| H O M E P L A T E September 2006 Game Log | |||
| The Old Men Get It Done | |||
The 48-year-old Franco fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle: He hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a two-run double in the third and a single in the fourth. It was the seventh time he's driven in five runs in a game, but first since Aug. 6, 1994. All told, the Mets hit five homers, with Endy Chavez, Shawn Green, Ramon Castro and David Wright also connecting. Glavine (15-7) looked quite good in his six shutout innings. He allowed only three hits, all singles, and didn't walk a batter. His three strikeouts raised his total to 2,481, passing Jack Morris for 30th on the career list. Manager Willie Randolph pulled Glavine after 71 pitches with the postseason approaching. The lefty will start Game 2 in the first round, following Orlando Hernandez in Game 1. The rest of the rotation is unsettled, in part because Martinez is sidelined. He already was ruled out of the postseason with a leg injury, and on Saturday came word that he won't throw from a mound until June after an operation on his right rotator cuff.
"You don't want to see the guy have any more issues than he already has," Glavine said. "Hopefully it's the kind of thing he can take care of and pitch next year and continue on with his career." | |||
| Mets Hang On to Win | |||
"I can spot it. That's kind of been my problem before -- I didn't know it until it was too late," Maine said after allowing only two earned runs and three hits. "To be able to spot it, I'm taking steps to correct it. I don't think it's mechanical, I think it's more of a mental thing -- not being aggressive." He had a bit of a lapse in the fourth inning, when two walks and a wild pitch contributed to two runs for Washington, although one was unearned because of catcher Paul Lo Duca's throwing error. "He pitched well enough to win the game. He made some pitches when he had to," Randolph said. "He has a tendency sometimes to lose his rhythm, where he tries to guide the ball or aim the ball too much. But he regrouped." So would Randolph be comfortable having Maine start a playoff game? "Of course," the manager replied. Maine, who didn't factor in the decision, also delivered a double to right-center for his first major league hit and came around to score the run that tied the game at 2 in the fifth. If the rookie was auditioning for a spot in the Mets' postseason rotation, he fared fairly well Friday night, throwing six solid innings in New York's 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca each had two hits and an RBI, and Shawn Green drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Jon Rauch (4-5). Pedro Feliciano (7-2) pitched the seventh for the win, Guillermo Mota threw a perfect eighth, and Billy Wagner got three outs for his 40th save -- and 18th in a row. But what Friday's game did signify for the Mets was the start of life without Pedro Martinez. The ace was ruled out for the rest of 2006 on Thursday with a torn tendon in his left calf muscle.
"He's an emotional leader and a leader off the field. ... We will come together as a team and pick up the slack," New York's David Wright said. "But it hurt to see him go out there, give his max effort and not do what he wanted to do." | |||
| Mets Finally Win A Game! But Lose Pedro! | |||
El Duque matched his season high with nine strikeouts, pitching the Mets over the Atlanta Braves 7-4 Thursday night and stopping the Mets' four-game losing streak. During a news conference in the fourth inning, the Mets said Martinez will miss the postseason because of a torn tendon in his left calf muscle. Hernandez, 9-3 in postseason play, will now pitch the opener at Shea Stadium next week and Tom Glavine will go in Game 2. "It is what it is. There's nothing much we can do about it," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It's very unfortunate, but we have to move on." Hernandez (11-11) allowed only an unearned run, three hits and five walks in five innings, pitching in his usual deliberate manner: throwing only 61 of 102 pitches for strikes. Carlos Delgado drove in four runs and Carlos Beltran hit his 41st homer, tying the Mets record set by Todd Hundley in 1996. New York had lost seven of eight coming in and was outscored 25-1 in the first two games of the series. New York built a 6-0 lead on Delgado's three-run double in the first, Paul Lo Duca's RBI single in the second, Delgado's RBI double in the fourth and Jose Reyes' run-scoring single off Peter Moylan in the fifth.
