Remaining at second, Murphy continues to learn

PHILADELPHIA -- The byproduct of David Wright's return to the lineup Saturday was that the Daniel Murphy third-base experiment never came to pass. Willing to shift to third in Wright's potential absence, Murphy instead stayed at second base, where he has played in each of the Mets' first eight games.

Though Murphy has hardly thrived at the position, committing his second error in Friday's game and struggling on double-play attempts in particular, manager Terry Collins believes the only way his second baseman will improve is by continuing to play.

"You better grow from it," Collins said. "I'm not going to keep pulling out every guy that we think has got a defensive liability. We can't do it. We don't have enough players. That's not fair. These guys, they've got to be able to make those plays, and I think Dan's going to be fine doing it."