NEW YORK -- Once the Subway Series rolled around, the New York Mets got on the right track. Challenged by fed-up manager Terry Collins, slumping infielders Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada sparked a five-run first inning that kept the Mets sailing along in this surprising set with a 9-4 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday night. Tejada hit a leadoff single, Davis drove in two runs and the fourth-place Mets won with Jeremy Hefner on the mound for the first time all season. Theyve taken three in a row from their crosstown rivals for their first four-game winning streak of the year and will go for a Big Apple whitewash in the series finale Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. "Some great at-bats in the first inning," Collins said. "I just think theres a different attitude in the clubhouse." Yankees starter David Phelps (3-3) got only one out -- but said his health was not an issue. The right-hander, who had trouble with his command, left his previous outing after he was hit on the right forearm by a line drive. "Its nothing at all. Arm felt great today. Just wasnt making pitches," he said. "The ball was just up and in the middle of the plate a lot." The suddenly-slumping Yankees dropped their fourth in a row. Despite a rash of injuries to star players, they began the night a game behind first-place Boston in the AL East. "The Mets have really had our number," centre fielder Brett Gardner said. By the late innings Mets fans were chanting "You cant beat us!" in a mostly empty Yankee Stadium, where the outlines of a soccer field were still visible on the grass following Saturday nights exhibition match between English Premier League teams Chelsea and Manchester City. After rallying two nights in a row back home at Citi Field for a pair of tense, 2-1 wins, the Mets made this one a virtual laugher right off the bat by building an 8-0 lead. But they still had their confounding moments -- Tejada had another mental lapse at shortstop that helped the Yankees score twice in the sixth. That brought Collins, looking more than a little irritated, to the top step of the dugout. He stared out in Tejadas direction and then jotted something down on a piece of paper. "I have to concentrate on my job," Tejada said. "I have to get better every day and go play hard every day." With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Tejada limped off the field with a sore quadriceps. He was hurt chasing a foul fly down the left-field line and will be examined Thursday morning, Collins said. "I dont think its too bad," Tejada said. Without divulging details, Collins acknowledged before the game that he met Tuesday night with Davis and Tejada and told them in no uncertain terms it was time to snap out of it and start producing -- right now. WFAN radio reported both players were informed they were on the edge of being demoted to the minors. In the first inning, they responded. "Obviously, I dont like playing bad," Davis said. "The fires been lit for a while. Ive been upset all year." Tejada snapped an 0-for-12 skid and scored from first on Daniel Murphys double to deep right-centre -- finally a drive off his bat that Gardner couldnt chase down -- and the Mets were ahead 1-0 after three pitches. Gardner robbed Murphy of extra bases with two spectacular catches the previous two nights. John Buck beat the defensive shift with an RBI single to right and the Mets scored again when third baseman Jayson Nix bobbled Marlon Byrds RBI grounder for an error. Davis was batting .152 when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He worked an 0-2 count full and lashed a sharp single past shortstop to make it 5-0. "Thats a five-star at-bat if you ask me. With guys in scoring position, that was huge," Buck said. "You can just see the quality of his at-bats literally the last week. Theyre completely different." That was it for Phelps. The last Yankees starter who failed to get more than one out in a game was Darrell Rasner on May 19, 2007, also against the Mets, according to STATS. "He just didnt have it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He felt great yesterday, he just had a stinker." Davis later hit a line-drive single to centre, another encouraging sign. He began the night 4 for 53 (.075) with 24 strikeouts in his past 16 games -- and hitless since a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning to beat Atlanta on Sunday night. Hefner (1-5) gave up three runs and nine hits, including Brennan Boeschs solo homer, over six innings in his second start since his Oklahoma hometown was ravaged by a tornado last week. The Mets lost all nine of his previous starts this season -- and even when he made his lone relief appearance. "Its great to win, but more importantly keep our team winning streak going," Hefner said. 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Its plusstuff, even at the major league level. He can navigate lineups with his stuff only, but you got to be able to command it, too. I feel like hes ready for this.Youve got to start your career at some point, and his is going to be (today).Hoffman was the centerpiece acquistion when the Rockies traded for him and two other minor league pitchers on July 27, 2015, and sent star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays.This is the first full professional season for Hoffman, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2014 and pitched 104 innings at high-Class A and Double-A last season. Hoffman has pitched 118 2/3 innings this season.The Rockies will have to add Hoffman, 23, to their 40-man roster. He has spent the season at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he is 6-9 with a 4.02 ERA, 124 strikeouts and 44 walks in 118 2/3 innings.In Hoffmans past two starts, he has pitched a combined nine scoreless innings with four walks, 13 strikeouts and four hits allowed.Because this is Hoffmans first full professional season after Tommy John surgery, the Rockies began limiting Hoffmans outings. In his past five starts dating from July 20, he has thrown between 66 and 76 pitches but wont be on a severe pitch or innings limit against the Cubs.Weve backed off on him recently just so if he did come up here, he could go deeper into games, Weiss said. So we lightened the load to try to get out in front of it as opposed to dealing with it here.Hoffman will have five days of rest since he last pitched Sunday at Colorado Springs. In that outing, he allowed one hit in five scoreless innings with one walkk and nine strikeouts and threw 66 pitches, 46 strikes.ddddddddddddark Wiley, the Rockies director of pitching operations, watched that start and said of Hoffman, Hes got a live fastball with carry. He can create angles with it. He can pitch at the top of the strike zone. He has both a curveball and a slider that when theyre right, theyre following pretty good the fastball line to the plate so theyre hard to pick up, hard to see. And he has a changeup with good arm speed -- looks like his fastball.Mike Montgomery will make his first start for the Cubs and his third this season, taking the turn of injured John Lackey. Since the Cubs acquired Montgomery from Seattle on July 20, he has made seven relief apperances and has four straight scoreless outings totaling six innings, and two of those have been for two innings.Right fielder Jason Hayward, a free agent after last season who signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs, is going to get this series off. Chicago manager Joe Maddon gave Hayward the day off Thursday when the Cubs played a day game after a night game. The Rockies started left-hander Tyler Anderson on Friday and will start left-hander Jorge De La Rosa on Sunday.Hayward is slumping in August with 9-for-48 (.188) this month with one RBI. Overall, hes hitting .225 in 108 games with five homers, 32 RBI, a .304 on-base percentage and a .313 slugging percentage. The left-handed hitting Hayward is batting .228 (26-for-114) against left-handed pitchers.So what Im thinking about doing is just giving him the whole weekend off, Maddon said. Just let him chill a little bit for the weekend and then come back for sure on Monday in San Diego. Play him in emergency only; otherwise I want him to just chill out. ' ' '