NEW YORK -- Mets general manager Sandy Alderson had to hear the booing at Citi Field throughout a miserable homestand. Gerald McCoy Jersey . He took steps to begin fixing the problems Monday after a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, firing hitting coach Dave Hudgens and cutting reliever Jose Valverde. "This is a very difficult decision to make. Ive known Dave for many years, decades," Alderson said. "Our situational hitting is not where we want it to be." Minor league hitting co-ordinator Lamar Johnson will take over for Hudgens. The 63-year-old Johnson has been in this role with the Mets for 10 of his 11 years in the organization and is responsible for helping teach the organizations hitting philosophy throughout the minors. The Mets have tried to implement a plan of patience at the plate but the results have not shown. "Our hitting approach will not change appreciably," Alderson said. "Any time theres a new person, theres a new voice, a new take, a different interpretation both from a mechanical and an approach point of view." The 57-year-old Hudgens was in his fourth season as the Mets hitting coach. The Mets began the day with a .237 batting average, ranking among the worst in the majors. They have scored just 32 runs in losing nine of 12. "This is by no means Dave Hudgens fault. Not whatsoever," manager Terry Collins said. "Its about trying to get the execution better. Well see if change helps." The problems are more glaring with runners in scoring position: New York is 13 for 66 (.197) in that situation in the first seven games of a nine-game homestand after getting one hit in eight tries Monday. The Mets hit into five double plays Sunday in a 2-1 loss to Arizona in the first-game of a doubleheader. Daniel Murphy hit into one of the teams two double plays Monday, wiping out another hit by Jacob deGrom. "Theres frustration at the way were playing. Theres frustration with the way the offence is going and that Dave unfortunately bears the brunt of that," Murphy said. "It stinks." David Wright was unhappy that the popular coach lost his job over what he thinks is the players fault. "When you struggle the way weve struggled offensively, a finger, obviously, gets pointed. A lot of times that finger gets pointed unfairly," Wright said. Alderson said this was not to read as a warning to Collins. "I think this is in response to a specific situation," Alderson said. "Nothing else should be read into it by any means." The Mets have been revamping their bullpen, and Valverdes dismissal after allowing four runs while getting only two outs in the eighth and ninth innings is the next step. With new closer Jenrry Mejia unavailable after pitching both games of the doubleheader Sunday, Collins turned to Valverde. Valverde (1-1) was booed off the field after allowing pinch-hitter Jose Tabatas tying single in the eighth. He returned for the ninth and was even worse, yielding four runs overall. "Dont think for one second that theres not a guy in there that realizes that this is part of it. We just released one of the best professionals I ever been around in Jose Valverde," a fired-up Collins said. "You deal with it, and if you cant you dont belong in the game." With one out in the ninth, Valverde gave up a single to Neil Walker and walked Andrew McCutchen. Gary Sanchez, who homered off Scott Rice to open the eighth, then singled to left, scoring Walker. Juan Centeno couldnt handle Curtis Grandersons throw that bounced to the right of the plate and skittered past Valverde, who was backing up but way too close to the catcher. McCutchen scored on Grandersons error for a two-run lead. Valverde gave up four runs as the Pirates took the lead. The 36-year-old righty was 1-1 with a 5.66 ERA. Valverde joined the Mets this year after pitching for Detroit last season. He briefly was New Yorks closer before losing the job. Reporters were told Valverde had left the ballpark even though his street clothes remained in his locker. Right-hander Vic Black is being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill Valverdes spot. "Our bullpen will get better when our young pitchers emerge at the major league level," Alderson said. "Not only will we have better arms, but well have more flexibility." In the minors, top prospect Noah Syndergaard was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to May 22, because of a mild flexor-pronator strain in his right elbow. The flexor-pronator muscle is on the inside of the elbow, forearm area. The Mets said the Triple-A Las Vegas ace will be brought to New York for an exam. Syndergaard was acquired in a trade that sent 2012 Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto. He is Baseball Americas No. 6 righty pitching prospect and is expected to make his big league debut this year. "Were very concerned about it, obviously, I dont know too many guys -- I shouldnt say that, I know a lot of guys who go to the doctor and its nothing. But I know some go to the doctor and its an issue," Collins said. "Anytime you go in and the word elbow shows up, especially when you throw as hard as he does, its a concern. NOTES: The Mets placed OF Eric Young Jr. on the DL because of a right hamstring strain. They recalled OF Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place. ... Up Next: Pirates RHP Edinson Volquez (2-4) faces Mets LHP Jonathon Niese (3-3) on Tuesday night. Lavonte David Buccaneers Jersey . Tepesch, back from the minor leagues, earned his first major league victory in more than 10 months and the Rangers edged the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Wednesday. O. J. Howard Jersey .