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What they have is enough for Mets

For 162 games this season, the New York Mets were a top team, winning a league best 97 matches. But enter October, and the Mets` first postseason appearance since 2000 is hampered by injuries to their pitching staff. Pedro Martinez will miss the entire postseason due to an injury to his tendon on his left calf and Orlando Hernandez will be out for at least the series.

Martinez received more bad news recently when he was informed that he needs rotator cuff surgery. The surgery will be performed next week and it is expected that Martinez will miss at least eight months. Hernandez suffers from a torn right calf, though he might be back for the World Series if the Mets reach that far. And so pitchers Oliver Perez and Royce Ring were included on the 25-man roster, giving the Mets 12 pitchers. Half of them were used by manager Willie Randolph in game 1.

But the Mets` bats and some wild base-running by the Los Angeles dodgers helped them take a 1-0 lead in the best of five series, with a 6-5 victory Wednesday. Carlos Delgado, in his playoff debut, had four hits, including a home run. "I was very excited,`` Delgado said. "I had butterflies in my stomach the first couple innings.``