Trade Bait Cameron Comes Up Big
| Box Score >>> Record : 53-52 |
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| New York Mets' Mike Cameron (44) connects for a single as Houston Astros catcher Brad Ausmus, left, watches during the fourth inning in Houston. |
Making sure that really was his name in the sixth spot, he said, ``OK,'' smiled and stretched his arms.
So maybe it wasn't just a coincidence that a few hours later, shortly after the trade deadline passed, he led off the eighth inning with a double off the wall and turned it into the pivotal go-ahead run in a 9-4 victory that ended the Houston Astros' seven-game winning streak.
Cameron, the Mets' most prominent player mentioned in trade talks, insisted afterward that his focus was strictly on baseball, but New York sure played like a relaxed team -- not one going into the finale of a seven-game road trip having won just once, plus facing the looming threat of a roster shake-up to add Manny Ramirez or Dannys Baez.
The Mets gave Astros starter Roy Oswalt his worst pounding at home since opening day, then still had to get a bloop single from seldom starter Ramon Castro to take their first lead since the early innings Thursday night. Once ahead, they added four more runs in the ninth, the same amount they'd scored, total, over the previous three games. New York finished with a season-high 17 hits. 
Glavine Gets No Support Again
| Box Score >>> Record : 52-52 |
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| New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine, left, throws a pitch to Houston Astros' Willy Taveras (1) during the first inning Saturday, July 30, 2005 in Houston.. |
Settling old scores is just a happy byproduct of the Astros' incredible midseason run. This was their season-best seventh straight win and 13th in 14 games. They've won 25 of the last 30 and are 42-17 since bottoming out at 15 games under .500 in late May; this win put them 10 over and upped their lead in the NL wild card race to two games over Washington.
Glavine allowed just five hits. He struck out three and didn't allow a walk, needing only 86 pitches over seven innings. Yet the Mets still lost their third straight and fifth in six games, putting them back at .500 (52-52) less than a week after being four over, their season-best.
Houston Beat Up Messies
| Box Score >>> Record : 52-51 |
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| New York Mets second baseman Miguel Cairo, left, loses the ball as Houston Astros' Willy Taveras (1) steals second base during the third inning Friday, July 29, 2005, in Houston. Taveras later scored on a Lance Berkman home run. |
Morgan Ensberg, Lance Berkman and Craig Biggio homered, and rookie Wandy Rodriguez had his third straight solid start, leading the Astros past the New York Mets 5-2 Friday night to continue their amazing July run.
Houston won for the 12th time in 13 games and 21st time this month, breaking a club record set in 1976. The Astros also moved into the lead in the NL wild-card race, passing Washington, which lost to Florida, and climbed to a season-best nine games over .500. Another eye-popping stat: This was their 20th win in the last 22 home games.
Biggio hit a solo shot off Mets starter Kris Benson (7-4) in the first inning, then Berkman added a two-run homer in the third. After the Mets scored twice to get within a run in the top of the sixth, Ensberg answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
While the locals are supporting this team, they're also making a hobby out of booing departed star Carlos Beltran. Picking up where they left off Thursday night when they rankled him into going 0-for-4, a second straight sellout crowd pestered him at every opportunity. Beltran handled it better this time, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and scoring the Mets' first run.
Boo's for Beltran
| Box Score >>> Record : 52-50 |
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| Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez (45) throws a pitch to the Astros' Willy Taveras during the first inning. |
Brad Ausmus drove in the tying run off Pedro Martinez with a squeeze bunt in the seventh inning, then won it with a single to right-center field with one out in the bottom of the ninth, sending Houston past the New York Mets 3-2 on Thursday night. Martinez, who had won five of his last six starts, allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings. He added eight strikeouts to his NL-leading total and upped his career count to 2,808, passing Cy Young (2,803) for 16th all-time.
Beltran was beloved after being acquired last June and moved into the Nolan Ryan-Earl Campbell stratosphere of adoration among Houstonians after hitting eight homers in 12 playoff games. They turned on him because of his decision to take a $119 million, seven-year deal with the Mets instead of accepting a relatively close offer from Houston. Beltran said a full no-trade guarantee swayed him.
So a sellout crowd of 43,552, the second-biggest of the season and fourth-largest in the 6-year history of Minute Maid Park, let out full-throated boos every time they heard his name, starting from the announcement of lineups 15 minutes before the game. He continued to hear the jeers during each at-bat and every time the ball was hit to him in center field.
The result: He went 0-for-4, hitting three infield grounders and a routine fly ball to center, and later admitted the negative reception bothered him.
David Wright of the Mets singled in the eighth, upping his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games. ... With the Astros stealing three bases and the Mets none, Houston passed New York for the NL lead with 84.