Atlanta got its first run in the fifth on a throwing error by third baseman David Wright. | |||
| Pedro Is Finished As Well As The Mets! | |||
Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, was rocked again in his final start of the regular season, giving up eight hits, seven runs and two homers in 2 2-3 innings of a 13-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night. Slowed this time by an ailing calf, Martinez said he's got no confidence in his pitches and all but conceded that he won't start in Game 1 of the NL playoffs next week -- if he's able to pitch at all in the opening round. "I've worked hard to try and get back, but obviously I'm not 100 percent," Martinez said. "I don't feel healthy." Atlanta tagged the Mets for five homers, including two by Jeff Francoeur, and twice went deep with back-to-back hitters. Francoeur, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann had three RBIs apiece. Martinez (9-8), who recently spent a month on the disabled list with the calf injury, took his third straight loss since being activated and fourth in a row overall. He was yanked after giving up a run-scoring double to fellow pitcher Tim Hudson, pushing the Braves to a 7-0 lead. Mets manager Willie Randolph walked slowly to the mound and had a brief chat with Martinez. Third baseman David Wright tried to perk up the pitcher, patting him several times on his right shoulder before he trudged to the dugout. "Obviously, he didn't pitch too well," Randolph said. "We'll have to wait and see."
"I was leaving a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate," Martinez said. "That's not where you want to leave it for big league hitters." The poor outing throws into question how the Mets will set up their rotation for the playoffs, which begin next week with the best-of-five division series. Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez are penciled in for starts, but Randolph had hoped to use Martinez in Game 1. | |||
| Mets Really Stink! These Are The Champions! | |||
The NL East champions are looking to gain momentum for the postseason. Instead, an embarrassing 12-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night extended their late-season slump. "We're not panicking," Wright said. "We need to get going. The Mets have been outscored 24-4 in three straight losses. They have dropped six of seven and nine of 12 overall. New York has only five more road games -- including a key playoff tuneup for Pedro Martinez on Wednesday night against the Braves -- before the regular season ends. Oliver Perez (3-13) took his third loss with only one win in six starts since joining the Mets in a trade from Pittsburgh. He gave up seven hits and six runs with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings. Mets manager Willie Randolph was upbeat after the game, confidently predicting, "We'll turn the page." "My confidence is always high," Randolph said. "I don't want to get too analytical. It's just another game. ... I don't think this has anything to do with (the playoffs) next week."
But Randolph's players expressed concern.
"We need to start playing a little better than we have the last six or seven games," catcher Paul Lo Duca said. "We need to start clicking a little more before we go into the playoffs." | |||
| Mets Stink! Ya Ya! | |||
Glavine had some uncharacteristic control problems Monday night and the New York Mets lost to Washington 7-3 in their final home game of the regular season. The NL East champions finished 50-31 at Shea Stadium, losing five of their last six. They return home next week for Game 1 of the playoffs. Glavine (14-7) gave up eight hits and four runs -- three earned -- in six innings. It was his first loss since Aug. 16 and the most hits he has allowed since he surrendered 10 in four innings at Atlanta on July 30. Glavine threw 57 of his 107 pitches for strikes and fell to 8-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 15 starts at home this season. Brian Schneider tied a career high with four hits and Jose Vidro went 3-for-3. Washington won three of four for the franchise's first series victory in a four-game set at Shea since the Montreal Expos did it Sept. 18-21, 2003. Vidro scored on catcher Paul Lo Duca's throwing error in the sixth to make it 4-2 and Bernie Castro added a two-run single in Washington's three-run eighth. Perez (2-0) walked six and retired the side in order only once but managed to limit New York to two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. He got his first major league win last Tuesday night, allowing one hit in six shutout innings against Atlanta.
Cliff Floyd's RBI groundout in the third cut Washington's lead to 3-2 but Perez struck out Shawn Green with a runner on second for the final out. David Wright grounded into an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the fifth.
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| Trachsel Back To Slow Base On Bases Ways | |||
Armas pitched six strong innings for his first victory in seven starts since Aug. 18 and Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI double for Washington, which sent the NL East champions to their seventh defeat in 10 games. Trying to secure a spot in New York's postseason rotation, Steve Trachsel (15-8) allowed three runs in five-plus innings. He dropped to 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in his last four starts -- not exactly what the Mets were looking for heading into October. "Tryouts are for spring training. If 15 wins is not enough, then I don't know," Trachsel said.
