Who would have guessed a late May game against the Florida Marlins would be such a big deal for the fourth-place Mets?
There was no bunting broken out at Shea Stadium, but staff ace Johan Santana was on the mound to try and help right the ship Tuesday night against the first-place Fish.
It worked.
The Mets won 5-3 behind Santana and some timely hits from a few role players, leaving everyone in the home clubhouse feeling much better afterwards. Manager Willie Randolph at least looked happier.
“We have some chemistry (in this clubhouse),” Santana said. “We’re just struggling, top to bottom and you can’t point the finger at anyone. We just have to go out and (play) with more consistency.”
Santana has yet to walk on water at Shea this season - which man people expect to happen when it gets warmer out - but he did have to pitch in it with a brief shower interrupting his seven-inning performance.
After retiring the side in the first inning, Santana looked like Oliver Perez in the second, but managed to escape with only one run allowed despite giving up three hits. It didn’t get much prettier the rest of the way as Santana ran into trouble every inning.
The final total on the left-hander – seven innings, eight hits, three earned runs, two walks, two wild pitches, seven strikeouts and one home run. The homer was to Cody Ross in the sixth – and was a solo shot - which proved to the 47,093 in attendance it was really Santana and not Perez on the mound.
Of the 12 home runs Santana has allowed this season, nine of them have been solo shots. He has allowed seven homers at Shea, with at least one in each of his four starts there.
“Every time out is a new experience for me,” Santana said. “I’m trying to do the best I can. … I feel good but I am still making progress.”
By the way, the real Oliver Perez (4-3, 4.53 ERA) pitches for the Mets tonight against lefty Scott Olsen (4-2, 3.38).

FERNANDO-MANIA PART II – With Ryan Church out of the lineup, perhaps there’s a new Met for fans to feel good about – Fernando Tatis.
To be perfectly frank, I figured the odds were much greater that the next diamond I would see Tatis on would be Harbor Yard, not Shea Stadium. Anyhow, Tatis disappeared from the majors after dabbling with the Orioles in 2006 only to resurface this season as a Met.
While many forgot about the 33-year-old who once hit 34 homers in a season (1999 with the Cardinals), he was on Mets GM Omar Minaya’s radar and invited to spring training.
After opening in the minors, Tatis was called up May 14 to serve as a bench player and has been swinging a decent bat. Tatis was on base three times Tuesday, including two RBI-singles and was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning.
“The bench did a good job for us tonight and Tatis got a couple big hits,” Randolph said.

HE CAN SEE AGAIN – While visiting in the Marlins clubhouse before the game, I had an interesting conversation with their staff ace Mark Hendrickson. At 6-foot-2, it’s not often I worry about players towering over me, but the 6-9 Hendrickson is an exception. He is after all a former NBA player who played four seasons in the league with four teams (Philadelphia, New Jersey, Sacramento and Cleveland) from 1996-2000. Philly took Hendrickson in the second round of the 1996 draft out of Washington State.
Fortunately, we sat for the chat until Jacque Jones returned to his locker and I had to surrender my seat - make that his seat.
Anyhow, Hendrickson is one of the biggest surprises on the feel-good Marlins this season with a 7-2 record and 4.14 ERA.
The big fellow appeared destine for retirement in a second professional sport after a woeful 4-8 record and 5.21 ERA with the Dodgers last season. However, a little modern technology has helped Hendrickson find his game – and his eye eight. Hendrickson had laser eye surgery in the off-season.
“Initially I thought it would help my hitting more,” Hendrickson said. “It’s helped relax my eyes as far as trying to adjust and focus – even on the catcher’s glove.
The surgery worked for his hitting, too. Hendrickson is batting .333 with two doubles, a triple and one RBI.

FEELING LIKE A MET – Marlins starting pitcher Andrew Miller might have thought he was in the wrong uniform Tuesday night with all the boos he accumulated over four-plus innings.
Mets fans treated him like one of their own by booing repeated pickoff throws to first base in the early innings and also when he intentionally walked Beltran in the fifth.
Miller received a few mock cheers when he was pulled in the fifth inning after Tatis’ second RBI-single of the night.

WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID? Before Tuesday’s game, I asked hot-hitting Marlin second baseman Dan Uggla about his recent power surge.
In May. Uggla has been hitting .376 with 12 homers and 26 RBIs, and is tied for the MLB-lead in long balls with 16 overall. He came into the game hitting .333 with two homers and six RBIs in his last four contests.
“I don’t know, I don’t worry about it,” Uggla said of the numbers.
Teammate Luis Gonzalez said Uggla prefers not to talk about his hitting.
Of course, Uggla went out after our pep talk and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The second “K” came on an 80-mph Santana change-up to end the top of the seventh with the tying run on base. I decided not to stop into the locker room and ask about his hitting after the game.