And everything returns to normal. The new normal of ’06, that is. Xavier Nady, give it to me.  Xavier Nady, give it to me two time.

Jose Reyes: Still on fire.

Steve Trachsel: Hey, that was a homer AND a quality start.

The Mets showed many a flash of what made them 9-1 on the road in a nice 9-2 stomping of the Reds on Tuesday. Combined with Philly’s loss to the Yankees — really, a pox on all of their houses, and throw the Braves in there, too — the Mets’ magic number took a dip to …

83.

Of course, that’s over the Phillies, who again dropped to 9 1/2 games out of first. The Mets are back on pace to win 102 games on the season.