Rookie Davis hits first career homer, Jones’ error leads to crazy play as Mets beat Braves 5-2

Davis hits first HR, Jones’ error helps Mets win

NEW YORK — Ike Davis hit a 450-foot shot for his first major league homer to win a matchup of prize rookies and the New York Mets added a crazy run on Chipper Jones’ error Friday night in a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Emergency reliever Hisanori Takahashi excelled after John Maine left with an odd injury, helping the Mets win for the fourth time in five games.

Atlanta lost its third in a row. Nate McLouth nearly tied it in the ninth, but his bid for a tying, three-run homer off Francisco Rodriguez barely hooked foul.

Davis delivered a monster drive while Atlanta newcomer Jason Heyward struck out three times in going 0 for 4. Davis made it 1-all in the fifth inning by homering far beyond the right-center field wall, and he briskly made his way around the bases before getting an enthusiastic greeting in the dugout.

Normally a Mets nemesis, Jones hit an early RBI single a day before his 38th birthday. But he let a foul pop drop in the sixth for an error, then made a bigger mistake in the seventh that triggered a beyond-bizarre play.

The Mets led 3-2 and had runners on first and second with one out when Jose Reyes lifted a high popup. The infield-fly rule was called, meaning Reyes was automatically out and the runners could advance at their own risk.

Jones cut in front of shortstop Omar Infante and the ball glanced off the glove of the All-Star third baseman. The ball caromed to catcher Brian McCann, who saw Reyes standing at first base — even though Reyes was out, players often lose track of tricky rules.

McCann ran down the first base line and flipped the ball to first baseman Eric Hinske, just to be sure. When he did, Angel Pagan kept running from second and made a headfirst dive home to beat Hinske’s return throw to Jones. David Wright followed with an RBI single for a 5-2 lead.

Takahashi (1-1) took over after Maine, a right-hander, left with two outs in the fourth with pain and a muscle spasm in his left elbow. The 35-year-old rookie from Japan struck out seven in three innings — along with his first major league win, he singled in his first big league at-bat.

Rodriguez held on for his second save.

Reyes was moved into the third spot in the batting order for the first time and responded by hustling for a double and streaking for a triple.

Reyes and Jason Bay hit back-to-back triples to the same deep part of right-center field in the sixth against Kenshin Kawakami (0-3). Wright followed with a sacrifice fly that made it 3-1.

Jones put Atlanta ahead 1-0 with a two-out single in the third, and Heyward came to bat later in the inning with the bases loaded. Instead of his first career slam, he swung through an 89 mph fastball from Maine and struck out.

NOTES: Atlanta made four errors. … Slumping 1B Troy Glaus and SS Yunel Escobar did not start for Atlanta. Manager Bobby Cox said he wanted to give them a break. … Reyes had made 591 straight starts in the leadoff spot. Only two active players had been in their same slot longer — St. Louis’ Albert Pujols (1,023 times batting third) and Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki (896 at leadoff), the Elias Sports Bureau said.