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NEW YORK -- Its no secret: Bartolo Colon simply sticks with his fastball. He runs it, sinks it, spots it right on the corner or just above the hands. So the Pittsburgh Pirates went into Wednesdays game well aware their mound opponent was relying on that heater some 90 per cent of the time this season. Still, they couldnt do much with it. Colon carried a three-hitter into the eighth inning, and the New York Mets got home runs from David Wright and Lucas Duda in a 5-0 victory over the sloppy Pirates. "Its impressive to watch from third base," Wright said. "You look up at the scoreboard and its high 80s, low 90s (mph) fastball. He throws a lot of them, but he just knows exactly where its going and he just dissects hitters." Pitching four days after his 41st birthday, Colon (4-5) struck out a season-high nine -- seven looking -- in his second consecutive win. Wright added an RBI single during an eventful afternoon in which he also stole a base, made two throwing errors and robbed Andrew McCutchen of extra bases with a diving play near the line. New York salvaged the final two games of a 4-5 homestand after firing batting coach Dave Hudgens and replacing him with minor league hitting co-ordinator Lamar Johnson. "I didnt expect anybody to kind of hang their heads about it," Wright said. "Hopefully, the transition to LJ is going to be a smooth one. Hes off to a good start." The Mets improved to 13-17 at Citi Field, winning the series against Pittsburgh for their first back-to-back victories at home since a three-game streak from April 23-25. They open a season-high 11-game trip Thursday night with a five-game series in Philadelphia and play 25 of their next 33 on the road until July 4. "Weve played pretty good on the road, so were looking forward to it," Duda said. Colon reached 2,000 strikeouts when he caught ex-Met Ike Davis looking in the sixth. The burly right-hander saved the souvenir, tossing the ball to injured ace Matt Harvey in the dugout. "Just amazing how he works both sides of the plate," Wright said. "You just see, he freezes hitters." Colons previous turn Friday was washed out by rain after he yielded two runs in four innings against Arizona. In his last outing that counted, he went eight innings to beat Washington 5-2 on May 17. "He threw it where he wanted and we couldnt put anything together," Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker said. Colon was pulled this time after 121 pitches, his most in a decade, but Jeurys Familia needed only one to get out of the eighth. He got Davis to ground into an inning-ending double play with two on, then finished the six-hitter for his second major league save and first this season. "If they would have kept me in, I would have kept throwing," Colon said through a translator. "I dont get tired. I just want to keep going." Charlie Morton (1-7) was chased in the sixth inning and Pirates pitchers walked eight batters. Pittsburgh fell to 7-16 away from home with another poor day at the plate and in the field. "The defence hasnt been good," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Weve got work to do." Duda drew a leadoff walk in the second and scored after second-string catcher Chris Stewart was unable to handle a pair of wild pitches by Morton. Pirates starter Edinson Volquez and reliever Jeanmar Gomez combined for four wild pitches with Russell Martin behind the plate in Tuesday nights 4-2 loss. "Weve got to tighten some things up and play better," Hurdle said. "They had three trips around the bases in the last two days -- it was one hit." Wright had an RBI single in the third after an embarrassing defensive sequence for the Pirates handed Daniel Murphy a Little League triple. Murphy hit a grounder to third, and Pedro Alvarez threw high to first for an error. Murphy took off for second but the ball caromed hard off the dugout fence to Walker. He threw to second in time to get Murphy, but shortstop Jordy Mercer dropped the ball for another error that let Murphy scamper to third. Pittsburgh appealed that Murphy never touched second base, but he was called safe. "Sometimes he thinks hes invisible, and you have to remind him that, you know, people can see you," Wright said, drawing laughs. Wright opened the sixth with his fourth home run. Duda added a long, two-run shot off Bryan Morris in the eighth to seal the win for Colon. "Bartolos just a different animal," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He just makes his