Slight Slide For Mets

Jim Leyland played a hunch and started Jeff Barry in center field. Barry's temper almost took him out of the game before he could win it.

Barry hit a three-run double in the 10th inning off former Colorado reliever Chuck McElroy and the Rockies beat the New York Mets 5-2 Friday night.

"I get a gut feeling every once in a while," Leyland said. "He's swinging the bat well and I thought this was a decent matchup. He had a big night."

Rapuano, who said he had a hard time getting up for the game after 22 umpires lost their jobs this week, came out from behind the plate and accidentally bumped into Barry.

The two argued before Leyland and third-base coach Rich Donnelly broke it up.

"Every now and then I snap," Barry said. "He could have thrown me out. I wasn't going to stop I can't control it."

Barry and Rapuano made up before the game-winning hit in the 10th.

"He said, `I didn't appreciate how you acted, but I apologize for bumping you,"' Barry said. "He didn't have to do that. He's a class act."

Turk Wendell (3-3) walked Larry Walker with one out in the 10th. With Walker running on a 3-2 pitch, Dante Bichette lined a single to left to put runners on first and third.

Wendell, who allowed four runs Tuesday to Houston after six days off, said he still doesn't feel sharp.

"It's embarrassing," he said. "I'm frusrated. I think the week off killed me. I know they're concerned about me being tired, but I like to get the ball every day."

Mets manager Bobby Valentine then brought in McElroy to face left-handed hitting Todd Helton. McElroy, who came to New York with Darryl Hamilton in a July 31 deal for Brian McRae, struck out Helton, but couldn't get the job done against the right-handers.

He walked Vinny Castilla, loading the bases for the switch-hitting Barry, who spent four seasons in the Mets system before leaving following the 1995 season.

On the first pitch, Barry lined a ball to the gap in right-center that just got over Roger Cedeno's head allowing all three runners to score. Barry also had a sacrifice fly that tied it in the sixth.

Curtis Leskanic (5-2) pitched a perfect ninth for the win and Dave Veres got three outs for his 27th save in 34 chances.

New York had 10 hits and four walks but could manage only two runs, hitting into three double plays and stranding nine runners. The loss dropped the Mets 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East, but they maintained a four-game lead over Cincinnati for the wild card.

"When you go extra innings, you feel like you should win, especially at home," said New York's Robin Ventura, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. "But you have to give them credit and look forward to tomorrow."

The Mets broke a 1-1 tie in an adventurous fifth inning for Rockies catcher Ben Petrick, playing his second game in the majors. Rickey Henderson hit a one-out single and advanced to third on a wild pitch when Petrick couldn't see the ball underneath stools near the Mets' dugout.

After Edgardo Alfonzo's RBI single, Petrick got crossed up by Jamey Wright and was hit in the left shoulder by a fastball, allowing Alfonzo to advance to second.

"That didn't feel very good," said Petrick, who put white paint on his fingers between innings. "After getting hit by a Jamey Wright fastball, I didn't expect to be able to feel my arm.

Petrick later had a passed ball in the inning, allowing Alfonzo to move to third, but Wright got Mike Piazza on an inning-ending groundout.

One day after receiving six stitches over his left eye from a punch by teammate Luis Lopez, Rey Ordonez started at shortstop. He appeared to have no problem with his vision, going 1-for-4 and making all the plays in the field.

The game was played with one veteran umpire, one permanent replacement and two minor leaguers. Valentine tried to coax a balk call out of one of the newcomers, first-base umpire Rob Cook, when Helton received a pickoff throw about 5 feet from first.

Rapuano, the only veteran on the crew, quickly ran down to first base to intercede.

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