ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning on one ill-fated pitch to Raul Ibanez, Jose Valverde needed a lift, and so did his New York Mets teammates. They got one four innings later from Anthony Recker. The backup catcher, the eighth batter in the lineup, led off the 13th with a home run off rookie Matt Shoemaker and also had a two-run single earlier, leading the Mets to a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. "Obviously, its great to be able to pick him up," Recker said of Valverde. "We want him to have confidence every time he goes out there -- because, lets face it, hes a pretty darn good pitcher. So we dont want to lose that." The Mets evened up their interleague series at a game apiece, but it wasnt easy. Valverde came on in the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead for Jonathon Niese, but the 41-year-old Ibanez drove Valverdes 1-0 pitch deep into the right-field seats after David Freese singled with two outs and Erick Aybar walked. The homer was Ibanezs 302nd in the majors -- and his 2,000th hit. Valverde, who converted all 49 save chances in 2011 for the Tigers, was the 239th pitcher Ibanez has homered against in 19 big league seasons. "Jose wasnt able to come through tonight, but I know he will next time," Recker said. "Hes been there before. Hes been through the good and the bad. Hes a veteran, and hell be OK. We just look forward to moving on from here and getting some more wins." Omar Quintanilla, the Mets No. 9 hitter, provided some temporary insurance in the ninth with a two-run single off Kevin Jepsen. But Valverde, who spent the previous four years in Detroit and lost his closer role last season, ended up with his first blown save in three chances since signing with the Mets as a free agent in February. "We didnt know what was going to happen," manager Terry Collins said. "He didnt pitch a lot last year, so we were hoping that the added rest was going to help him get some arm strength back. And hes throwing the ball very well. Tonights really the worst outing hes had. But the at-bat by Aybar is the one that dismantled him. I was told that when he walks people, he gets in trouble." Shoemaker (0-1), the eighth Angels pitcher, escaped his own bases-loaded jam in the 12th by striking out Juan Lagares. But Recker drove the right-handers second pitch of the 13th into the left-field bullpen for his first homer this season. "The 12th inning was a momentum boost. It got us going and it got me going. That was exciting," Shoemaker said. "I tried to stay in there as long as could to give the team a chance to win. But the next inning, I was supposed to be locating the fastball low and away and definitely missed my spot. It was much higher than it was supposed to be, and he didnt miss it." John Lannan (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for the victory. Niese allowed three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Jered Weaver was charged with four runs, three hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings and struck out five. Lucas Dudas two-out solo homer in the second was the Mets only hit against him until the seventh, when Duda singled Curtis Granderson -- who walked -- to third with two outs. Lagares followed with an RBI single on Weavers 99th and final pitch. "He struggled a little bit with location early, but he was able to get by and still made a lot of pitches to get out of trouble," catcher Chris Iannetta said. "In the middle of the game, I thought he pitched great. That last inning he made one tough pitch and that was it. Other than that, it was a really good ballgame for him. "I think its more of a mechanical issue that hes fighting right now. He just needs to make a couple of adjustments here and there, but its minor. Hell be fine. Im not necessarily worried about that." Recker greeted Fernando Salas with a sinking liner to centre field that bounced off Mike Trouts glove as he attempted to make a diving catch. The hit gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. Iannetta homered for the Angels in the fifth, thwarted an attempted double steal and tagged out a runner at the plate to complete a double play started by left fielder Collin Cowgill -- who also homered against Niese, in the sixth. NOTES: Pujols had 21 homers, 63 RBIs and a .311 average in 71 career games against the Mets during his 11 seasons with St. Louis. ... Weaver is 27-15 with a 3.38 ERA in 51 starts since his no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2, 2012. ... The Angels obtained Cowgill from the Mets last June in a trade that sent OF Kyle Johnson to Flushing. ... Dudas homer was his first in 27 career at-bats as a designated hitter to that point. ... Freese was 0 for 3 against Niese and is hitless in 12 career at-bats against the left-hander, who struck him out with a runner at third to end the fourth. Nike Vapormax 95 Australia . This weeks Raptors Report puts a bow on Gays brief, 10-month tenure in Toronto and ponders how his absence will affect the teams offence. Are they a better team without him? In addition to acquiring some valuable cap flexibility, what impact will the four incoming players have this season and beyond? Click here for the Dec. Nike Tns Mens Australia . - Rookie Kyle Larson will start from the pole position Saturday night in the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway after a thunderstorm arrived just in time to wash out qualifying. http://www.vapormaxaustraliashoes.com/. scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. Nike Vapormax Off White Australia . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Vapormax Sale Australia . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager.Mondays news of pitcher Roy Halladay signing a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays to retire with the club was a surprise - a pleasant one at that - for Blue Jay fans. Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3.25 ERA, nine complete games and 204 strikeouts to earn him the Cy Young Award (making him the fourth - and most recent - Blue Jay to win the honour). He ranks among the top five in Blue Jays history in win percentage, games started and ERA. But where does his 12 seasons with the Blue Jays rank among the greatest players in team history? Any comparison starts with Roberto Alomar. Hes the only player in franchise history with his jersey number retired and the only player to be inducted into Cooperstown as Blue Jay. Alomar was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove in each of his five seasons with Toronto and was a member of both World Series winning teams in 1992 and 1993. Along with his stellar defence, he was also a terror at the plate with the highest average in club history with .307 (minimum 2,000 appearances). Then theres Carlos Delgado, statistically the best slugger in team history. Through his 12 seasons in Toronto, he was the holder of 16 individual team hitting records, three Silver Slugger awards, two All-Star appearances, the Hank Aaron Award in 20000 and was placed in the teams Level of Excellence.dddddddddddd Over his Jays career, he blasted 336 homers, 1,058 RBI and totaled 1,413 runs. How about George Bell, the first true superstar in team history? Bell was an integral piece of the 1985 team that won the American League East - their first postseason appearance. Bell was a three-time All-Star who was named AL MVP in 1987 after posting a .308 batting average, 47 homers and 134 RBI. Then theres Joe Carter, the man responsible for the greatest moment in franchise history. Aside from the walk off three-run home run in Game Six of the 1993 World Series to win it all, Carter had a stellar Blue Jays career. Named an all-star five times, he was a two time Silver Slugger. In seven seasons in Toronto, he hit 203 home runs, 736 RBI and 1,051 hits. Does Halladay rank ahead of Tony Fernandez? Also enshrined on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence, Fernandez had three separate stints with the ball club spanning 12 seasons. He was named an All-Star four times and was a gem on the field, earning four Gold Gloves. And Fernandez was a perennial fan favourite. Dave Stieb played for the team in three different decades - debuting in 1979 through his final appearance in 1998. In 15 seasons with the Jays, he won 175 games, had a 3.42 ERA and struck out 1,658 batters. He also has the most complete games in team history. And so we ask; where does Roy Halladay stand against other Blue Jays legends? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '