Reyes wants to be on the field for big games despite limiting oblique strain

Jose Reyes stood in front of his locker before Friday's game against the Braves and said this was too big a series to let that strained right oblique get in the way.

Forget the searing pain when he dives for a ball, or the way he can hit only from the right side, or how he's got to tell his brain to slide feet-first these days.

"This is a huge series for us," he said. Then, more firmly: "I can play even though I'm not 100 percent . . . I may be hurt, but at least I feel like I can be on the field."

As it turned out, he could do more than that. Hobbled though he was, Reyes doubled (hitting from, yes, the right side against righthander Tommy Hanson) to drive in R.A. Dickey from second and tie the score at 2 in the fifth. His dive back into second base on a subsequent pickoff attempt by Hanson told the rest of the story.

Reyes said he was careful on the dive back to the bag, twisting his body to land on his left side. Though he showed visible signs of discomfort on the play and packed his rib cage in an Ace bandage after the game, "I didn't put too much pressure from that side,'' he said.

"If I dive for a ball, yeah, it's going to hurt a lot," Reyes said. Although holding back was an option, "when you're in the middle of a game, a lot of things can happen. I don't know how I'm going to handle it."

The news was mostly good for Reyes. MRI results revealed no stress fractures and doctors said his oblique and rib cage "look completely normal," according to Mets officials. Still, Reyes, who missed six games earlier this month, said the discomfort is affecting his game.

Reyes' pain while batting lefthanded has meant three games of batting righthanded against righthanded pitchers. On Friday, he dropped down to the two spot for the first time since June 22, 2005, against the Phillies. Reyes' error on a grounder by Troy Glaus in the first inning led to an unearned run. He went 1-for-3 with a strikeout, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI.

"It's not easy," said Reyes, adding that one of the biggest challenges was adjusting to breaking pitches from the other side. "I've been fighting. I'm not used to it."

Sitting him isn't an option, manager Jerry Manuel said, and the stretch is a good learning experience. "The more time he sees things like that,'' he said, "the better he's going to be."

As it stands, Reyes' contributions and stubbornness make it tough to keep his name out of the lineup.

"He is the most difficult guy when it comes to playing to reason with," Manuel said. "I think it's a good message to the team that this guy is out fighting, scrapping and trying to get it done."

With the break looming and an 11-game West Coast trip after that, Manuel stressed the importance of going out strong and how Reyes is often the key to the Mets' ignition.

"He understands the magnitude of what's going on and how important it is when he's on the field," Manuel said. "Jose wants to play in the worst way."