"Jason Bay finally snapped a streak of 89 at-bats without an extra-base hit and 104 without a home run when he blasted a shot off the façade of the second deck Tuesday. While he wasn't about to declare all his problems solved, the Mets felt good enough to put him in the cleanup spot Wednesday night.

Bay shrugged off the change and was unaware of it when he spoke to the media. He said he doesn't check the lineup until he heads out to stretch.

"I expected to play when I got here today," Bay said. "If I'm batting ninth, I could care less, so nothing changes."

Bay has hit .353 over his last nine games, so the recovery isn't a fluke. But cleanup? It had as much to do with Oakland's tough left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

"We've talked enough, and I know no matter where I put him, he'll say, 'Fine,'" manager Terry Collins said. "He doesn't care.''"