Mets Beat The Rockies Finally
| Box Score >>> Record : 52-49 |
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| Mets' Marlon Anderson follows through with his swing after connecting for a solo home run on a pitch from Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jamey Wright in the second inning. |
New York had five runs and 15 hits the first two games at Coors Field before finally breaking out at the hitter-friendly park. The Mets had 13 hits -- every starter had at least one -- batted around in a six-run fifth inning and scored at least nine runs for the ninth time to avoid their first sweep by Colorado in eight years.
David Wright of the Mets had a two-run double to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, Jose Reyes had three hits to push his hitting streak to 10 and Anderson hit solo homers in the second and fourth innings for his first career multihomer game.
The Rockies were looking for their third sweep of the season and fourth win in six games. Starter Jamey Wright (5-11) didn't give them much of a chance.
The right-hander gave up the two homers to Anderson, then allowed six runs in the fifth before being lifted with no outs. Wright allowed nine runs and 11 hits, the sixth time in 20 starts he's give up at least six earned runs. Colorado had nine hits as it matched the worst record after 100 games (36-64 in 1993) in franchise history.
Mets Look Flat in the Mountains
| Box Score >>> Record : 51-49 |
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| New York Mets outfielder Cliff Floyd sits dejectedly in the dugout as the Mets lose 4-3 to the Colorado Rockies. |
Jeff Francis pitched into the seventh inning, Dustan Mohr homered and Colorado scored three runs after an error in the third inning, lifting the Rockies to a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
The Rockies have baseball's worst record (36-63) in part because they have the most errors (84), have hit the most batters (64) and thrown the second-most wild pitches (45).
With two outs in the third inning, Kasuhisa Ishii (3-9) got Eric Byrnes to hit a grounder to shortstop. Jose Reyes fielded the ball cleanly and made a low throw, but the ball bounded off the heel of first baseman Chris Woodward's glove for an error.
It was all Francis (9-7) needed. The left-hander had his changeup working on an unusually cool night in Denver, keeping the Mets offbalance most of the game. Francis gave up a run in the third on Reyes' infield single -- shortstop Anderson Machado had trouble getting the ball out of his glove -- but not much else until David Wright led off the seventh with a homer that cut Colorado's lead to 4-2.
Francis allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings after giving up seven runs and 11 hits in five innings his last start.
Rocky Mountain Low
| Box Score >>> Record : 51-48 |
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| Mets' Carlos Beltran reacts after striking out on a pitch from Rockies relief pitcher Brian Fuentes in the ninth inning of the Rockies' 5-3 victory. |
The Mets only got to Acevedo once -- in the fourth -- when Jose Reyes, Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd combined for two triples and a double to help the Mets take a 3-2 lead.
Reyes hit his major league-leading 11th triple, Cameron had an RBI double and Floyd knocked in a run with his first triple since 2003. David Wright added a sacrifice fly.
Anderson Machado, just called up from Triple-A this week, had his first two RBIs for the Rockies, a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly against Tom Glavine (7-8), who allowed five runs over six innings and lost for just the second time in seven starts.
Benson Shuts Down Dodgers
| Box Score >>> Record : 51-47 |
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| Teammates congratulate Mets pitcher Kris Benson after he pitched eight inninngs allowing only four hits and no runs in the Mets 6-0 shutout of the Dodgers. |
Benson gave up just four hits and walked one in the New York Mets' 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, but because he's superstitious and doesn't check the scoreboard, he didn't know he had thrown 125 pitches.
Mike Piazza hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, Carlos Beltran tripled and Cliff Floyd had an RBI double as the Mets won for the sixth time in seven games and moved four over .500 (51-47) to match a season high.
Benson (7-3) didn't allow a baserunner until Cesar Izturis bunted for a single with one out in the fourth, one batter after Benson took a shot off his right leg. That ball deflected to third baseman David Wright, who threw to first in time to record the 10th straight out.
Reyes Runs Dodgers Wild
| Box Score >>> Record : 50-47 |
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| Mets' Jose Reyes watches his seventh inning triple drop into right field as LDodgers catcher Jason Phillips looks on at Shea. The Mets' Marlon Anderson scored on the play to tie the score at five. The Mets won 7-5. |
"When I'm finished, I'll get the best seat to see him play," said Martinez, who earned his 12th win of the season. "I'll pay whatever price to see him play."
Reyes was worth the price of admission in Saturday's 7-5 victory over the Dodgers. He scored three runs, drove in two, stole two bases and was in the middle of just about every Mets rally.