pitch. He doesnt care how many hes thrown." NOTES: Hurdle said reliever Jason Grilli is very close to regaining the closer job. ... Gerrit Cole (4-3) pitches for the Pirates when they begin a four-game series Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. ... After the game, Mets C Juan Centeno was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to clear roster space for C Travis dArnaud (concussion), who returned from a rehab stint with Double-A Binghamton and is expected to be activated from the disabled list Thursday. ... Familia singled in the eighth for his first big league hit. He became the sixth Mets pitcher to earn a save this season. Fake Twins Jerseys .com) - No Sidney Crosby, no problem. Jonathan Schoop Jersey .J. - Pete Carroll is in support of the NFL looking further into whether medicinal marijuana could beneficial for players. https://www.cheaptwins.com/582t-ryne-har...rsey-twins.html. At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. David Ortiz Twins Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. Lewis Thorpe Twins Jersey . Five years ago, Nestor and Zimonjic beat the American twins to win the title. But the Bryans, the worlds top-ranked team, needed 74 minutes to earn the victory Saturday as both Nestor and Zimonjic lost serve in the second set.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Toronto Maple Leafs a€“ whose biggest summer moves werent made on the ice, but behind the bench and in the front office. Catch up on their off-season moves and the issues they face this season, as well as their analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Atlantic GM: Dave Nonis Head Coach: Randy Carlyle 2013-14: 38-36-8 (6th in Atlantic) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 222 (14th) Goals Against: 252 (26th) PP: 19.8% (6th) PK: 78.4% (28th) That Was Then: The Leafs started the season positively enough, battling throughout the fall in a tight Atlantic alongside new divisional rivals Detroit and Tampa, as well as long-time foes Boston and Montreal. Phil Kessel was producing at a monster clip, posting 57 points through January and the team looked to have sorted out its need for better goaltending with Jonathan Bernier. The team rolled through October on Kessels play as well as the grit and leadership provided by Dave Bolland. Even after Bollands season was derailed by an ankle injury, the Leafs continued to make it work, getting second-line production out of Mason Raymond. The team rode a pair of hot streaks, including a six-game point streak that ended with a dramatic shootout victory in the Winter Classic over the Red Wings and securing points in 13 of 15 games entering the Olympic break. Sitting second in the Atlantic Division on Mar. 14, the Leafs looked poised to make the playoffs for the second straight season. They took two out of three games on a difficult Western road trip and looked poised for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. But it was at that exact moment that the wheels came off. Losing Bernier to a lower-body injury thrust Reimer into the starters role for the next five games and the team failed to register a single point over that stretch. By the time Bernier was back in the crease on Mar. 25, the Leafs had just a one-point grasp on a playoff spot but even the netminders return couldnt turn the tide. The team ran its pointless streak to eight, finishing the season on a 2-12 run that sent it hurtling all the way down to eighth overall on the draft board. Scott Cullens Analytics Maple Leafs 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.75 2.30 8.0 .949 42.1% .625 21-41 2.57 3.29 8.3 .930 42.9% .488 42-62 3.19 3.48 9.7 .916 43.0% .643 63-82 2.30 3.25 7.1 .923 40.1% .300 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Spectacular goaltending from Jonathan Bernier made it easy for the Leafs to overlook terrible possession numbers. Games 21-41: Goaltending still strong, but not strong enough to overcome sad possession stats. Games 42-62: As goaltending faltered, with Bernier out, a scoring surge kept the Leafs in the hunt. Games 63-82: Possession numbers dropped even further, scoring dried up and the odds caught up with the Leafs. Key 2014 Additions: LW David Booth, RW Matt Frattin, C Leo Komarov, C Petri Kontiola, D Roman Polak, D Stephane Robidas, C Mike Santorelli, C Daniel Winnik Key 2014 Subtractions: C Dave Bolland, RW Jerry DAmigo, D Tim Gleason, D Carl Gunnarsson, LW Nikolai Kulemin, G Drew MacIntyre, C Jay McClement, D Paul Ranger, LW Mason