Mets manager Randolph puts focus on winning

Even with his team on a five-game losing streak, New York Mets manager Willie Randolph was able to joke about his job status.

General manager Omar Minaya made the holiday weekend trip to Colorado, leading to speculation that Randolph is under evaluation and his job could be in jeopardy.

“I thought I saw him in the back sharpening his machete,” Randolph said before Saturday’s game, a 9-2 Mets win against the Colorado Rockies. “I don’t know if that makes me feel too good. He saw me coming, kind of slipped it in his back pocket.”

Minaya and Randolph haven’t had any significant conversations this weekend outside of idle small talk.

Randolph and Mets executives planned to meet soon to review the team’s play a quarter of the way through the season.

“We need to play better,” Randolph said. “That’s the most important thing to me.”

Orioles have team meeting

Baltimore manager Dave Trembley held a team meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla., and revamped his starting lineup in an attempt to increase his team’s offensive production.

Baltimore had been shut out twice and scored one run its previous three games entering Saturday’s contest against Tampa Bay.

“We’ve been in position to win a lot of games, but we haven’t won because things haven’t worked out for us,” Trembley said.

Second baseman Brian Roberts, right fielder Nick Markakis and catcher Ramon Hernandez were given a “mental day” off by Trembley.

Valverde OK after shot to face

Houston closer Jose Valverde said his face was “a little sore” but that he was otherwise OK after getting struck in the face with a line drive Friday night in a 4-3 win over Philadelphia.

The line drive by Pedro Feliz grazed Valverde’s glove before smacking into his right cheek and ricocheting into left field. Valverde lay motionless for a few minutes, then hopped up and finished the game, earning his 15th save.