Wright wallops 2 homers, Mets again flatten fading Yanks

Mets 10, Yankees 7

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tom Glavine is closing in on 300 wins, while the New York Yankees are falling way behind in the pennant race.

David Wright hit a pair of two-run homers off reliever Mike Myers after Darrell Rasner became the latest Yankees pitcher to get injured, and the Mets held off their fading Big Apple rivals 10-7 on Saturday for their second consecutive victory in the Subway Series.

"It's definitely embarrassing," Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said. "We definitely know that we are better than we've showed."

Super sub Endy Chavez had four hits on a rainy afternoon at Shea Stadium, one day after delivering the go-ahead homer in a 3-2 win over Andy Pettitte and the Yankees. Staked to an 8-2 lead after Rasner left in the first with a broken index finger, Glavine (5-1) yielded three runs in six-plus innings for his 295th victory.

The NL East-leading Mets have won nine of 11 overall and can complete a sweep of their crosstown foes Sunday night with John Maine (5-1, 2.15 ERA) on the mound against Tyler Clippard, who'll make his major league debut.

"It's what we call a big-bonus game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said.

The plummeting Yankees (18-23) lost for the seventh time in nine games and matched their low-water mark in a dismal season. At five games below .500, they are right back where they were when owner George Steinbrenner called his team's 9-14 start "clearly not acceptable."

"We're going to turn it around. I wish I could give you a date," manager Joe Torre said. "Until we straighten out what we need to straighten out, we can't worry about the standings."

The $195 million Yankees, who have won nine straight AL East titles, are in fourth place -- 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading Red Sox.

"We're not out of the race," general manager Brian Cashman insisted. "As ugly as it looks right now, I'm never going to let that enter my mind."

The Yankees are 1-7 this year against their two biggest rivals, the Red Sox and Mets. All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano made three errors and botched a double-play relay for the Yankees. He also homered, grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on and struck out with runners at the corners in the ninth.

"Everybody told me to keep my head up," Cano said.

Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada hit consecutive solo homers off struggling Scott Schoeneweis in the eighth, and Josh Phelps' RBI double against Pedro Feliciano cut it to 8-6. Aaron Heilman retired Derek Jeter with runners at first and third to end the inning.

Billy Wagner took over in the ninth and made an ill-advised throw home that helped the Yankees pull to 10-7. With the tying run at the plate, he struck out Cano and Phelps to end it.

"It got a little hairy there at the end," said Randolph, who earlier in the day gave the commencement address at Fordham University, where his daughter was graduating. "It felt like it was going to be a bit of a breezer, but they kept coming back on us."

Pinch-hitter Julio Franco drove in a run on a two-out infield single in the eighth. Cano made a diving stop and tried a desperate throw from his rear, but the ball hit his foot and deflected wildly for his third error, which allowed another run to score and made it 10-6.

"This is a true test for us," Rodriguez said. "We've got to get ourselves out of it. Nobody is going to help us."

Listless on offense lately, the Yankees did break through for 15 hits, including four by Posada. But Rasner's early injury forced them to use five members of an already overworked bullpen.

On his ninth pitch, Rasner (1-3) was struck on his pitching hand by Chavez's comebacker.

Torre, pitching coach Ron Guidry and trainer Gene Monahan immediately came out to check on Rasner, along with the team's entire infield. Rasner took a deep breath and tried a few warmup pitches. But when he threw a splitter on his fourth delivery, he hopped off the mound in obvious pain and grabbed his right hand before running into the dugout and down the steps toward the clubhouse.

Surgery was recommended and he could miss three months.

Starters Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina have returned from hamstring problems, but the Yankees are still waiting for Phil Hughes (hamstring) to get healthy and Roger Clemens to round into game shape.

Jeff Karstens is recovering from a broken leg and Carl Pavano is also sidelined -- again -- with an elbow injury.

"I don't know any team that could sustain the number of injuries they've had," Glavine said.

Chavez's infield single put runners at the corners. Myers, normally a left-handed specialist, replaced Rasner and was given as much time as he needed to warm up.

Myers allowed a shallow sacrifice fly to Carlos Beltran, then struck out Carlos Delgado before Wright hit a 460-foot homer to the back of the left-field bleachers that made it 3-1 Mets.

"I played with Mike on the Japan tour last year, so I have an idea how he throws," Wright said.

Wright connected again in the third, a drive that bounced off the heel of Damon's glove as he leaped above the center-field fence.

"I had it, and I lost it," Damon said. "It's probably one of the worst feelings I've had playing."

Wright was intentionally walked his next three times up. Delgado had an RBI double in a two-run fourth that made it 8-2.

Game notes
The Mets have won their last five series. ... The Yankees dropped to 3-9 when the opponent starts a left-hander.