Nieuwenheis homers twice to help Mets sweep Rays

The only thing the Mets didn't leave Tropicana Field with after a three-day romp was R.A. Dickey's disputed one-hitter. What they discovered during their stay, however, should serve them well in winding down the most difficult stretch of their schedule.

Despite Johan Santana still showing some side effects from his exhausting June 1 no-hitter, his five serviceable innings were enough of a head start as the Mets again pounded the Rays in a 9-6 victory that completed the sweep Thursday.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered twice, including to lead off the game; Jason Bay also went deep for the first time since April 20; and Lucas Duda had three RBIs as the Mets rallied from an early 3-2 deficit to deal Jeremy Hellickson the worst beating of his career.

The Mets entered this series averaging 4.30 runs. In three games, they scored 29 against a Rays' pitching staff that had the third-best ERA (3.60) in the American League.

Santana (4-3) needed 96 pitches to stick around long enough for the win and hasn't done enough yet to put Terry Collins' mind at ease. He walked four and struck out six. Jon Rauch bailed out Santana in the sixth -- getting three outs to strand the bases loaded.

Rauch combined with Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak to retire nine straight before Miguel Batista had to be rescued in the ninth. The Rays nicked Batista for a walk, two hits and a run before Frank Francisco got the final two outs for his 16th save. With two on, Francisco whiffed B.J. Upton but walked Hideki Matsui to load the bases. Only then did Francisco strike out Ben Zobrist, who failed to check his swing on a 3-and-2 splitter.