On a day when Martinez did not have his best stuff, Reyes rescued the Mets, zipping around the bases, disrupting the Dodgers at every turn. His seventh-inning triple tied the score at 5 and he trotted home when Carlos Beltran hit the next pitch for an RBI single. In the eighth, Reyes added another RBI hit.
Zambrano Looks Dodger Blue
| Box Score >>> Record : 49-47 |
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| Mets catcher Mike Piazza, left, applies the tag late to the Dodgers' Hee-Seop Choi, of South Korea, in the fifth inning at Shea Stadium. Choi scored on the play. |
Coming off a sweep of the first-place Padres, the Mets had their four-game winning streak snapped. New York starters entered with a 1.53 ERA in the last eight games, but Victor Zambrano (4-9) failed to extend that surge. He lasted only 4 2-3 innings in a rare dud.
Zambrano was charged with six runs and 10 hits. It was only the second time in 18 starts this season that he allowed more than three earned runs.
Marlon Anderson got his major league-leading 14th pinch-hit for the Mets. He is 14-for-33 (.424) as a pinch-hitter this season.
Mets Show Killer Instinct, Crush Padres
| Box Score >>> Record : 49-46 |
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| Mets' David Wright hits a double to center field allowing two runs to score during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres. Wright singled earlier in the inning and scored a run. The Mets won 12-0. |
The victory moved New York (49-46) three games over .500 for the first time since June 8, and its lopsided nature -- especially against a quality opponent -- left the Mets feeling a little extra good about themselves.
Wright became the first member of the Mets to have two hits in an inning this season, and Kazuhisa Ishii (3-8) won at home for the first time since the Mets acquired him from Los Angeles during spring training.
Jose Reyes had three singles, scored twice, drove in two runs and stole his 31st base, tying Atlanta's Rafael Furcal for the league lead. Doug Mientkiewicz homered and drove in two runs and Ramon Castro hit a two-run homer for the Mets.
The Mets' seven hits and seven runs in the sixth inning both tied season highs. The combined shutout by four pitchers was their fifth of the season -- the first since May 27 against Florida.
Piazza Shows His Old Form
| Box Score >>> Record : 48-46 |
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| Mets' Mike Piazza hits a double in the third inning against the Padres at Shea Stadium. |
Piazza has enjoyed a mini-emergence from his hitting woes since being dropped to sixth in the order for the first time since May 1993 on Tuesday night. He had an RBI double in the third inning to go with his homer off Woody Williams (5-6) in the fifth and is 4-for-7 in the two games. He went 2-for-4 Tuesday.
The 12-time All-Star has become more accepting of his capabilities, knowing that he is likely not going to approach his career .315 average any longer or hit 30 homers again -- he hasn't hit .300 since 2001 or hit 30 homers since 2002.
Carlos Beltran also hit a two-run homer and Tom Glavine (7-7) won his third consecutive decision with six solid innings as the Mets won their second straight over the NL West leaders and moved two games over .500 (48-46) for the first time since June 11, when they were 32-30.
Piazza's homer into the left field bleachers was his 389th, tying him with Bench, the former Cincinnati Reds catcher, for 46th all-time, one behind Graig Nettles. It was Piazza's 367th as a catcher, most for the position.
Woodward Pinch Hit Home Run Wins It
| Box Score >>> Record : 47-46 |
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| Mets' Chris Woodward, right, is greeted at home plate after hitting a two-run game winning home run against the Padres during the 11th inning. The Mets won 3-1. |
Woodward's pinch-hit homer with one out in the 11th inning gave New York a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. He was greeted at home plate by a bouncing bunch of teammates who patted him on the helmet in rhythm as he touched the plate.
Woodward, who is hitting .314, homered on an 0-1 pitch off Chris Hammond (5-1) after Mike Piazza, dropped to sixth in the order for the first time since May 12, 1993, singled with one out. It was the second game-ending homer this season for the Mets, who moved above .500 at 47-46. Cliff Floyd hit the first on June 11.
Then the Mets fell flat, leaving seven runners on base after the sixth inning. They had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but failed to score against the Padres' bullpen.
Pedro Shuts Down the Braves
| Box Score >>> Record : 46-46 |
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| Mets Mike Cameron hits a seventh inning RBI single in the Mets 8-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Cameron's two-run homer in the second inning broke open the game for the Mets in their 8-1 victory over Atlanta. |
Martinez controlled the pace, getting ahead of hitters and retiring the Braves quickly in every inning he worked.
"When I'm pitching, the defense is always on its toes, in the right place at the right time," he said. "It comes from tempo. I work fast and I throw strikes. I don't waste any time."
Neither did the Mets, who earned a split of the four-game weekend series.
