NEW YORK -- Daisuke Matsuzaka pinched his eyelids, clenched his teeth and thought back. He couldnt remember all the details of the first save of his professional career. After 123 starts during seven seasons in Major League Baseball, the 33-year-old right-hander was turned into a reliever by the New York Mets when they brought him up from the minor leagues on April 16. Eight days later, manager Terry Collins took a chance -- a roll of the Dice-K? -- and Matsuzaka responded with a perfect ninth inning Thursday to cap a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He hadnt saved a game since May 2000, his second season with the Seibu Lions of Japans Pacific League, when he struck out four during the final three innings of a 9-0 win at the Chiba Lotte Marines. "Its definitely different," he said through a translator, "but I think Im starting to get used to going from the bullpen." Chris Young homered to start New Yorks comeback from a 1-0, fifth-inning deficit, slumping Curtis Granderson singled in a run as a pinch hitter and Daniel Murphy drove in two runs. Bartolo Colon (2-3) allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked none, sending Lance Lynn to his first career loss in April. Matsuzaka, who completed a four-pitcher, four-hitter, was a rookie of the year in Japan in 1999, MVP as his national team won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and was given a $52 million, six-year contract by the Boston Red Sox after they paid Seibu $51,111,111.11 for his rights. Matsuzaka went 15-12 in his first season with the Red Sox and 18-3 in his second, but he injured a hip during the 2009 WBC and was never the same, hurting his arm and eventually needing elbow ligament-replacement surgery. He was just 50-37 for the Red Sox and signed a minor league contract in February 2013 with Cleveland, which released him in August. Then he joined the Mets, started seven games and signed a minor league deal with New York, which initially sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas this spring. But when Bobby Parnells season ended with a torn elbow ligament on opening day, the Mets had to scramble to restock their bullpen. Jose Valverde struggled as the closer and Kyle Farnsworth took over the role. Manager Terry Collins wanted to give the 38-year-old Farnsworth a rest after three appearances in four days. "I just said this is a good opportunity to see how Dice handles it," Collins explained, "and he did well." In a 15-pitch outing, Matsuzaka retired Allen Craig on a lineout to right after falling behind 3-1, struck out Daniel Descalso in an eight-pitch at-bat and got Peter Bourjos on a game-ending foulout to the catcher. "Before, I never really thought I would be able to pitch out of the bullpen because I just take so long to prepare," Matsuzaka said. "I think I just have to keep pitching well to gain full confidence from the team, but I think having had a few opportunities in tight situations definitely is encouraging." Collins said Farnsworth, who has two saves, remains his first-choice closer but Matsuzuka may receive more ninth-inning opportunities. His preparation, which includes lengthy stretching, will have to change. "If hes going to pitch the back end of the game, be it the eighth, the ninth, somewhere in there," the manager said, "I dont want him to wear himself out in the fifth inning, at 8:15. I want him to kind of save something." Dice-K said its as much mental as physical. "Just to comfort myself, I think I throw more than I probably have to," he said. New York also gave 40-year-old right fielder Bobby Abreu hit first big league start since July 25, 2012. Abreu went 1 for 3 with an opposite-field double to left in the fifth -- his first hit with the Mets. "Its been a long time," he said. "It was kind of exciting. At first I had to calm down my emotions and just go out there and play the game." New York took three of four from the defending NL champions and has won four of five overall. St. Louis lost for the sixth time in nine games and has gone 291 at-bats without a home run since Allen Craig connected at Milwaukee off Wily Peralta on April 16. Lynn (4-1) had been 12-0 through April in his big league career, including one March victory. But given a fifth-inning lead, he allowed the Mets to tie the score in the bottom half and go ahead 2-1 on Murphys RBI double in the sixth, a ball that dropped just in front of diving centerfielder Jon Jay. Lynn was chased in a two-run seventh after Eric Young Jr. bunted and reached on a two-base error when the pitcher threw off first baseman Matt Adams glove and into right field. Granderson had been 2 for 20 against left-handers this year before he greeted Kevin Siegrist with an RBI single, and Murphy singled in the final run. "Weve been home six days in the past 2 1/2 months," Lynn said. "I think a lot of people are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds." NOTES: With hitters on both teams complaining about plate umpire Alan Porters wide strike zone on a blustery afternoon, New York batters struck out 10 times, raising their total to 213 and passing Miami (203) for the major league lead. ... Zack Wheeler (1-2) starts Fridays series opener at home against Miamis Henderson Alvarez (1-2). Nike Shoes Black Friday Discount . -- Tiago Splitter tipped in a rebound with 2. Cheap Nike Shoes Black Friday . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/. 2015 Oscar nomination pending. Here is an open letter from Steven Stamkos to his fans: When I shot this final Moment Zero film last August, it was a fun few days on set with Coke Zero and Jordan Eberle in my hometown of Markham. Nike Shoes Black Friday Online .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. Wholesale Nike Shoes Black Friday . PETERSBURG, Fla.TORONTO - Canada has never been lower on the world soccer ladder and now finds itself looking up at such minnows as St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, and Antigua and Barbuda.The Canadian men slipped two places to No. 122 in the October rankings released Thursday by FIFA. That tied their August nadir.Perhaps more worrying than being sandwiched between Niger and Liberia, Canada is ranked 16th in CONCACAF regions, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.Canada would seem to deserve a better billing oven its performance against Colombia in a friendly last week, losing 1-0 to the No. 3 team in the world.But the FIFA rankings, assembled via a set formula, tell a different story.I think its embarrassing, I think its wrong, Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne de Rosario, Canadas all-time leading scorer, said of the FIFA numbers. When you look at where we are, as a country and where we are in soccer in this country, I think we should be a lot better than that.To be (No.) 16 is a little bit disrespectful. I think theres no way we should be 120-and-something. But we are and we have to accept that.The lower the ranking and the more circuitous Canadas next World Cup qualifying journey will be.Canadas next outing is a tough friendly at No. 56 Panama in November.As a team, were still developing, said the 36-year-old DDe Rosario.ddddddddddddUnfortunately we dont have a U.S. pool where we can draw players from all over, playing at high levels and top levels ... We still have unattached guys playing and guys that are playing for clubs that arent really getting a lot of minutes. Its difficult.I think what Benito (Floro) has done with what he has has been good. We saw a resilient Canadian side compete against a very good Colombia team, a full Colombia team and it wasnt even our full Canadian team. But at the end of the day we lost ....Hopefully next year come Gold Cup time, we can drop our ranking by getting some wins and push through that tournament.Canadas best ranking was No. 40, achieved in December 1996. Its average ranking is 76.281 since the ratings began in August 1993.Elsewhere in the rankings, Belgium moved into the top four for the first time and former World Cup winner Spain dropped to 10th following a loss to Slovakia in a European Championship qualifier.The top three positions remained the same with World Cup winner Germany first., ahead of runner-up Argentina, then Colombia. Belgium was fourth and the Netherlands fifth.Brazil was sixth, ahead of France, Uruguay, Portugal and Spain, which slipped two places to No. 10.England dropped from 18th to 20th, and the U.S. slipped six places to 23rd.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. ' ' '