Lowe not high on shift

NEW YORK -- The waiting really was the hardest part for Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, who had played in more regular-season games (1,711) than any other active player who had never been to the playoffs.

The 14-year veteran made his introduction to postseason play look easy yesterday, tying a club playoff record with four hits, including a 470-foot home run and two singles off Derek Lowe. Delgado claimed he had his emotions under control, but a dissenting vote was cast by Mets third baseman David Wright, who was the first to greet Delgado after he drove a 2-and-1 curveball from Lowe off the camera well in center in the fourth . ``For the record," Wright said, ``he definitely did not control his emotions. He almost took my arm off, hitting my hand on the home run."

Lowe grumbled afterward about the Dodgers' overshifted defense against Delgado.

``I'm not a proponent of freak defenses," Lowe said. ``A guy hits the ball, you kind of anticipate where guys are going to be. I don't look around where people are. We clearly had the shift on, and it didn't work three times."

The third time came against reliever Brad Penny, who gave up the single to Delgado that broke a 4-all tie in the seventh and was followed by Wright's bloop double to right.

``Normally, we play guys straight up," Lowe said, ``but clearly there's some data that shows something else, and they scored."

Lowe, who was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks (one intentional) in 5 1/3 innings, took the loss in his first postseason appearance since winning all three clinching games in Boston's run to a World Series title in 2004. He said he was grabbing a bat and didn't see the second-inning play in which two Dodgers base runners were cut down at the plate on Russell Martin's single.

``He hits it, you're thinking a double, maybe a home run," Lowe said. ``To not score at all and get two guys thrown out at home plate, it was definitely a crazy play. I wish I had a better view of why certain things happened, but I couldn't see because of all the people in front of me."

Penny, too, took note of the shift on Delgado. ``Unfortunately, he's a guy we play to pull, and he went the other way."

Penny, who had made only one relief appearance this season, might have started yesterday except for back spasms. He is penciled in for a possible start Game 4, and said he had no problems with being used out of the pen. ``This time of year, you gotta be out there and pitch when you're called on," said Penny, who had pitched in relief for the Marlins during their 2003 postseason run.

Roger Angell, the 86-year-old legend who still writes for the New Yorker, was taken back in time by the Dodgers' base-running blunder. ``I saw that happen in 1933, in Yankee Stadium," Angell said. ``A ball was doubled to the wall, and Luke Sewell, the Washington catcher, tagged out first Lou Gehrig, then Dixie Walker. I was a kid. Broke my heart." A check of the records proved Angell unerring: It happened April 29, 1933 . . . Pedro Martínez, who is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery today, did not appear on the field for pregame introductions, but appeared in the Mets' dugout midgame and received an ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard . . . Orlando Hernandez, with a torn calf muscle, almost certainly will miss the National League Championship Series if the Mets advance, according to Randolph, who held out a slim hope that he might be back if the Mets are in the World Series . . . David Wells gets the start for San Diego this afternoon as the Padres attempt to knot their NL Division Series with the Cardinals at a game apiece.