Mets piling up the outfield assists

WASHINGTON -- Running on the Mets' outfield has been a perilous exercise for opposing baserunners this season.

Entering Friday, New York has racked up 29 outfield assists, its most since it picked up 34 in 2010. The club ranks fourth in the Majors and second in the National League, behind only the D-backs. That's a vast improvement over last season, when its 18 outfield assists tied for the second-lowest mark in the Majors.

"I guess I need to tip my hat to the outfield coach [Tom Goodwin] for the job he's done to keep them working on the little things all year long, no matter who's been out there," Mets manager Terry Collins said.

While the Mets don't take infield before games, they do practice throwing to the bases.

"So I credit Tom for making sure that each week, especially every homestand, that we do the little things, and that's trying to work on our accuracy, our throwing accuracy," Collins said. "And again, we've been lucky. We've got guys that have good arms, too."

Collins mentioned the since-traded Marlon Byrd (seven assists) and Juan Lagares, whose 11 assists are tied for the NL lead. They also put him one short of tying Tsuyoshi Shinjo's rookie franchise record, set in 2001.

Collins said that he has noticed teams running less on the Mets' outfield of late, and especially on Lagares.