition games against the Mexico City Reds . . . Steve Trachsel, David Cone and Armando Benitez are scheduled to pitch today. Tom Glavine, Benitez, David Weathers, Scott Strickland and Pedro Feliciano are slated for tomorrow.