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Final Score: Colorado 1 - NY Mets 2

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Damion Easley's solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning was the difference, as the red-hot New York Mets edged the Colorado Rockies, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Shea Stadium.

Easley finished 2-for-3 with a walk for the Mets, who have won a season-high seven games in a row. Jose Reyes was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single.

Oliver Perez allowed one run on two hits with seven strikeouts and six walks in six-plus innings but did not receive a decision. Pedro Feliciano (2-2) recorded the final out in the eighth inning to pick up the win, and Billy Wagner tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to collect his 21st save.

The Mets pitching staff has surrendered just three hits in each of their last four games.

Before the game, it was announced that Mets third baseman David Wright will replace Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano on the National League roster in the All-Star Game next Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

Brad Hawpe was 2-for-3 with a home run for Colorado, which has dropped three of its last four games. Chris Iannetta tallied the other hit for the Rockies.

"We pitched well enough to win tonight, we had some opportunities and didn't get the job done," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

Aaron Cook gave up one run on six hits and fanned three in his six innings of work. Taylor Buchholz (3-3) was saddled with the loss after he yielded the go- ahead run in the eighth.

For the third inning in a row, the Rockies squandered an opportunity with the bases loaded. Duaner Sanchez relieved Aaron Heilman to start the top of the eighth and he issued a one-out walk to Garrett Atkins, who moved to second on a base hit by Iannetta. Jeff Baker then grounded into a force out at second, but reached first when Reyes failed to complete the turn. Feliciano was summoned from the bullpen and immediately walked Hawpe before Jayson Nix grounded out weakly to first to end the inning.

With two gone in the bottom half, Easley gave the Mets a 2-1 lead when he hammered a 3-2, knee-high fastball that just cleared the wall in left.

"Fastball down, out over the plate," said Easley. "Wasn't trying to do that at that moment, I was really just trying to go back up the middle and extend the inning. Maybe early in the count I tried to drive one and missed it, so I was trying to go back up the middle. I hit it good, but in that particular area I didn't think I had enough to get it out."

The Rockies went down quietly in the ninth.

Perez did not allow a hit through the first four innings and sent down the first two batters in the top of the fifth before Hawpe sliced a 1-2 curveball over the right-field wall.

The Mets scratched out the tying run in the home half. Brian Schneider lined a one-out single to right, and Hawpe's miscue allowed the runner to take an extra base. Schneider then advanced to third on a groundout from Perez and trotted home on an RBI single by Reyes.

Perez had difficulty locating the strike zone in the sixth, walking the bases loaded. With two away in the frame and Willy Taveras stationed at first, the southpaw issued consecutive free passes to Matt Holliday and Atkins, but managed to get Iannetta to fly out to center fielder Carlos Beltran to end the threat.

The Rockies left the bases loaded again in the seventh. Perez remained in the game for New York and walked Baker to start the inning. The left-hander was lifted in favor of Heilman after Hawpe notched just the second hit for Colorado, a single to right. A sacrifice bunt from Nix moved both runners into scoring position. Heilman then walked pinch-hitter Seth Smith, but fanned Taveras and Clint Barmes to escape trouble.