Winless Mets, Randolph not panicking ... yet

ATLANTA -- The New York Mets stumbled into the weekend as baseball's only team without a win.

After three consecutive losing seasons, the Mets were big spenders in the free-agent market during the winter, and didn't envision losing their first five games -- their worst start since opening 0-8 in 1963.

"I think the toughest thing now is not to panic because we're playing good baseball," said right fielder Mike Cameron, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with tendinitis in his left wrist. "We just haven't had a few breaks. Sometimes in New York that can be magnified greatly."

The Mets were swept in their season-opening three-game series at Cincinnati, and have lost the first two games against the Braves. The last thing New York wants is to be winless when it plays its home opener against Houston on Monday.

"We certainly don't want to go home without having won a game," said Tom Glavine, who will start the team's first home game. "Hopefully we can win a couple here and get things going in the right direction."

Now the best the Mets can hope for is to salvage a win in the series finale against the Braves on Sunday.

After finishing a combined 86 games behind the Braves the last three seasons, the Mets entered this year with high expectations.

New York signed All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran to a seven-year, $119 million deal, and Pedro Martinez, one of baseball's elite pitchers the last decade, to a four-year, $53 million contract.

When pitcher Steve Trachsel suffered a back injury in spring training that could keep him out for most or all of the season, general manager Omar Minaya acted quickly, acquiring Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Overall, more than half of the team -- 13 players on the 25-man roster -- is new, and the Mets have the National League's highest payroll at $105 million.

Now, with the team stumbling out of the gate, the emphasis has turned to simply avoiding a panic before the team returns to New York to face impatient fans and media.

However, if the Mets already are pressing, first-year manager Willie Randolph says he doesn't mind.

"Pressing is a natural thing for anyone," Randolph said. "When you want to win and things don't work out, you tend to press. Pressing is just trying a little too hard. I don't mind that."