Notebook: Santana’s big day not enough

For everything that Johan Santana can do on a baseball field – and it’s a long list – the New York Mets were reminded Sunday that even he requires some help occasionally.

Santana, matched up against the Atlanta Braves’ John Smoltz, allowed just one run in seven innings, but that didn’t begin to describe his eventful afternoon at Turner Field in Atlanta.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner also had the Mets’ first hit off Smoltz, a broken-bat double leading off the third inning, and made a pair of exceptional defensive plays typical of the Gold Glove winner that he is.

But Santana couldn’t help left fielder Angel Pagan get a better read on the Yunel Escobar fly ball that landed for an RBI double with two out in the third. Nor could he have prevented Aaron Heilman from serving up a two-run home run to Mark Teixeira with two out in the eighth.

It was the Mets’ own failures Sunday that wound up hurting Santana in a 3-1 loss to the Braves.

“That’s part of the game,” said Santana, who slipped to 1-1 despite a 1.93 ERA.

Canseco called on

The federal government’s top steroid investigator has asked to meet with Jose Canseco to speak to the former slugger about Roger Clemens.

Canseco’s lawyer, Robert Saunooke, told the Associated Press that IRS agent Jeff Novitzky called him and said he wanted to discuss a photograph that allegedly shows Clemens at a pool party at Canseco’s home in 1998.

Brian McNamee, Clemens’ former trainer, has said Clemens spoke with Canseco at the barbecue and soon after approached the trainer about using performance- enhancing drugs.

The star pitcher says he didn’t attend the party.

Clearing the bases

Just a few days into the season, the Giants are dealing with a handful of bizarre injuries. Reliever Keiichi Yabu was hit across the eyes by an elastic band, right fielder Randy Winn bruised his right ankle when he hit himself with a bat and center fielder Aaron Rowand‘s ribs were still sore, manager Bruce Bochy said before San Francisco played Milwaukee. … Astros third baseman Ty Wigginton has a small fracture in his left thumb and was out of the lineup for the game against the Chicago Cubs. … Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson can start working out today after Detroit determined his broken right hand had healed sufficiently.