TOPIC: came roaring out of their first-round bye

In line for his first win in more than two months Youth Chase Edmonds Jersey , Zack Wheeler had to watch as the New York Mets bullpen turned a five-run lead into a two-run deficit.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the struggling Mets 8-6 on Tuesday night.

”Wheeler threw a gem,” said Mets reliever Anthony Swarzak, who allowed three runs. ”We should have won this game.”

Yangervis Solarte hit a game-tying three-run home run off Robert Gsellman in the seventh before Gurriel Jr. went deep off Tim Peterson (1-1) in the eighth as the Blue Jays won for the 11th time in 14 home games.

”A couple of pitches that we didn’t quite execute, and they put them out of the park,” New York manager Mickey Callaway said.

The Mets have lost 11 of 13.

John Axford (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings to earn the win. Tyler Clippard got the final out for his sixth save in 10 opportunities, stranding runners at first and second.

Wheeler allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings but was denied his first victory since April 29 at San Diego.

”He did great job tonight,” Callaway said. ”Obviously deserved a better fate than he got.”

Wheeler pitched seven scoreless innings against Pittsburgh in his previous start but the Mets lost 5-3.

”This is a good little stretch right now and hopefully I can keep it going,” Wheeler said.

Asdrubal Cabrera and Devin Mesoraco each hit two-run home runs for the Mets. Wilmer Flores added a solo shot.

Cabrera connected against Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada in the first and Mesoraco homered off Jake Petricka in the second.

Estrada was removed after 12 pitches because of a sore left hip. He faced three batters and got one out. Estrada allowed two runs and one hit.

”His left hip has been bothering him a little bit,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ”It was bothering him in his last start but it was worse tonight.”

X-rays were negative. Estrada was undergoing an MRI following the game.

Petricka replaced Estrada and pitched 2 2/3 innings.

Mets outfielder Jose Bautista went 1 for 2 with a single and three walks in his first game in Toronto since leaving the Blue Jays at the end of last season, ending a 10-year run north of the border.

The crowd of 24,010 gave Bautista a standing ovation before his first at bat. The two-time home run champion took off his batting helmet and acknowledged both the fans and the Blue Jays dugout before drawing a five-pitch walk and scoring on Cabrera’s 15th homer.

”Great to be recognized, great to acknowledge the fans and great to know they feel good I’m back and wanted to recognize me,” Bautista said.

Bautista made a diving catch to retire Russell Martin for the final out of the second but was charged with a two-base error in the seventh when Randal Grichuk’s single skipped past him and rolled to the wall.

”I was actually going to try to make a play at first,” Bautista said. ”It was a good one to make an attempt, but the ball bounced a little higher than expected.”

Kevin Plawecki replaced Mesoraco at catcher in the seventh. Mesoraco was struck on the helmet by the carom when Travis was hit by a pitch in the fifth. Mesoraco was hit again by a swing in the sixth.

Callaway said Mesoraco passed concussion tests but would be monitored overnight.

TUNED IN

The Blue Jays played Bautista’s old walk-up music, Usher’s ”OMG,” before his first at bat. ”That caught me by surprise,” Bautista said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: OF Yoenis Cespedes (right hip) felt fine after running a series of sprints Monday, manager Mickey Callaway said. It was the first time Cespedes had run since leaving a minor league rehab game June 9. … RHP Noah Syndergaard (right index finger) and LHP Jason Vargas (right calf) faced each other in a simulated game at the Mets’ spring training facility in Florida Tuesday. Syndergaard threw 50 pitches and Vargas threw 65.

Blue Jays: RHP Seunghawn Oh (flu-like symptoms) was not available. … Minor league 3B prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (left knee) has resumed batting practice and is expected to participate in infield drills this weekend. Guerrero Jr. is working out at Toronto’s spring training facility in Florida.

UP NEXT

Mets RHP Corey Oswalt (0-1, 9.82) faces Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman (1-5, 6.02) in Wednesday’s series finale. Oswalt made his major league debut against Miami on June 29, allowing six runs in 2 2/3 innings. Stroman won for the first time this season in his previous outing Youth Calvin Ridley Jersey , pitching seven innings against Detroit.

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As Case Keenum convened the Minnesota huddle with 10 seconds left, the situation staring down the Vikings was as simple as it was daunting.

With the go-ahead field goal by the New Orleans Saints that silenced this deafening stadium still fresh in the air, the Vikings were well beyond any moment of anxiety. All that was left for Keenum to do on that last snap was to throw the ball up like he used to do in his Texas backyards and hope for the best.

