R.A. Dickey still needs to work on his endings. He was brilliant last Monday in Houston, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning, only to lose his chance at victory during a five-batter stumble. And he was even better Sunday, only to lose his shutout during a quick flash of offense in the ninth.

In all other matters, Dickey has been everything the Mets have asked him to be. With a knuckleball that his teammates described as "nasty" and "dirty," he came within three outs of a shutout Sunday at Citi Field, in what became a 3-1 victory over the D-backs.

"I see what he's doing," second baseman Daniel Murphy said, "and I'm really glad he's on my side."

If Dickey was sharp last week in holding the Astros hitless through five, he was sharper Sunday over his first three perfect innings. No Arizona batter reached base until Gerardo Parra hit a perfectly placed fly ball down the left-field line for