"Jason Bay didn't need last night off. Terry Collins didn't say the left fielder needed a break.

Instead, when asked why Bay was on the bench last night, the Mets manager said it was because he needed to get Willie Harris in the lineup in left field.

And while Harris entered last night's game 7-for-14 against Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens, the move spoke volumes as to how far Bay has fallen.

"I just thought, in this case, with his struggles a little bit, I need Willie to get at-bats," Collins said before last night's 4-3 win.

"I could have taken Angel [Pagan] out. He doesn't have good numbers against [Jurrjens]. I thought this was the best scenario right now."

Bay, who sat for two games earlier in the road trip, continues to not complain about not playing.

"It's just the reality of where I'm at," said Bay, who is just 2-for-30 with no homers and one RBI in June, to go along with 13 strikeouts. He's batting .207 on the season. "