Raymond This Is Now: Newly-hired team president Brendan Shanahan kept head coach Randy Carlyle and Dave Nonis in their posts, but the working environment around them was overhauled. Assistant coaches Dave Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon were replaced with Steve Spott and Peter Horachek, while assistant GMs Dave Poulin and Claude Loiselle were gone in favour of fresh-faced analytics expert Kyle Dubas. On the ice, the team shelled out upwards of $5 million to have Tim Gleason not play for them and made some interesting, medium-cost additions to the bottom end of their forward ranks and defence corps. Roman Polak and a healthy Stephane Robidas should add some sandpaper on the blue line, while Leo Komarov and Matt Frattin rejoin the Leafs to compete with no less than a dozen players vying for a regular shift on the bottom two lines. Theres alsoo a vacancy in the top six that could go to either the well-compensated David Clarkson or free agent project David Booth, who the Leafs are hoping to mold the same way they did with Raymond.dddddddddddd James Reimer has even signed a two-year contract, although the Manitoba-native will likely find his name in the rumour mill again over the duration of that deal. TSN Toronto reporter Jonas Siegels Five Key Storylines heading into training camp: 1. Jobs competition in the forward group; lots of bodies, lots of jobs up for grabs. With the additions of Leo Komarov, Petri Kontiola, Mike Santorelli,David Booth and Daniel Winnik, there are more NHL-calibre forwards than positions available. Who will step up and claim those spots in training camp? 2. Who replaces Carl Gunnarsson on the top pair with Dion Phaneuf? Is it time for Jake Gardiner to move into a more prominent role on an everyday basis or is he too inconsistent? In his second season, is Morgan Rielly ready to step up or is it too soon? 3. Can Randy Carlyle turn around all that hurt the Leafs last season en route to the collapse (team defence, possession)? The nucleus of last years team returns but the coaching staff has a new look, including a renewed focus on analytics. A fast start would go a long way to silencing the critics. 4. Who wins the third line centre gig? With the addition of Santorelli from Vancouver and Kontiola from Finland as well as the return of Peter Holland, it should be fun to watch the competition in training camp. There are meaningful minutes to be had for the winning candidate. 5. Can William Nylander crack the Leafs as a teenager this fall? Some felt Morgan Rielly should have been sent back to junior last season but it turned out to be the right decision to keep him as his game improved throughout the season. Do they go to the 18-year-old well yet again? Will Nylander get enough ice-time at the NHL level to enhance his progress? DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel Leo Komarov Nazem Kadri Joffrey Lupul David Booth Peter Holland David Clarkson Daniel Winnik Mike Santorelli Matt Frattin Carter Ashton Petri Kontiola Colton William Nylander Josh Leivo Defence Left Right Dion Phaneuf Stephane Robidas Jake Gardiner Cody Franson Morgan Rielly Roman Polak Andrew MacWilliam Petter Granberg Stuart Percy Korbinian Holzer Matt Finn Tom Nilsson Goaltenders Jonathan Bernier James Reimer Garret Sparks Craigs List A list of the Maple Leafs top prospects as ranked by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. A-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 1 William Nylander C Modo (SWE) 2 Matt Finn D Guelph (OHL) 3 Frederik Gauthier C Gatineau (QMJHL) B-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 4 Petter Granberg D Toronto (AHL) 5 Connor Brown RW Erie (OHL) 6 Andreas Johnson RW Frolunda (SWE) 7 Viktor Loov D Modo (SWE) 8 Carter Verhaeghe C Niagara (OHL) 9 Stuart Percy D Toronto (AHL) 10 Josh Leivo RW Toronto (AHL) Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Morgan Rielly It may be a touch soon to tout the production of a 20-year-old defenceman entering his second NHL season, but if the Leafs are willing to give Rielly some freedom, he could put up some solid numbers. As a rookie, Rielly had 27 points in 73 games, including 15 in his last 34 games, and his ability to carry the puck out of trouble and into the offensive zone is what sets him apart on the Toronto blue line. If Rielly gets paired with a reliable veteran and is turned loose to help generate scoring opportunities, he has a chance to be relevant for fantasy purposes now, with plenty of upside for the future. ' ' '