Bay back in cleanup spot

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Terry Collins returned Jason Bay to the cleanup spot Friday night against the Rangers' Matt Harrison, and the manager suggested it could be a regular occurrence against lefthanded starters. Bay went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts Wednesday in the No. 4 hole, but Collins remained undeterred.

"I know he had a bad day the other day hitting behind Carlos [Beltran], but he's still a dangerous guy," Collins said. "He's still a threat. They know it, everybody knows it, so you got to pitch him careful. If you're going to just pitch around Carlos, he can do some damage."

Bay had three singles in four trips Friday and is hitting .340 (16-for-47) in his last 12 games. Bay was 3-for-3 Tuesday, getting his first home run since May 13, and is hitting .241 for the season.

Beltran: RF then DH

Back in spring training, when Beltran's vulnerable knees were a concern, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that he would DH whenever possible. But Scott Hairston was inserted into that role Friday night against the Rangers, and after talking with Beltran, Collins planned to use him in rightfield for the first two games before using him as the DH Sunday.

"He's shown himself physically to be in great shape," Collins said.

On Saturday, Collins wants to get Lucas Duda back into the lineup, possibly at first base, with someone else as the DH.

Capuano status uncertain

The Mets are waiting on Chris Capuano's bullpen session this weekend before clearing him to make his next start, but Collins is hopeful that he will be OK after leaving Thursday's start because of abdominal cramps. With a day off Monday, the Mets have the flexibility to skip Capuano if necessary to give him the extra rest.