Maine has a bone spur behind his right shoulder that will require offseason surgery to shave.

Manuel suggested Maine, who had 15 wins last season in the rotation, would be used for no more than one-inning spurts. He would need ample time to warm up, akin to a starting pitcher's preparation, so it would be unlikely Maine would enter in the middle of an inning with inherited runners.

The Mets' bullpen has been a disaster.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen, who posts inspirational messages to his pitchers daily on a clubhouse wall along with the workout schedule and upcoming rotation, resorted to humor in his latest handiwork:

"Think of it this way," Warthen wrote. "Our TV ratings are sky high because no one turns the game off before they are over. If nothing else, we are exciting."

CUBS 9, METS 5: Rookie Jon Niese allowed six runs, including a grand slam to opposing pitcher Jason Marquis, in three-plus innings to suffer his first major-league loss. The Mets' wild-card lead dipped to one game over the idle Brewers. The Mets got a two-run homer from David Wright and placed two runners on base in the seventh with two out, but Chicago lefthander Neal Cotts retired Ryan Church on a pop-out to shortstop and the Cubs maintained a four-run lead.