The Mets have lost four of five to Florida and Washington.
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| Mets Crush Nats, Nick Johnson Breaks Leg | |||
Johnson broke his right leg in an outfield collision during the eighth inning of the New York Mets' 12-6 victory over the Nationals on Saturday. The first baseman collided with right fielder Austin Kearns while chasing David Wright's blooper down the right-field line that fell in for a triple. Johnson was immobilized and taken to a hospital. He was scheduled to have surgery Saturday night in New York to repair his right femur, the bone in the upper part of his leg. Second baseman Jose Vidro, who was near the collision, said he heard a "crack." Washington manager Frank Robinson said that when trainers tried to move Johnson, "You can't even describe the sounds he made." "You sit there and see a teammate and a friend on the ground yelling in pain," Kearns said. "It makes you sick to your stomach. I'm just sick to my stomach, I don't know anything else to say." Paul Lo Duca also homered and Wright finished with three hits and three runs for the Mets, who snapped a three-game skid. Jose Reyes drove in three runs and reached base five times with a two-run double, an RBI single, another single and a pair of walks. The Mets broke open the game with three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth.
John Maine (6-5) got the win despite throwing 110 pitches in five innings. He allowed four runs and three hits, struck out seven, walked five and hit two batters with pitches.
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| Mets Can't Hit Anymore | |||
Soriano became baseball's first 40-40-40 player, Pedro Astacio turned in a rare strong road start, and the Washington Nationals beat New York 3-2 Friday night. Soriano hit his 40th double, stole his 41st base and scored a run. With 45 homers, he already was only the fourth major league player with 40 homers and 40 steals in a season. Endy Chavez had three hits and drove in a run for the Mets, who played without three regulars and lost their third straight and sixth in eight games. They have scored three or fewer runs in seven of those games. But with offensive catalysts Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca out of the starting lineup with the best record in the NL already clinched, the Mets saw little reason for panic. "As it gets closer to postseason, we have to bear down and make sure that we can springboard into the playoffs," third baseman David Wright said. "We're still in that honeymoon period after clinching, and we'll buckle down here."
Orlando Hernandez (10-11) pitched well except for the third inning, when he allowed two hits, hit two batters with pitches and gave up two runs. He went seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out eight and walking one.
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| Pedro Improves, But Beaten By Sanchez | |||
The New York Mets' ace was certainly more comfortable on the mound Thursday night, but he was outpitched by Florida rookie Anibal Sanchez in the Marlins' 5-2 victory. "This is what I wanted, regardless of what the results might be," Martinez said. "I got the innings and I got command of my pitches. That's what I needed." Miguel Olivo and Hanley Ramirez each drove in two runs during a four-run fifth against Martinez, and Sanchez (9-3) worked seven strong innings to win for the fifth time in six decisions. New York already clinched the NL East title earlier this week, so Martinez (9-7) is just trying to get healthy and sharp in time to lead a suspect rotation in October. He's expected to make only one more regular-season start, next Wednesday in Atlanta. "I'm really close," he said. "I'm going to push it in the playoffs." The three-time Cy Young Award winner had a disappointing outing in Pittsburgh last Friday night, his first since missing a month with a strained right calf, and was nearly in tears in the dugout after lasting only three innings. "The first outing, I felt like I had no knowledge of what was going to happen after the first inning," he said. But the 34-year-old right-hander got off to a good start in this one. He faced the minimum 12 batters through four innings, striking out five, and got help from his defense in the form of a double play and two diving catches in the outfield. "I'm extremely happy with the way everything went. I hit a little bit of a wall in the fifth inning," Martinez said. "Everything seems to be coming along just like I expected." Martinez ran into trouble in the fifth, when he gave up four hits and hit a batter with a pitch. Yet few balls were hit hard against him, and he struck out seven over five innings before leaving for a pinch hitter. Martinez yielded four runs -- three earned -- and one walk, throwing 52 of 87 pitches for strikes. He is 2-4 with a 7.47 ERA in seven starts since June 28. "He looked a lot better than the last time out," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "He had that nice feel and presence about him. He was out there competing. So that was very encouraging."