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. http://www.authenticbuccaneerspro.com/Gerald-mccoy-buccaneers-jersey/ . During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said.PRETORIA, South Africa -- The chief prosecutor in Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Monday alleged numerous inconsistencies in the athletes account of how he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, seeking to show that the athlete is lying when he says he shot her by mistake. Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle. Pistorius said the claim was not true, one of many denials he has issued in four days of unrelenting cross-examination in a pivotal stage of the trial that is being broadcast on television and followed globally by people who once admired the double-amputee runner for his international achievements on the track. Nels methodical questioning put Pistorius under intense pressure, and the athlete sometimes became distressed, which in turn only prompted his accuser to ask him if he was using his emotional displays to mask his difficulty in answering the questions. Pistorius testified he fired four times through the closed toilet door in his home last year after hearing a "wood" sound that he mistook for the door about to open. He said he thought an intruder was about to come out and attack him. Pistorius said that, in retrospect, the noise he probably heard was the magazine holder being moved by his girlfriend. Nel said Pistorius killed Steenkamp intentionally after a fight and is lying about fearing an intruder. He said Pistorius heard Steenkamp, struck by the first shot, fall against the magazine rack and that he used that sound to adjust his aim. "Im saying you heard the magazine rack and you changed your aim," Nel said to the Paralympic champion. Steenkamp was hit by three of the shots, prosecutors say, while one missed. "I wouldnt have heard anyone fall inside of the toilet while I was shooting," Pistorius replied to Nel, though directing his gaze to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who will decide on the verdict. The athlete faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. He twice broke down crying, once when he was asked to repeat the order to leave that he says he shouted to the perceived intruder before firing through the door. Pistorius sobbbed and wailed again when Nel insisted that he knew he was firing at his girlfriend, who was allegedly hiding from him after they fought in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. Sean Bunting Jersey. 14, 2013. "I did not fire at Reeva," Pistorius said, crying as Masipa announced the days second unscheduled break. After the judge left the courtroom, Pistorius stood sobbing with his body trembling and turned away from the gallery. Nel also tried to pin Pistorius on whether he intended to shoot at the intruder, but Pistorius said he did not intend to do so and that he was terrified at the time. "I didnt have time to think about what I wanted to do," Pistorius said. That prompted Nel to question whether Pistorius was changing his legal strategy from "self-defence" to "involuntary action" and he later said Pistorius did not fire a warning shot. Pistorius said that when he shot he had no idea who was behind the door, in response to Nels remark that he didnt know whether a child, an unarmed burglar or more than one person could have been in the toilet. "You never gave them a chance, in your version," Nel said, building the prosecution case that Pistorius shot to kill. Pistorius was also accused of tailoring his version to fit evidence at the scene, with Nel painstakingly listing alleged inconsistencies in the account and alleging that Pistorius had "concocted" his version of the shooting. "Youre tailoring your version as youre sitting there," Nel said. He accused Pistorius of being a stickler for detail on some matters, in contrast to his frequent statements on the witness stand that he could not remember aspects of his testimony. Nel noted that Pistorius earlier said he warned Steenkamp to call police about an intruder in a whisper, contradicting later testimony that he spoke in a "low tone" and the prosecutor also said blood spatter evidence indicated that the athletes statement about the location of a duvet in the bedroom was false. Pistorius has said the duvet was on the bed, and that police photographs of the bed cover on the floor suggest that police moved it there after the shooting. Nel said a pattern of blood drops on the duvet and on the carpet nearby show that it was on the floor before police arrived, and that its location amounts to evidence that the couple had been having an argument. ' ' '