Keenum completed his last-ditch heave near the sideline Sunday on the game’s final play to Stefon Diggs, who slithered away from the Saints for a 61-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 29-24 victory and a spot in the NFC championship game at Philadelphia.

”At that point, I’m just a kid throwing a football to another big kid,” Keenum said with a smile, ”and he just runs and scores.”

One more win, against the Eagles, and the Vikings will become the first team to play in a Super Bowl on their home turf. Instead of the usual win-or-go-home stakes, they’re in a win-and-go-home situation.

”It never ends that way,” Diggs said. ”Usually, it’s reality. It’s life. So things go and you walk home and worry it about tomorrow.”

Instead, Drew Brees and the Saints were the ones trudging off the field in defeat.

”We’re still a bit shell-shocked after what happened there at the end,” said Brees, who steered the Saints in position for Wil Lutz’s 43-yard kick with 25 seconds remaining that punctuating a forceful rally from a 17-point deficit that stood until 1:16 was left in the third quarter.

The field goal was set up by a fourth-and-10 completion by Brees to Willie Snead for 13 yards to the Minnesota 33 with 40 seconds left. Brees connected with Michael Thomas for two of his three touchdown passes in a span of 3:09 that spilled into the fourth quarter. The second score was set up at the Minnesota 40 by an interception by Marcus Williams, when an off-balance throw into traffic by Keenum served as his one costly moment of recklessness, a ”bonehead play,” as he put it.

Keenum settled back in. He guided the Vikings to two more field goals by Kai Forbath, including a 53-yarder with 1:29 left that was his third of the game against his former team and gave them their lead back after a blocked punt by George Johnson had set up the Saints for a touchdown pass by Brees to Alvin Kamara.

Then came the play that put Keenum and Diggs in permanent rotation on the NFL’s all-time highlight reels.

”We knew there was still a possibility, still some hope,” Keenum said.

This wasn’t quite Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1972 playoffs, but these Vikings are on some kind of special path after turning to Keenum in the second game of the season after original starter Sam Bradford was sidelined by a knee injury.

The Vikings were out of timeouts and nearly out of options when Keenum dropped back from his 39 and threw high into a crowd. Diggs jumped in front of Williams Youth Hayden Hurst Jersey , who rolled awkwardly underneath Diggs during an ill-fated attempt at making a low tackle.

Devastatingly for the Saints, nobody was behind him in the secondary, as Diggs made sure to note right before he made the break on his route during the play the Vikings, believe it or not, call ”Seven Heaven.”

Diggs kept his balance as he landed, kept his feet in bounds and kept on running untouched into the end zone as the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium erupted with euphoria. Keenum raced around the field, looking for anyone to hug.

”I’m shocked. I don’t know what else to say. This is the first time ever I’m out of words,” Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said.

Keenum, the undrafted and undersized all-time leading passer in NCAA history who was making his first career playoff start and has long looked up to Brees, was having a hard time finding the words to describe the experience. He finished with 318 yards, going 25 for 40, with Diggs catching 137 yards on six catches.

”A heck of a game, wasn’t it?” head coach Mike Zimmer said. ”And the good guys won.”

Diggs was still in full uniform when he took the podium for his postgame interview, the ball from the winning catch resting safely in front of him on the lectern.

”It’s plays like this that you dream about your whole life,” he said, ”and it finally happens.”

PICKED OFF

Brees saw his 13th career postseason game end in a crushing final moment, his 25-for-40 performance for 294 yards tainted a bit by two interceptions before halftime. One came on a leaping grab by safety Andrew Sendejo , the other off a tip by Griffen that landed in Anthony Barr’s arms at the Minnesota 10-yard line midway through the third quarter.

FIRST-HALF FORCE

The Vikings came roaring out of their first-round bye, forcing punts by the Saints on their first three possessions and moving 55 yards in eight plays for a touchdown run by Jerick McKinnon on their first drive. Aided by two pass interference calls on Ken Crawley for 54 yards, the Vikings reached the 1-yard line before settling for a short field goal on the next possession. They pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter when Latavius Murray plowed in from the 1-yard line.

”The Vikings had a phenomenal game plan,” Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said.

The only other time the Saints went scoreless in the first half of a postseason game was five years ago. They fell behind 16-0 at Seattle in the divisional round and lost 23-15 to the eventual Super Bowl champions.