Sanchez allowed two runs -- one earned -- and seven hits in his third start since a no-hitter against Arizona on Sept. 6. He's beaten the Mets twice in those three outings.
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| Willis Hammers and Shuts Down Mets | |||
Willis also pulled a run-scoring single into right field in Florida's three-run sixth. Matt Treanor's RBI double put the Marlins in front 2-1 before Willis drove him in with a base hit and Hanley Ramirez added a run-scoring groundout. New York's only concern right now is keeping healthy and getting some rest ahead of the postseason. The Mets beat Florida 4-0 Monday night to clinch the NL East title, becoming the first team in the majors to qualify for the playoffs. Willis (12-11) has won three straight starts for the first time this season. He allowed three runs and seven hits to improve to 3-1 against the Mets this season and 11-2 with a 2.02 ERA in his career. The left-hander is 5-1 with a no-decision in his last seven starts overall. Joe Borowski came on with runners at first and second and got two outs for his 35th save in 42 chances. He retired Jose Reyes on a fly ball with the bases loaded to end it. Oliver Perez (3-12) shut out the Marlins over the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth and sixth. He was charged with three runs and five hits over 5 1-3 innings. Perez got Alfredo Amezaga to fly out with runners on second and third to end the fourth, but Willis hit his first pitch in the fifth over the wall in right-center to tie it at 1. Willis raised his right arm in the air as the ball went out and the crowd booed as he finished rounding the bases. "When I hit, they always tell me, 'Take the first pitch,"' Perez said. "I was thinking he was going to take the first pitch, but he hit it."
Outfielders Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd were out of the starting lineup again for the Mets. Randolph sent out a lineup full of reserves Tuesday night but put most of his regulars back in for the third of four straight games against the Marlins.
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| Glavine & The Subsitutes Win | |||
"As much as I want to win games, it's not quite as important as getting some things squared away for the postseason," Glavine said. The Mets' lineup did not include anyone who started Monday night's clincher, and it had six guys hitting under .210. Julio Franco made his first start at third base since 1982, while Michael Tucker played first base and broke in Carlos Delgado's backup mitt. "We got our A-minus squad out there today," manager Willie Randolph kidded before the game. Still, the Mets cut their magic number to one for clinching the best record in the league and home-field advantage through the NL championship series, if they make it that far. Glavine (14-6) lasted eight innings for the first time since April 19, and worked on all facets of his repertoire -- pitching inside, mixing in a changeup, throwing the breaking ball for strikes. The lefty gave up four hits and moved past Tommy John into 23rd place on the all-time win list. Glavine had not gone more than 6 1-3 innings since missing two weeks in late August because of a blood clot in his left shoulder. Lastings Milledge and Tucker hit RBI singles in the eighth that sent the Marlins to their fourth straight loss. Florida dropped five games behind Los Angeles in the wild-card race.
Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his 39th save. He's been successful on 17 straight tries.
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| Mets Win N.L. East | |||
Ending nearly two decades of disappointment in their division and days of delay, the New York Mets brought the NL East title back to Shea Stadium for the first time since 1988 with a 4-0 victory over the Florida Marlins on Monday night. Then they celebrated as if they had won the World Series. "If this is what playoff baseball in New York is like, to me it's the best," David Wright said before sticking a cigar in his mouth and high-fiving fans in the first row during the 90-minute postgame celebration. Jose Valentin, one of their unexpected stars, homered twice. Steve Trachsel, their longest-tenured player, combined with Guillermo Mota, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner on a four-hitter. Fireworks shot off from behind the center-field wall when Cliff Floyd caught Josh Willingham's fly ball to left for the final out. The Mets rushed to the center of the diamond for a bouncing group hug near shortstop. "I got that ball in my back pocket. For a small fee, I might give it up," Floyd said, laughing. They are New York's "other team," often obscured by the crosstown Yankees, whose 26 World Series titles' dwarf the Mets' two. When the Yankees celebrate division titles -- they're closing in on their ninth straight -- they resemble corporate executives closing a deal with handshakes. For them, only World Series titles satisfy. When the Mets win anything, it's time to let loose. Just two years removed from a 71-91 finish that led to the hirings of Randolph and general manager Omar Minaya, the Mets ended the reign of the Atlanta Braves, who had won 14 straight division titles, including 11 in a row since their move to the NL East.
