ATLANTA -- While the state of Pedro Martinez's right calf has rightfully dominated the news, the left leg of Cliff Floyd also has been a recurring problem, and one which surfaced once again on Thursday.

But Floyd's problems are not nearly as drastic as Pedro's and will only cost the left fielder Thursday night's series finale in Atlanta. Floyd went back to New York to get a cortisone shot in his left ankle. Endy Chavez started in his place in left field.

It has been a tough season for Floyd, who started slowly then spent two stints on the disabled list, first with a sprained left ankle, then with tendinitis in his left Achillies.

The Mets left fielder, who has been limited to 96 games, is hitting only .243, his lowest average since 1997, when he was with the Florida Marlins, with 11 homers and 43 RBIs. The last time Floyd hit as few homers as 11 and drove in fewer than 50 runs was 1999, when he played in only 69 games because of left knee and right Achillies' tendon injuries.

Floyd will rejoin the team in Washington and will be available for the Mets' Friday night game against the Nationals.

Can't hardly wait: Fans who can't wait for the postseason to begin can get fired up by tuning in to SNY.

Beginning on Monday at 7 p.m. ET, SNY will air the premiere of "Mets Postseason Live!," which will feature Ron Darling, Gary Cohen, Matt Yallof and other baseball experts breaking down the playoff matchups.

Airing live in the plaza outside of SNY's street-level studio at 51st Street and 6th Avenue, "Mets Postseason Live!" will also include in-depth pre- and postgame shows book-ending every Mets playoff game, with highlighted by on-site reports from each game.

On Tuesday, SNY will carry live coverage of the New York Mets Postseason Rally at noon, which will take place outside the studio. Fans wishing to attend the rally can enter the studio at 7th Avenue and 51st Street. Among the featured guests will be Mets legends Mookie Wilson and Jerry Koosman, who, respectively, helped lead the Mets to their 1986 and 1969 World Series championships.

Cohen-y's Island: In addition to Cohen's extensive participation in SNY's postseason coverage, the Mets play-by-play man will make guest appearances in WFAN's radio booth, working two innings for each Mets postseason game. Beginning in the fifth inning, Cohen will join WFAN's Howie Rose in the radio booth while serving as the color commentator, then switching to the play-by-play role in the sixth inning and working with Tom McCarthy.

This date in Mets history, Sept. 29: The man who would put the amazin' in the Mets, Casey Stengel, agreed to come out of retirement to manage the expansion franchise in New York on this date in 1961. Stengel, 71, and a nearly a year removed from his Yankees tenure, weighed the Mets' offer for two months before accepting.

Tom Seaver became a 20-game winner for the third time in four seasons on this date in 1972, when he pitched a 13-strikeout two-hitter in the Mets' 1-0 victory in Pittsburgh.

In 1985, with a three-game series with the first-place Cardinals to begin the following night in St. Louis, the second-place Mets moved to within three games of first with a 9-7, 12-inning victory in Pittsburgh. Gary Carter's two-run home run was decisive.

Six days after hitting a home run in the 11th inning to beat the Mets at Shea Stadium, Brian Jordan hit a grand slam off John Franco in a seven-run ninth-inning rally that defeated the Mets, 8-5, at Turner Field on this date in 2001. The victory snuffed out the Mets' flickering chances of catching the Braves. The third-place Mets trailed the Phillies by two games and the Braves by five with seven games remaining.

Coming up: Off to D.C. and the last series of the regular season. The Mets face the Nationals and Tony Armas Jr. at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday. John Maine starts for the Mets.

A victory assures the Mets of winning the season series against the last-place team in the NL East. The Mets have winning records against all National League teams other than the Brewers, Cubs and Giants. They're 3-3 against each of those three.