MET NOTES

ST. LOUIS – Cliff Floyd said he didn’t really do much during Monday’s off day.

“I just laid in the room and sulked,” he said yesterday.

Can’t blame him. Floyd entered last night’s game against the Cardinals hitting .195. But the left fielder was back in the starting lineup for the first time since Friday in Milwaukee.

“We’ll put him back in there and see if we can get him going in the middle of May here,” Willie Randolph said.

Floyd said he has been hitting in the cage essentially every day, and yesterday he admitted he might be overworking.

“I’ve stopped. I’ve slowed down just a little bit,” he said. “Like I tell you fellas, if I had any answers other than what I’ve been telling you all for a month and a half, I would share ’em with you. I’m burnt.”

Randolph, however, said Floyd’s return might be just a one-day thing. Tonight, the Cardinals are scheduled to start lefty Mark Mulder, and Randolph wouldn’t guarantee that Floyd would play.

Jose Valentin started in left field on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Valentin had four RBIs. On Sunday, he had four hits.

Floyd had one extra-base hit in his last 16 games before last night.

*

Cardinals star Albert Pujols is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated. The cover reads “A Swing of Beauty” and calls Pujols “the next home run king.”

When Randolph was asked yesterday about the way to retire Pujols, he replied, “We’re going to try to figure it out in the next three days or so.”

Pujols had 19 homers this season going into last night.

*

Anderson Hernandez (bulging disc) had four hits, two runs and RBI and a steal on Monday at Norfolk. Hernandez is still on the DL.

Julio Franco was hitless in his last 10 at-bats, heading into last night . . . The home-run drought for David Wright had reached 15 games entering last night.

*

Next Thursday, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo will call the Mets’ game on WFAN as part of a special promotion for charity.

-Additional reporting by Andrew Marchand.