The Mets became the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth and can prepare for their first postseason appearance since 2000, when they won the wild card for the second straight season and lost to the Yankees in the World Series. The Mets are likely to meet St. Louis, Los Angeles or San Diego in the first round, starting in the first week of October.
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| Mets Swept in Pittsburgh, Magic Number Still At One | |||
The Mets failed for the third straight day to clinch the NL East title when Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh Pirates finished off an unlikely sweep Sunday with a 3-0 win. "I'm not frustrated. We are a little disappointed we didn't get it done," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "You want to go out and do it with all the anticipation." New York was denied its first division title since 1988 later in the day when second-place Philadelphia beat Houston 6-4. The Mets can clinch at home Monday night with a win over Florida or a loss by the Phillies. The Mets came to Pittsburgh with a magic number of one and the best record in the majors. Even with a sizable contingent of New York fans in the stands, the young Pirates became the first NL team to sweep the Mets this season. For the third day in a row, a Pirates left-hander beat New York. The Mets have lost 13 of their last 18 when lefties started against them and are 23-21 overall -- compared to 67-37 when facing a right-hander.
Endy Chavez had three hits and Wright and Lastings Milledge each had two for New York, which stranded nine runners and was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Mets missed a chance to clinch the division on the same date they did in 1986 -- the last season in which the Mets won the World Series.
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| Magic Number Still At One...Again! | |||
For the second night in a row, the Pirates prevented the New York Mets from clinching the NL East when Ronny Paulino hit an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 3-2 victory Saturday night. The Mets' magic number for clinching their first division title since 1988 remained at one. New York could've won it Friday night, too, but lost to Pittsburgh 5-3. After Paul Lo Duca flied out with a runner on second to end the Mets ninth, the Pirates won it in front of only their sixth sellout crowd of the season. Pinch-hitter Joe Randa drew a two-out walk from Aaron Heilman (4-5) in the ninth. Paulino followed with a drive to the deepest part of PNC Park in left-center field and Randa scored without a play. Carlos Delgado had two hits and two RBIs for the Mets.
Delgado doubled home Carlos Beltran in the first for a 1-0 lead. During the inning, Bay slid into the padding next to the left-field line chasing a foul ball and stayed on the ground for a moment.
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| Magic Number Still At One | |||
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| Mets Comeback Again! Win In Extra Frames | |||
Paul Lo Duca had three RBIs, Jose Reyes had three hits and Carlos Delgado delivered a game-tying, two-out single in the ninth inning as the Mets beat the Florida Marlins 7-4 on Wednesday night -- trimming New York's magic number for winning the NL East to two. "We don't want to get too crazy about tomorrow or the next day," Delgado said. "We want to continue to play hard and keep our intensity level high and look forward to playing in the playoffs." The Mets could have clinched the title with a win and Atlanta sweeping a doubleheader from Philadelphia. The Braves didn't come through, so the victory cigar manager Willie Randolph had on his desk is off to Pittsburgh, where the Mets open a series Friday. Pedro Martinez is set to make his first start since Aug. 14 then.
It was the second straight night Delgado tied the game late; his three-run, eighth-inning homer helped the Mets rally Tuesday for a 6-4 win. Aaron Heilman (4-4) got the win after throwing two hitless innings, and Billy Wagner got his 38th save in 43 chances. | |||
| Mets Comeback After Looking Lost Again | |||
Delgado -- who has never been to the postseason -- hit a tying, three-run homer in the eighth inning, and Cliff Floyd's RBI double put New York ahead to stay in its 6-4 win over the Florida Marlins in a rain-delayed game Tuesday night. The Mets trimmed their magic number for winning the NL East to three. They could clinch their first division title since 1988 on Wednesday with a victory over Florida and an Atlanta sweep in its doubleheader against Philadelphia. The Mets trailed 4-1 entering the eighth before rallying with four runs. Florida could have moved within a game of the NL wild-card lead because San Diego lost 5-4 in 11 innings at Cincinnati. Instead, the Marlins remained two games back with 17 remaining. A trio of former Marlins -- Floyd, Delgado and Paul Lo Duca -- combined for seven hits, and David Wright added three hits and two runs scored for New York.
