MET NOTES

Met third baseman Robin Ventura missed his second straight start with a sore left thigh, but he sure didn’t miss his chance for late-game heroics. With the Amazin’s trailing Arizona 6-5 with two outs in the eighth yesterday, Ventura pinch-hit for Kurt Abbott and tagged reliever Mike Morgan’s 2-1 pitch just over the wall in right to knot the score.

The only other pinch-hit homer of his career was against Toronto back on May 28, 1996. It was only the Mets’ second of the year. Benny Agbayani had the other, back on March 30 against the Cubs in Tokyo.

“I didn’t really sprint anywhere, so [my thigh’s] OK,” Ventura joked afterward. “[Pinch-hitting] isn’t easy. But we have some guys who are good at it talking to me, telling me to stay loose. I hit it good enough. The wind wasn’t blowing, so I knew I hit it good enough.”

He’s listed as day-to-day, but expects to be able to play when the Mets travel to San Diego tonight.

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Randy Johnson may have come into yesterday’s tilt 7-1 and leading the league in ERA (0.97) and strikeouts (100), but the Mets have had their fair share of success against him. They beat him 8-4 at Bank One in last year’s NLDS, and roughed him up for eight hits – all of the extra-base variety – and five runs in just 62/3 innings.

He did match his season high with 13 strikeouts, reaching double figures for the ninth time in 10 starts this year and the 134th time in his career.

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The three Mets pitchers injured Saturday should all be fine. Starter Mike Hampton felt slight soreness in his upper back yesterdayy, but both he and Bobby Valentine said they expect the lefty to be able to make his next start Friday. Reliever Pat Mahomes (ankle) could’ve pitched yesterday and should be available tonight if needed. And reliever John Franco‘s sprained right ankle was sore and swollen, but Valentine said he could be ready by today or tomorrow.

Right fielder Derek Bell went 2-for-5 with two RBIs yesterday, and has now hit in a club-season-high 11 straight games. Also red hot is Mike Piazza, who’s hit in 15 of his last 16 games and batted .351 (20-of-57) with seven homers and 14 RBIs in that span. He crushed a Big Unit belt-high 1-1 pitch for a 492-foot homer yesterday, sending it six rows back into the green mezzanine seats in left.

“Piazza hit a ball that’s probably still orbiting the stadium,” Johnson said.

Infielder Melvin Mora, who has been on the DL since May 13 with a lacerated right index finger, got his stitches removed and looked good in batting practice. Mora will be sent to Triple-A Norfolk for a rehab stint, playing DH initially to give his hand more time to heal.

Glendon Rusch (1-4, 4.20 ERA) opens the three-game series in San Diego tonight against Matt Clement (4-3, 5.20).