"The constant texts from friends, with their real-time updates about Ryan Braun's at-bats, make it impossible for Jose Reyes to forget that he is striving for the first batting title in Mets history. But Reyes also knows that if he savors the pursuit, he will undermine it.

A few hours before Wednesday night's 3-2 win over Florida - in which he knocked two hits and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a Lucas Duda single - Reyes was miming a batting stance in front of his locker at Citi Field and speaking with the chuckle that accompanies most of his sentences.

"I can't go to home plate and think about it, you know?" he said. "Because that's not going to work out. If I start to think about that, I'm going to put pressure on myself. I'm just going to continue to play the game, and whatever happens, happens."

Now that he has returned from a second hamstring-related visit to the disabled list, Reyes can resume the most interesting competition remaining in the Mets' season.

After Reyes went 2-for-4 with a double Wednesday night, his .336 average led the National League; Braun, the slugger from Milwaukee, was second at .333 after going 2-for-4 against St. Louis.

Reyes prefers to avoid talk of the race. This is not a cliched "I'm just trying to focus on the team" sort of thing. It is a realization that a clear mind leads to a high batting average.

Friends and teammates, though, are increasingly attentive, so ignoring it has become more difficult.

"A lot of friends do (send texts)," Reyes said. "'(Braun) did this. He did that.'""