New York starter Oliver Perez struck out a season-high 11 in five innings, allowing five hits and four runs.
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| Fish Filet Mets | |||
Ross tied Florida records with three home runs and seven RBIs, while Sanchez -- in his first start since pitching a no-hitter last week -- allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings as the Marlins beat the New York Mets 16-5 Monday night. Dan Uggla was a career-best 5-for-5 with three runs, Ross had four hits and Miguel Cabrera took over the NL batting lead plus drove in three runs for the Marlins, who had a season-high 20 hits and set a club record with five homers. The Marlins, 17-5 since Aug. 20, moved within two games of idle San Diego in the NL wild-card race. Uggla and Josh Willingham also hit home runs for Florida. Carlos Beltran hit his 40th home run and Cliff Floyd added a two-run drive for the Mets, whose magic number for clinching the NL East title for the first time since 1988 Mets starter Dave Williams (5-4) lasted only three-plus innings, giving up nine earned runs and 11 hits. Ross' three-run homer highlighted Florida's four-run first. Cabrera had a two-run double in the second, an inning that Williams could have been out of if shortstop Jose Reyes didn't bobble a potential double-play ball. Sanchez's single pushed the lead to 7-2 in the third, then Uggla led off the fourth with a homer.
Lastings Milledge and Carlos Delgado had RBIs in the eighth for the Mets, who have lost five of nine.
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| Another Rookie Clobbers The Mets, Trachsel Sucks! | |||
Stults, a 26-year-old left-hander making his first major league start, combined with three relievers on a three-hitter. On Friday, Hong-Chih Kuo and three relievers teamed on a four-hitter in a 5-0 win. The Mets, who beat Brad Penny and Greg Maddux in the other two games of the series, saw the magic number for clinching their first NL East title since 1988 trimmed to four when Philadelphia lost to Florida. Pitching in place of Mark Hendrickson, who is working on his mechanics while pitching in relief, Stults gave up a single up the middle to his second batter, Endy Chavez, and didn't allow another hit until Jose Reyes homered to left-center with two outs in the sixth. After Chavez's hit, Stults got Paul Lo Duca to hit into an inning-ending double play. Stults (1-0) struck out three and walked two, throwing 86 pitches, and he also got his first major league hit. He was 10-11 with a 4.23 ERA this season at Triple-A Las Vegas, then allowed three runs and five hits over three innings in his major league debut Tuesday at Milwaukee. Trachsel (14-7) lost his second straight start after going 12-1 in an 18-start stretch from May 23 through Aug. 29. After Trachsel retired his first six batters, Los Angeles loaded the bases on three second-inning singles. Lofton, who had been 0-for-6 with the bases full this year, batted with one out and worked the count to 3-2, then pulled a high fastball down the right-field line. His helmet flipped off as he rounded second and he easily made it to third with a triple, then scored when Garciaparra singled over third baseman David Wright with the infield in. "It's something mechanical I'm doing, something that's causing me to miss pitches or miss location," Trachsel said.
Perhaps putting his postseason starting spot in jeopardy, he allowed four runs, five hits and two walks in 2 2-3 innings, with his ERA rising to a season-high 5.17. Trachsel couldn't throw his curveball for strikes.
