SAN FRANCISCO -- With 38 games left and three teams standing between the Mets and the second NL wild card, manager Terry Collins is convinced his ballclub can still make a serious push for the playoffs.A strong outing from Noah Syndergaard and another home run from slugger Yoenis Cespedes certainly helped.Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia combined on a three-hitter and Cespedes homered off Jeff Samardzija, leading New York over the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Sunday night.Weve had a tough time, but if youre going to win, your good players have to play good, Collins said. We ride those guys. Hopefully this is the start of what weve been looking to do.Cespedes homered for the third time in two days to help split the four-game series. It was also the 900th victory of Collins career, making him the 10th active manager to reach the milestone.Syndergaard (11-7) allowed two hits over eight innings for his second consecutive win following a six-start skid. Its Syndergaards 20th career victory in 49 games, coming in what Collins called his best outing in a long time.Syndergaard faced one over the minimum and didnt allow a runner past first base.That helped the Mets stay within 4 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second NL wild card.Today was the first day I went out there and actually relaxed and had fun, Syndergaard said. I just kept things simple. The past month and a half Ive been trying to think too far in advance.Samardzija (10-9) held the Mets hitless until Curtis Grandersons leadoff double in the seventh. Cespedes followed with his 25th home run, a towering two-run blast that appeared to clear the stands in left field.Ive had big power hitters but I havent had anybody (where) the ball comes off the barrel of the bat like that, Collins said. I mean nobody. The ball just jumps off his bat.Familia retired three batters for his major league-leading 41st save.The Giants dropped to second in the NL West after entering the day with a half-game lead on the Dodgers. Los Angeles beat Cincinnati earlier Sunday.Samardzija remained winless in four career starts against the Mets despite taking a no-hitter into the seventh. Samardzija allowed only three hits and two runs over seven innings and struck out seven.I liked where hes at and he carried that into todays game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Samardzija. He pitched his heart out and ran into a hot hitter.The duel between Syndergaard and Samardzija was in stark contrast to the first three games of this series, when the teams combined for 40 runs. Only two runners from either team reached second base Sunday, and both scored.San Franciscos first two baserunners were thrown out trying to steal second. Catcher Rene Rivera caught Trevor Brown in the third and Eduardo Nunez in the fourth. Prior to that, opponents had successfully stolen 40 bases in 44 attempts against New York with Syndergaard on the mound.The Giants also made a pair of sparkling defensive plays. Brandon Crawford made a diving stop on Jose Reyes sharp liner in the first inning, then second baseman Joe Panik robbed Reyes of an infield single with two outs in the sixth when he fielded a slow grounder and flipped it to first base with his glove.STOP, DROP AND ROLLMets third base coach Tim Teufel had to react quickly to avoid being hit by a line drive from left-handed hitting James Loney in the fifth. The ball narrowly missed Teufel as he dropped to the grass on his back.TRAINERS ROOMMets: Jay Bruce was back in the lineup after being held out Saturday to rest.Giants: Buster Posey did not start but had a pinch-hit single in the ninth. ... OF Angel Pagan was kept out of the lineup with tightness in his groin. Pagan has the longest active hitting streak in the majors at 18 games.UP NEXTMets: LHP Jon Niese (8-7) pitches the opener of a three-game series in St. Louis on Tuesday. Niese has given up 25 home runs this season, second-most in the NL.Giants: Madison Bumgarner (12-7) faces the Dodgers on Tuesday to begin a key series in Los Angeles between the top two teams in the NL West. Bumgarner is winless in two previous starts against the Dodgers this season.Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Fake Custom Jerseys . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/custom-san-francisco-49ers-jerseys/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. China Custom Jerseys Store .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Custom Jerseys From China . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball.PHILADELPHIA -- A dejected Will Barton walked toward the bench, but the Denver Nuggets guard got a reprieve because it wasnt a substitution opportunity for his team. With a second chance, Barton responded in a huge way.Barton scored 22 points, including a big 3-pointer late, to lead Denver to a 106-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 24 points and Jamal Murray added 22 for the Nuggets, who won for just the second time in the last seven games. It was their second contest of a six-game road trip.Ersan Ilyasova, Sergio Rodriguez and Dario Saric all had 17 points for Philadelphia, which culminated a four-game homestand with its seventh straight defeat.Murray was waiting at the scorers table after Barton missed all four shots early in the third quarter. Barton had to quickly turn around and play defense after realizing Murray wasnt entering.From that point, Barton was 6 of 7 and tallied 16 points.I have to use that trick more often for some of our guys, Nuggets coach Michael Malone joked. Will ramped it up and played well and I took Jamal (back). Will got the message and he picked up his defensive intensity and was all over the place.Barton was glad to stay in the game.I walked off the court but they didnt let him in yet and that kind of saved me, he said. Jamal was my motivation. I had a tough little beginning to the third, but Im a guy who can play through my mistakes. I made up for them, got my energy going, picked it up and coach let me stay out there.Wilson Chandler, Denvers leading scorer at 18.6 points per game entering Monday, was scoreless until tallying 10 straight points beginning with a 3-pointer with 8:24 remaining that made it 84-74. He matched the Nuggets largest lead with another 3 that made it 89-78 with 6:25 left.Joel Embiids 3-pointer cut it to four, but Barton all but put the game away with a 3 of his own on Denvers next possession, making it 103-96 with 49 seconds to play.TOP ROOKIES MEETThe game featured Murray and Embbiid, the NBAs Western and Eastern Conference rookies of the month for October/November.dddddddddddd Embiid finished with 16 points.Embiid returned after sitting out Saturdays 107-106 loss to Boston, the seventh game he has missed this season due to the teams rehab plan not to play him on back-to-back nights after he was sidelined for his first two seasons with a foot injury. The 7-foot-2 center will not make the trip to Memphis, where the 76ers will play on Tuesday night.The game was a slump buster for Murray, who was 1 for 11 with two points combined in his last two contests. He went 8 for 12, including 3 for 7 from the arc.The highlight of the third period was Murrays 17-foot underhanded scoop shot that just beat the shot clock.TURNOVERS GALOREPhiladelphia coach Brett Brown bemoaned the clubs 14 second-half turnovers. The 76ers finished with 19 for the game.Theres a lot of things that led to the loss, (and) I think thats the major one, he said. The abundance of turnovers in a single half, its hard to find a way to win with that volume of turnovers.TIP-INSNuggets: Nikola Jokic (wrist) missed his third straight game and Gary Harris (foot) sat out his 12th in a row. ... Nelson, who attended nearby Saint Josephs University, received a warm ovation when he entered in the first quarter.76ers: The 76ers were without Jahlil Okafor, who was sick. Okafor wont make the trip to Memphis for Tuesdays game. ... Robert Covington (knee) missed his second straight game and Jerryd Bayless (wrist) sat out for the 18th time this season. ... Embiid was whistled for a technical after sending Kenneth Faried to the floor early in the third quarter.UP NEXTNuggets: Will try to end a five-game losing streak against the Nets when they visit Brooklyn on Wednesday night.76ers: Tuesday night at Memphis, where Philadelphia will try to avenge a 104-99 double-overtime loss at home on Nov. 23 ' ' '