MLB.com

By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com

Jae Weong is allowing 9.83 hits per nine innings and has gone 0-4 in his last five starts. (Ed Betz/AP)

Part of Seo's struggles of late, particularly against Atlanta, can be attributed to the fact that he is a rookie and doesn't yet have all the tools to compensate for the league's growing familiarity with his pitch selection. Scouting and videotape have exposed Seo's limited repertoire -- which, at the moment, consists primarily of a fastball and changeup with a slider sprinkled in infrequently.

That's why Mets pitching coach Vern Ruhle has begun working with Seo on a two-seam fastball. Any evidence needed for the requirement of such a development can be found in Seo's last five outings, during which he has gone 0-4 with an 8.03 ERA. Two of those losses have come against the Braves, who have now seen Seo pitch four times.

Overall, Seo is allowing 9.83 hits per nine innings while the opposition is hitting .273 against him. The Braves have scored 10 runs against him in his last two starts against them, collecting 13 hits in the process. Atlanta was particularly effective Friday night sitting on Seo's changeup.

"We're trying to get him a little more movement and understand the value of having movement," Ruhle said. "We want him to have a pitch that comes in against right-handed hitters and has depth. When he's ahead in the count, he has all kinds of options. This is a pitch he can use later in the count or with men on base.

"It's a work in progress. It's going to take a little time. He may try it in certain situations [Wednesday in Montreal] just to get a feel. But he has to learn when to use it. It's like a tool. He has to learn how the tool works and what it can do."

Ruhle said that the two-seamer is an easy pitch to pick up. Because the ball comes off Seo's fingers when he throws the two-seamer in a similar fashion to his changeup, Ruhle added it would be easier for him to develop.

Another problem, however, that the Mets must solve with Seo is that of his brittle fingernails. The cracked nail that forced him to miss a start last month hasn't healed completely.

"He says he's had it his whole career," manager Art Howe said. "Maybe it's never affected him to this degree. But he's missed a start and he's had to be taken out early because of it. We don't want to have to be worrying about it."

Jason Phillips   /   C
	Height: 6'1" Weight: 180 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Mets site

Toeing the mark: Jason Phillips got the nod behind the plate for a second consecutive game Sunday as Vance Wilson continued to nurse a sore big left toe. Wilson fouled a ball off the toe Friday night. Howe wasn't taking any chances on him doing further damage to the toe, especially since Phillips' wife, Kelly, is expecting the couple's first child any day.

"Vance will be fine tomorrow and I didn't want to gamble," Howe said. "He's available today [Sunday] but I didn't want to jeopardize anything. Phillips' wife is due and the last thing you want is for Vance to be hurt and Jason leave to be with his wife."

Roger Cedeno   /   OF
	Height: 6'1" Weight: 205 Bats/Throws: S/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Hit chart Mets site

A weighty issue: Howe said that he felt Roger Cedeno might not be stealing as many bases as he once did because he is bigger than he was earlier in his career. Cedeno stole 66 bases in 1999 with the Mets and had 55 steals with the Tigers in 2001.

"He still runs well and is capable of stealing bases," Howe said. "But I don't know if he can steal those [number of] bases. He's not as light as he was when he was younger, like any of us. [If he were lighter] he might be able to get a hair more quickness."

Cedeno didn't want to comment on what Howe said.

Pen notes: The Mets sent Jorge Velandia back to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday when Al Leiter was activated. Dan Wheeler and Pedro Feliciano, both of whom have pitched well, remain with the club as Howe goes with 12 pitchers.

"I'm pleased by it [their performance]," Howe said. "Both of them threw the ball well in the spring and a lot of times you get false readings in the spring. But what I saw in the spring has held true. That's good to see and they are doing well up here."

The good and the bad: Jose Reyes and Jeff Duncan batted one-two in the New York lineup again on Sunday and combined to go 3-for-6 with six RBIs. Reyes, who also stole a base, has 23 RBIs in 31 games. He is batting .407 (11-for-27) with 20 RBIs with runners in scoring position. Duncan, meanwhile, is hitting .360 (9-for-25) over his last nine games.

But the duo also squandered a chance on the bases in the first, showing their inexperience. Reyes led off the game by reaching on an error. He stole second as Duncan walked and then went to third on a Roger Cedeno sacrifice fly to center.

Atlanta starter Horacio Ramirez, however, picked Duncan off first. While Duncan was caught in a rundown, Reyes got halfway home but never dared to go all the way. Duncan was eventually tagged out before Ramirez, who was covering first, fired a throw to third base to nail Reyes as he tried retreating to the bag.

"Two young players make baserunning mistakes," Howe said. "Reyes should have stayed on third because Ty Wigginton was coming up."

Minors report: Recently acquired Victor Diaz went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs Saturday to lead Double-A Binghamton to an 8-7 victory over New Britain. Royce Ring, also recently acquired, went 2/3 of an inning for his third save. ... Chris Basak was promoted from Binghamton to Norfolk to fill in for Marco Scutaro, who sprained his ankle. He has 26 RBIs and was an Eastern League All-Star. ... Class A Kingsport second baseman Todd Dulaney returned to action this weekend after missing the last few games because of a spider bite. ... Kingsport released infielder Brendan Mannix while catcher Bryan Purkey was placed on the restricted list. ... Brian Bannister improved to 4-0 with Class A Brooklyn after posting a 1-0 victory over Williamsport.

This and that: Tom Glavine has lost four times against one team (the Braves) for the first time since he lost five games against the Dodgers in 1988, his first full season in the Major Leagues. ... The Mets will honor Hall of Famer Gary Carter prior to the July 29 game versus the Brewers at Shea Stadium. ... Grant Roberts made his second rehab appearance with Norfolk and threw a scoreless inning against Charlotte. He has two scoreless innings in two appearances. ... Phillips extended his hitting streak to a career-best eight games with an eighth-inning homer Sunday. He is hitting .400 (12-for-30) during that stretch.

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.