PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco has already earned a long list of admirers during his short time in the majors. Brian Hartline Jersey . New York Mets manager Terry Collins is now one of them. Collins got his first look at the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right fielder Thursday night and came away impressed. "Hes got a lot of tools, a lot of skills," Collins said. "I watched him in batting practice and you see he had big power, then he showed it in the game. Hes very impressive." The hot-hitting Polanco homered and drove in four runs, and resurgent right-hander Vance Worley pitched seven stingy innings to lead the Pirates past the Mets 5-2 for their fifth win in six games. Polanco drove in the games first run with a groundout in the first inning, then sent a three-run homer into the right-field stands off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the fifth to put the Pirates ahead 5-1. The right fielder went 2 for 3 with a walk and is hitting .338 in 16 games since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 10. The Pirates are 10-6 since Polanco arrived, pushing them one game above .500 at 40-39. "Hes a talented young man, so Im humble to have him on the club and the opportunity to write his name in the lineup," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Its a good time for him to be included on our club and hes obviously been making a difference since hes been up here." Worley (2-0) scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out three. He has given up four runs in 20 2-3 innings over three starts since coming up from Indianapolis on June 15. He was 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA in 10 starts for Minnesota last season. Hurdle was particularly impressed that Worley pitched so effectively while struggling with his command. Worley had walked only five batters in 58 2-3 innings between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis prior to Thursday. "It was a very solid body of work, a very professional effort," Hurdle said. "Hell be the first one to tell you he wasnt as sharp as hed been previously. You saw a man go out there and have to wrestle a little bit and maintain composure, mound presence, and just pound the zone." Matsuzaka (3-2) allowed five runs and five hits in six innings with four walks and four strikeouts. Lucas Duda hit his team-high 12th home run for the Mets. New York cut it to 5-2 on back-to-back doubles by Daniel Murphy and David Wright in the eighth, but Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Polancos home run came on a full-count pitch with one out after Pedro Alvarez hit the first of his three singles and Worley also singled. Polanco sounded a little like famous Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne when he talked about his approach at the plate in that situation. "I just fight, fight, fight, swing, swing and try to make contact," Polanco said. "I stayed with my approach and I hit it." Polanco hit a slider after Mets catcher Travis dArnaud had called for a changeup. "I shook off dArnaud and that ended up being a big mistake," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I apologize to him about that." NOTES: New York activated CF Juan Lagares (ribcage) from the 15-day disabled list before the game. ... Mets RHP Dillon Gee will make his second rehab start Sunday, pitching for Class-A Brooklyn while on a 55-pitch limit. He has been on the DL since June 11 with a strained right lat. ... Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game. He felt concussion-like symptoms after sliding into second base Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. The head and neck are no longer a problem, but Marte is still feeling the effects of a jammed right middle finger. ... Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano had a 30-pitch bullpen session, the first time he had thrown off a mound since going on the disabled list June 11 with a left oblique strain. ... New York RHP Jacob deGrom (1-4, 3.75 ERA) faces RHP Brandon Cumpton (3-2, 4.93) in a matchup of rookies Friday night. Reshad Jones Elite Jersey . The Dutch were knocked from top spot despite winning two European Championship qualifiers, including an 11-0 victory over San Marino. Germany stays third and Uruguay rises to a best-ever fourth. Jared Odrick Womens Jersey . -- Ernie Els hardly ever catches a break at the Match Play Championship. GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Just two days after surprisingly watching from the bench for a second straight game, No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist agreed to a long-term contract extension with the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Lundqvist, in the final season of a six-year, $41.25 million deal, agreed to a seven-year contract worth $59.5 million. His salary-cap charge will rise from $6.875 million to $8.5 million and make him the NHLs highest-paid goalie. Lundqvist will earn $11 million next season, $10 million in 2015-16, $9.5 million the following