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| El Duque and Wright On | |||
If they meet again, it will be. Hernandez allowed one earned run in seven innings, and David Wright's two-run single after Maddux left tagged the 40-year-old pitcher with a loss Saturday as the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2. The Mets are all but in the playoffs, and the Dodgers are in a fight to get there. New York won for the second time in three games against the Dodgers in the matchup of NL division leaders. The Mets lowered their magic number for clinching the East to five, while Los Angeles maintained a 1 1/2 -game lead over San Diego, which lost to San Francisco 5-4 in 11 innings Saturday. Wright went 3-for-3, and his go-ahead hit with two outs in the sixth off Brett Tomko, the third Dodgers pitcher of the inning, gave the Mets their major league-leading 29th one-run victory. The Dodgers thought Wright should've been called out on a close 2-2 slider, but the young third baseman hung in and hit a full-count fastball up the middle to score Jose Valentin and Carlos Beltran.
"He did a good job making pitches," Wright said. "It was a battle all along." | |||
| Rookie Lefty Shuts Down Mets | |||
"Just got to get ready," he said with a blank look. Nomar Garciaparra and Rafael Furcal homered to help Kuo get his first major league victory in the Dodgers' 5-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday night. Kuo (1-4) yielded three hits, struck out seven and walked three in six innings on Taiwan heritage night at Shea Stadium. He became the third Taiwanese pitcher ever to start a game in the major leagues. "We knew he was limited with the number of pitches that he had to work with because of his inexperience starting games this season but he got us very deep into that game with a good quality start out there," said Dodgers manager Grady Little, who announced afterward that Kuo would start against the Cubs on Thursday. "We're proud for him." David Wright had two hits for New York but also committed a costly throwing error that led to two runs for the Dodgers. John Maine (5-4) lost for the first time since July 8 against Florida. Furcal led off the fifth with his 10th homer to put Los Angeles in front 3-0. One batter later, Garciaparra hit an 0-1 pitch from Maine into the bleachers in left. The Dodgers almost had a third solo homer in the inning but Carlos Beltran timed his jump perfectly, sticking his glove over the wall to take one away from J.D. Drew.
Kuo held the Mets hitless before Wright led off the bottom half of the fifth with a single to center. Green then singled to left but Kuo struck out Chris Woodward and got Lastings Milledge to bounce to shortstop Furcal, who started an inning-ending double play. | |||
| Reyes Steals The Show | |||
Reyes had the biggest hit in the New York Mets' 7-0 victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Dodgers, a three-run, speed-driven homer that was more than enough offense for Tom Glavine, who won for the first time in more than a month. "Nothing happened, I just dropped it," Reyes said of his miscue in the seventh inning that led to Glavine's departure. Martinez had plenty to say about it. As Reyes spoke near the pitcher's locker, Martinez held a kid's glove outstretched until he got Reyes' attention. He then went into a stumbling dance to mimic his young teammate as he teased him in English and Spanish. And the Mets can continue to laugh as their place in the postseason is virtually assured. Their magic number to clinch their first NL East title since 1988 is down to seven. Glavine made the Dodgers' playoff hopes look shakier. After a seven-game winning streak, Los Angeles has dropped four of five, its NL West lead cut to a half-game over San Diego. The Dodgers have been outscored 31-11 in the losses and been shut out twice. Glavine (13-6) was sharp in his first Shea Stadium outing since Aug. 5, the date of his previous win and before a blood clot in his pitching arm sidelined him for two weeks. The left-hander worked into the seventh inning for the 14th time this season.
In his second appearance since the ailment, Glavine yielded five hits but no walks in 6 1-3 innings and earned his 288th major league victory -- but just his fourth in 14 starts dating to June 18. Glavine had three perfect innings and never faced more than five batters in any frame.
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| Perez Shutouts The Braves In Sweep | |||
Oliver Perez (3-11) tossed a career-best five-hitter in his first win for the NL East-leading Mets, who improved to 15-4 in their last 19 games. Perez had an outstanding season two years ago for the Pirates, but was demoted to the minors this year because of control problems and ineffectiveness. The left-hander had not won since May 17 for Pittsburgh against the Reds.
Jose Reyes hit the first pitch he saw in the second game for his sixth leadoff homer of the season, setting a Mets record. Chris Woodward added a two-run double off Kyle Davies (2-5), pinch-hitter Endy Chavez delivered a two-run triple and Julio Franco had an RBI single.
