David Wright Joins Ed Kranepool Atop Mets" Hits List David Wright tied Ed Kranepool atop the Mets career hits list Tuesday night when he sent a single to right field during his team's 10-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Kranepool, one of the original Mets, collected 1,418 hits over his 1,853-game career. Wright matched him after 1,255 games. Wright's chase for the record has added some radiance to the second half of the season, during which he and the Mets have struggled. With eight games left in the season, he and the team will look for a groove to carry into the winter. "I think everybody in here individual wants to finish strong and we as a team want to finish strong," Wright said. Wright's difficult 2011 season seemed to invigorate him, as he rediscovered an older, more proven swing and began the season with blistering form. He has slowed in recent months, putting up similar numbers to those from his second half last year. Last season, after battling a back injury, Wright was activated from the disabled list July 22 and batted .272 with a .789 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and 8 home runs through the last 63 games of the season. Since July 22 of this year, a stretch of 59 games, Wright has batted .246 with a .687 O.P.S. and six homers. His sensational first-half performance has obscured his poorer numbers of late. Through the 82 games this season before the All-Star break, he hit .351 with a 1.004 O.P.S. and 11 home runs. Wright through 556 at-bats this year still has a .306 average and .884 O.P.S. "Personally, it's the law of averages," Wright said. It's extremely difficult to hit .300 and it's damn near impossible to hit near .350. Manager Terry Collins said he hoped Wright could finish above .300 and added that Wright proved his abilities and his stature in the organization. "What we saw those first three months was truly a statement of how good a player he can be and what he is and what he means to this team," he said. Wright's position with the team remains somewhat unclear. He is in the final year of his six-year, $55 million deal with the Mets, who hold an option for the 2013 season. General Manager Sandy Alderson, during an interview on the television broadcast, was asked whether Wright and R. A. Dickey, who is also entering his option year, would become "trade bait" if the team encountered difficulty during negotiations. He reiterated that the Mets intended to sign both players. On Tuesday, Wright looked spry. He homered in the first inning, then joined Kranepool in the Mets" record book in the seventh. "Growing up, you never think that you'll make it to the big leagues, much less have this many hits," Wright said. A fund-raiser will be held Nov 1. at Westmont Country Club in Woodland Park, N.J., for the Mets" senior director of media relations, Shannon Forde, who has Stage IV breast cancer. Ron Darling will be the M.C. of the dinner event. Tickets can be reserved for $100. There will be an autograph session with Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, John Franco, Bobby Ojeda, Edgardo Alfonzo, Al Leiter, Ed Charles, and Ed Kranepool for $250. Information can be found at www.hopeshinesforshannon.com.