season, $9 million in 2017-18, $7.5 million in 2018-19, $7 million in 2019-20, and $5.5 in the final year. The deal should keep him starring on Broadway for the rest of his career. "About eight months ago I sat down for the first time with my family and my agent and kind of discussed my future," Lundqvist said Wednesday after practice. "There were two things that became really clear to me: No. 1 was I really wanted to win the (Stanley) Cup here in New York. Its my biggest goal and my biggest dream and what really pushes me right now to work harder. Secondly, I want to be a Ranger for life. "To picture myself anywhere else, it was just wrong and it was never an option." New York general manager Glen Sather and team owner James Dolan agreed. That helped negotiations go smoothly until they were completed Tuesday. "There were lots of pieces," Sather said. "This was a very friendly, peaceful, low-key, unemotional decision to be made by everyone. It was fun. I enjoyed it." With the salary cap projected to rise, one hurdle was cleared. "A lot of that is speculation, so far. You still have to be careful," Sather said. "It is terrific that Henrik decided to stay here. If he had gone someplace else, I am sure he wouldve earned more money, but it always isnt money thats a factor. You have to have a competitive team. "This organization is all about team, and Henrik is all about team. There was no Im going to leave if you dont give me what I want." Now Sather can turn his focus to a slew of other potential free agents, such as captain Ryan Callahan. Sather said behind-the-scenes talks are already underway. "Henrik was the one that had to be signed first, and thats the way we tried to do it," he said. Callahan said he hasnt tied his contract situation with Lundqvists, but he made it clear that he also wants to stay. "This is where I want to be," he said. "I am not going to air it out in the media about my contract and what is going on. I will just go about my business on the ice, and that stuff takes care of itself." It has been an unusual few days for the 31-year-old Lundqvist. The Swedish native is off to a slow start this season, especially by his standards, going 8-11 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 20 games. With the sudden emergence of backup Cam Talbot, the slightest hint of a goalie controversy arose when Talbot was given the start by coach Alain Vigneault on Monday at home against Winnipeg two days after he started against Vancouver, led by former Rangers coach John Tortorella.Jarvis Landry Jersey. . "Its been a different week," Lundqvist said, "but you learn from all these different experiences. This was an opportunity for me to go really hard in practice and focus on my game. Now we managed to get this done, and I hope from here I can just raise my game and play at the level I need to play to help this team win." Talbot had won six straight starts before Monday, including a pair of shutouts, and hadnt allowed more than two goals in any outing. Those runs ended in New Yorks 5-2 loss to the Jets. Talbot still sports a stellar 1.79 GAA in nine appearances. "It wasnt weird at all," Callahan said. "We just continued to go about our business and prepared for our next game." Not that there was any doubt on the identity of the Rangers No. 1 netminder. Now there is no question who it is and who it will be for years. That future begins Thursday at Buffalo when Vigneault will start Lundqvist against the Sabres. "What do they say? Happy wife, happy life. Happy goalie, happy team," Vigneault said with a laugh. "As you can tell, I think this was a relief for Hank to finally know for sure that he is going to be a New York Ranger for the rest of his career. "I think this is very positive for our whole team." Lundqvists deal will take him through the 2020-21 season and keep him away from free agency until he is nearly 40. "He is everything that you would want on and off the ice," Dolan said. "As a team owner, he is the model of what you want in a player and a leader." Lundqvist has been a Vezina Trophy finalist as the NHLs top goalie in five of his eight seasons, winning it in 2012. He is 284-182-57 in the NHL, all with the Rangers, with a 2.26 GAA, .920 save percentage and 47 shutouts. "Henrik has been at the top or near the top of the league in goaltending excellence," former Rangers coach Tom Renney told The Associated Press in an email. "Through the typical and non-typical dynamics of the league, players in and out, coaching changes, living and playing in Manhattan, he has been as reliable as they come. "He is driven and passionate about winning, and takes his responsibility as the starting goalie for the Rangers very seriously. Good contract for a great goalie." Lundqvist, a seventh-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2000, made his NHL debut in 2005 when Renney coached New York. "He is paying for dinner, thats for sure," Callahan said of Lundqvist. "I am happy for him. He is the backbone of this team, and weve seen for all the years Ive been here how good he is." ' ' '
