Fotoalbum » Mets built a 3-1 lead after two innings and made it stick.

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseballs average attendance fell 1.2 per cent this year, with the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies experiencing big drops. The average was 30,514, down from 30,895 last year and the peak of 32,785 in 2007. Total attendance of 74.03 million was down from 74.86 million last season but was the sports sixth-highest. There were 37 postponements this year, up from 21 in 2012. "After the challenges posed by poor weather early in the season, our game showed its resiliency with a terrific second half," commissioner Bud Selig said. After cutting payroll ahead of their second season in a downtown ballpark, the Marlins went 62-100 and experienced a 29 per cent drop in home attendance, from 2.2 million to 1.6 million. The Phillies were 73-89 in their poorest season since 2000 and watched home attendance fall from 3.57 million to just over 3 million. Milwaukee fell from 2.8 million to 2.5 million in a season when NL MVP Ryan Braun was suspended for the final 65 games after admitting he used banned performance-enhancing drugs. Minnesota (66-96) dropped by 298,000 and Texas by 282,000. Toronto rose 437,000 to 2.5 million after acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. The resurgent Los Angeles Dodgers climbed by 419,000 and led the major leagues at 3.7 million. Washington went up by 281,000, Baltimore by 255,000 and Cincinnati by 187,000. Nick Leddy Jersey . "Im excited just for a new start, just to see where things are going, to bring some kind of tradition back to the team and guys being excited about something new," the defensive back said during a conference call Monday after agreeing to stay with the Bombers rather than go to free agency next month. Adam Pelech Jersey http://www.authenticnyislanderspro.com/Cal-clutterbuck-islanders-jersey/ . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. Mathew Barzal Jersey .C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. John Tavares Jersey . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks.ST. LOUIS - Carlos Martinez gets a spot start in place of Adam Wainwright for St. Louis tonight when the Cardinals begin a three-game set with the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. You can watch all the action on TSN and TSN GO beginning at 8pm et/5pm pt. Wainwright was scratched from his scheduled start because of tendinitis in his elbow, although he expects to be able to pitch Saturday against the Phillies when his turn comes around again. Martinez is 0-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 30 relief appearances. Hell be limited to 50-60 pitches in his second career big league start. "I think its part of keeping to our word," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Weve had other opportunities that didnt seem quite right, where the role he was filling in the bullpen didnt really allow this opportunity to bounce him into a start. "We told him to keep working and he was going to get a chance. He still has a big role for us in the bullpen, but this is an opportunity that is also a necessity. We need somebody to step up and be able to take this start for Adam. We believe Carlos can do a good job of that." In a corresponding roster move, the Cardinals called up reliever Nick Greenwood from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. Hell provide some bullpen depth with Martinez on a pitch count. For New York, rookie Jacob deGrom remains winless through six starts despite a 3.44 ERA and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He gave up a career-high nine hits in 5 2/3 innings against Milwaukee his last time out, as he yielded three earned runs and was charged with the loss. Neww York took two of three from the San Diego Padres this weekend, although the team enters this series with an overtaxed bullpen.dddddddddddd On Sunday, the Mets claimed a 3-1 victory as Carlos Torres, Vic Black and Jenrry Mejia combined to throw eight innings of one-run ball after starter Daisuke Matsuzaka exited after just one inning with a severe upset stomach. Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the first with a home run, as the Mets built a 3-1 lead after two innings and made it stick. However, the Mets went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, an area where the team has continued to struggle. "We had opportunities to blow this game open," manager Terry Collins said. "We have to start blowing some games open because its going to take a lot of pressure off a lot of people." The Cardinals are off to a 3-0 start in their 10-game homestand after sweeping Washington over the weekend. The pitching staff combined to allow a total of only three runs for the series. Jaime Garcia allowed just one run in five innings while striking out six in Sundays 5-2 victory. Matt Adams homered in all three games of the weekend series after spending the previous 13 games on the disabled list with tightness in his left calf. Adams, who is hitting at a .412 clip over his last 15 games, is trying to become the first Cardinals player to homer in four straight games since Albert Pujols from June 3-7, 2011. The Mets won three of four against St. Louis when these teams met up at Citi Field from April 21-24. ' ' '