"I feel good," said Gonzalez, who started again Wednesday. "There's no soreness -- no pain in my leg. That's why I was working every day -- to prepare for this, to be in the lineup every day."

Manager Dusty Baker doesn't yet have a plan for easing Gonzalez into everyday duty.

"We'll go on how he feels," Baker said when asked whether Gonzalez would start Thursday's day game following Wednesday's night game. "He'll be on the honor system -- as long as he tells the truth."

METS 9, REDS 7: The Reds scored as many runs in their three-run first inning as they had hits in all of Monday's game, but their pitchers were raked for 10 hits and seven walks. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez threw 107 pitches in only 4 1/3 innings, and reliever Mike Lincoln allowed three hits, two walks and four runs in the seventh. The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Francisco Rodriguez, but he struck out Alex Gonzalez and kept Laynce Nix in the ballpark with a flyball to the warning track in center field to log the save.