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Daniel Murphy has three doubles, two home runs and a triple in 32 plate appearances this season.

(Al Bello/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA – With the exception of the red-hot John Buck, Daniel Murphy has been the Mets’ top slugger through eight games this season.

The second baseman has an extra-base hit in five consecutive games. Entering tonight, he already has three doubles, two home runs and a triple in 32 plate appearances. Last season, his first home run did not come until June 27, when he hit two.

If he continues close to that pace, the Mets may be forced to move him down from second in the batting order.

“The way he’s swinging right now,” Collins said, “if he continues to produce runs, you’ve got to get him in the middle of the lineup. To where he’s going to drive in some runs.

Murphy is slugging .700 and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage is an astronomical 1.075. The sample size is tiny, but the power display still is a surprise for a player who spent much of spring training recovering from a strained intercostal.

Collins said Murphy’s success is partly the product to a lower-body adjustment to his swing.

“It always seems like he’s standing at second because he’s a doubles machine when he’s swinging good,” Collins said. He gets himself in scoring position.

“But if we continue to struggle in the middle of the lineup, certainly there’s a chance he might be down there some time.”

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The Mets leadoff hitter changes nearly by the day, but Collins has made one thing certain: when Jordany Valdespin starts, he will leadoff. Valdespin is starting in center field tonight and, therefore, is leading off against the Phillies’ Kyle Kendrick.

“He’s a different kind of player,” Collins said. “He can maybe really ignite you early by hitting a double or hitting one over the fence in the first inning. He’s got that capability. And if he doesn’t, he’s got the capability to certainly, if he gets on, stealing second and creating runs.”

This will be Valdespin’s second start. He started last Friday in the Mets’ 7-5 loss to the Marlins. Valdespin entered Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning in leftfield. He later tripled and scored the Mets' final run in the 8-3 loss.

He has three hits and a walk in 12 plate appearances.

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Collins was never an interleague play supporter and Major League Baseball’s decision to spread interleague games throughout the season doesn’t help.

The Mets begin their first interleague series of the season Friday in Minnesota and are making the proper adjustments leading up to the change. The most significant is the handling of their bullpen. With a designated hitter, managers allow relievers to go longer when necessary because they don’t have to hit.

As a result, Collins is planning his bullpen use with the weekend series in mind.

“Dan (Warthen) and I have already discussed the pitching situation this weekend and what we might have to do if someone gets in trouble early,” Collins said. “But I kind of like the way we got it set it up for the series so I think they’re ready to go deep into games.”

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Here are tonight’s lineups:

METS (5-3)

1. CF Jordany Valdespin

2. 2B Daniel Murphy

3. 3B Daniel Murphy

4. 1B Ike Davis

5. C John Buck

6. LF Lucas Duda

7. RF Mike Baxter

8. SS Ruben Tejada

9. RHP Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 1.50 ERA)



Phillies (3-5)

1. CF Ben Revere

2. SS Jimmy Rollins

3. 2B Chase Utley

4. 1B Ryan Howard

5. 3B Michael Young

6. LF Domonic Brown

7. RF John Mayberry, Jr.

8. C Erik Kratz

9. RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 7.94 ERA)