Perhaps inspired by the fundamentally sound Twins, who had just left town, the Mets moved runners over and threw runners out, hit cut-off men and hit with runners in scoring position, going 4 for 6. Shawn Green, the thoughtful guy that he is, hit a home run in the fifth inning to send a lucky fan on a free trip to Barbados. He later added a two-run double in the Mets’ five-run sixth.  Green was one of five Mets who had two hits. Carlos Beltrán, who homered for the first time since June 6, and none other than Glavine, who drove in two runs and scored another, also had two.  Coming in at 2 hours 11 minutes, this was the Mets’ fastest game this season, largely because Glavine worked quickly. He often threw first-pitch strikes, and his tempo helped his teammates maintain their rhythm at the plate.  “We haven’t had that flow recently,” Green said.  Nor has Glavine. He was coming off the two worst consecutive starts of his 21 seasons, allowing 16 runs over eight and a third innings in losses to Detroit and the Yankees. He has bemoaned how his control had vanished. The recent streak wore on him, though not as much as the team’s slide. It attracted the attention of the Amazing Kreskin, who has offered his powers of mental persuasion to help the Mets. They have yet to accept his proposal.  Given an extra day between starts, Glavine said he worked out a few mechanical kinks during his bullpen sessions this week. He worked on regaining control of his pitches on the inside corner, and he displayed improved command, striking out Mark Ellis in the fourth.  Going over the scouting report on their hitters before the game, Glavine said he noticed that not many of them swung at the first pitch. That relaxed him. He did not feel as if he had to throw a perfect pitch for strike one. He could throw just a good one, he said, and work off that. Aside from Stewart and Chavez, who had five of Oakland’s six hits against him, Glavine barely encountered trouble. The rest of the A’s lineup went 1 for 22 against him.  The Mets have spent these last three weeks helping out pitchers by swinging early in counts, getting themselves out and not drawing walks. Those struggles have been underscored in facing left-handed pitching; they had lost eight consecutive games started by left-handers. But last night they knocked out Lenny DiNardo in the sixth inning after he was charged with six runs (two earned) and seven hits.  Following the advice of the special instructor Rickey Henderson, José Reyes took a proactive approach at the plate in the first inning, and it set the tone for the night. He pushed DiNardo’s first pitch up the third-base line for a bunt single, and he advanced to second on Chavez’s throwing error. With one out, Beltrán singled to left-center field, and the Mets, again, had scored first.  A version of this article appears in print on , on Page D1 of the New York edition with the headline: With Extra Rest, Glavine Breaks His Slump. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Tom Glavine picked up his 296th victory, ending a five-start winless streak and leading the Mets over the Oakland Athletics.