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| Mets Look Flat | |||
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| Mets Look Flat | |||
James pitched one-hit ball for eight neat innings, shutting down New York and leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory Monday night. The rookie also scored twice and got his first hit of the season. Helped by a string of strong plays in the field, he allowed only a second-inning single off the left-field fence to David Wright, who was thrown out at second on the play by Matt Diaz. "Unbelievable. Even though it said one hit on the board, it was probably about a 12-hitter," James said. "I think everybody on the field was probably on their belly at one time today." Adam LaRoche and Edgar Renteria each drove in two runs for the Braves, trying to stay within striking distance of the NL wild card. But they're 18 1/2 games behind first-place New York in the NL East, leaving them virtually no chance of winning their 15th straight division title. Atlanta took advantage of a season-high seven walks by Steve Trachsel (14-6) and gave manager Bobby Cox his 2,158th win, which moved Cox ahead of Hall of Famer Bucky Harris for fifth place on the career list.
With the Braves coming off consecutive doubleheaders in Philadelphia, James (8-3) gave most of the bullpen a rest. The 24-year-old left-hander walked three and struck out one in winning his fourth consecutive decision.
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| Oswalt Looks Like a Million Dollars | |||
Oswalt took a perfect-game bid into the seventh inning and struck out a season-high nine as the Astros beat the New York Mets 2-1 Sunday despite getting just one hit. "Overall, stuff-wise, this was probably the best I've had in a while," Oswalt said. "I had all four pitches working." Oswalt (11-8), who signed the five-year extension on Tuesday, didn't allow a baserunner until Jose Reyes beat out a bouncer to shortstop leading off the seventh. Adam Everett tried for a barehanded pickup but couldn't come up with the ball. The Mets failed to complete what would have been their first three-game sweep in Houston since 1984 and lost for just the second time when allowing a single hit. The first came was against St. Louis on Sept. 14, 1991, when Ray Lankford hit a two-run single off David Cone in a 2-1 game. Orlando Hernandez (9-10), who hadn't pitched since Aug. 20, struck out four and walked six in 5 1-3 innings as the Mets lost for just the third time in their last 16 games.
The Mets had rested the 40-year-old El Duque because of fatigue, but Hernandez was encouraged by his 106-pitch effort.
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| Beltran Catch Saves Wagner | |||
But he still had his sense of humor. Beltran crashed into the left field wall when making a catch on a long fly by Lance Berkman in the ninth inning that preserved New York's 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Playing against the team that he snubbed in favor of signing with the Mets in 2004, Beltran was roundly booed each time he batted or came near the ball. When asked how Saturday's collision compared to the violent collision he had with teammate Mike Cameron last season, Beltran said that one was much worse because he didn't know where he was. Cliff Floyd had a double and two RBIs in his return from the disabled list to back rookie John Maine's strong pitching before Beltran's catch. Floyd, activated from the 15-day DL before the game, had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the ninth to help the Mets to their 13th win in the last 15 games. He had been out since Aug. 9 with an Achilles' tendon injury.
Maine (5-3) pitched 6 1-3 innings and gave up just two hits, but they were both home runs, and struck out three. Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 39 chances.
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| Glavine Returns | |||
What's important is that he's healthy. And besides, the New York Mets still beat the Houston Astros 8-6 on Friday night thanks to pinch hitter Jose Valentin's RBI double that broke an eighth inning tie. "Right now my goals are simple, I just want to feel good and come out of the game feeling good and that happened tonight so that's good," Glavine said. The game was tied at 6 when Valentin's hit to the corner in left scored David Wright, who had three RBIs. Endy Chavez followed with an RBI-single to extend the lead. The loss ended a season-high six-game winning streak for the Astros who are looking to make a push for the playoffs. Glavine made his first appearance in more than two weeks after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his pitching shoulder. He remained stalled at 287 wins after leaving the game with the scored tied 6-6. Glavine threw 93 pitches, 52 for strikes and allowed seven hits and six runs while striking out five.
But the National League-leading Mets should be encouraged by the 40-year-old two-time Cy Young winner's return to the mound as they gear up for the playoffs, even if it was less than stellar.
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