NEW YORK -- Justin Upton doesn't love coming to the ballpark this time of year, but he does love playing. When he's standing in the batter's box, he isn't asked about where he is or where he ought to be, who wants him and who doesn't, or how much money he's set to make in the offseason.
In the box there's just the noise Upton makes with his bat, like the sound of his solo homer in the third inning and of his RBI single in the sixth as it shot through the infield. Both were integral in San Diego's 7-3 win over the Mets on Wednesday, during which Upton drove in three runs amid the types of trade rumors that have followed him his entire career.