They broke the game open with a four-run second inning against Mike Hampton (4-2), and Martinez was on the way to his ninth win in 11 decisions. He struck out five and lifted his National League-leading total to 143. The only hits he allowed were a second-inning single by Adam LaRoche and a two-out double in the fourth by Andruw Jones. By then, New York had a 5-0 advantage.
Met Bats Are Quiet
| Box Score >>> Record : 45-46 |
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| The Braves' Brian McCann tags out Mets' Miguel Cairo at home plate in the third inning at Shea Stadium in New York. |
Sure he had only thrown 45 pitches through five, but after two trips around the bases on a humid night in his first start in over a month, that was enough to wipe out the right-hander.
"I was gassed," Hudson said after pitching five-hit ball Saturday night in a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets.
Kelly Johnson snapped out of an 0-for-14 slump with two hits and two RBIs for Atlanta, which has won two straight following a three-game losing streak.
Hudson (7-5) showed little signs of rust, in the 198th start of his career. He got through six innings on just 62 pitches and earned his 99th victory.
His .692 winning percentage (99-44) is third among pitchers with 100 decisions and second only to New York's Pedro Martinez among active hurlers.
Braves Tweaks One from Mets
| Box Score >>> Record : 45-45 |
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| The Braves' Wilson Betemit follows through on a single to drive in a run in the eighth inning against the Mets at Shea Stadium. |
Each of them pitched seven gritty innings on a hot, muggy night. When it was over, the Braves had a 2-1 victory.
"I spent a lot of energy tonight on a lot of things other than pitching," Smoltz said of what was an emotional matchup with his old friend. "I'm drained. I'm beat."
Smoltz said he drew energy watching his teammate of 15 years and offseason golf buddy squirm out of a number of jams before leaving the game tied at 1-all.
"Tommy pitched great, the way I've always seen him," Smoltz said. "There's times where you draw adrenaline watching him get out of bases-loaded situations. That's something I learned from him."
Smoltz said he and Glavine talk frequently, but not on Friday.
The Mets scored in the second inning when David Wright hit his third home run in two days. Wright's 14th homer of the season came on his first pitch from Smoltz. He also connected on a first pitch Thursday night against Horacio Ramirez. Julio Franco hit into a double play, but Wilson Betemit's grounder took a bad hop past shortstop Jose Reyes for an RBI single, giving the Braves the lead. It was the first run allowed by Hernandez in 18 appearances, dating to May 25.
"It's a routine groundball," Reyes said. "That should be the inning right there. No run, no nothing. Instead, they get a win."
Wow! Mets Beat the Braves for Once
| Box Score >>> Record : 45-44 |
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| Mets' Mike Piazza celebrates with teammates David Wright, left, and Cliff Floyd, right, after hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning against the Braves. |
Piazza, hitting .260 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs, has struggled to produce big hits the past few seasons while dealing with injuries and a failed attempt to move to first base. He came through this time, though, sending an 0-2 pitch from Blaine Boyer over the right-field wall.
The homer was Piazza's 388th, one behind Johnny Bench for 46th on the career list, and gave him 1,200 career RBIs.
Cliff Floyd drew chants of ``MVP! MVP!'' after he somersaulted into the left-field stands to catch Ryan Langerhans' foul fly in the fifth. He ran full stride toward the stands and backhanded the ball just as he hit the wall and fell headfirst into an empty section just in front of the stands.
Third-base umpire Ed Hickox ran down the line, looked in to see if Floyd held onto the ball and signaled for the second out. Floyd, uninjured on the play, also received a standing ovation as he jogged back to the dugout after the inning.
"I had no clue the wall was there," Floyd said. "You get so caught up in catching the ball, you forget the wall is there. I was lucky the wall was low and I'm tall."
Wright put the Mets ahead 1-0 in the second with a solo homer leading off the second, and hit another in the fourth to give New York a 2-1 lead. It was his second multihomer game.
Pedro Saves Mets From Sweep
| Box Score >>> Record : 44-44 |
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| Mets' Carlos Beltran, left drives a pitch by Pirates starting pitcher Kip Wells for a two-run home run in the first inning of the Mets 6-1 win in Pittsburgh. |
Beltran hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Martinez the only runs he needed against a once-familiar and oft-beaten opponent, and the Mets avoided a sweep by beating the outmatched Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Sunday.
Mike Cameron added a two-run double to help the Mets get to .500 at 44-44 at the All-Star break after a rough start to a weekend they were hoping to pick up ground in the NL East. They were within a strike of winning by four runs Friday before losing 6-5 in the 10th, then were battered during a seven-run Pirates seventh inning in an 11-4 loss Saturday.
"It was important to pick up the team and start playing the way we were playing, kind of forget about the first two games and start over," Martinez said.
Martinez (10-3) took care of that, remaining the one positive constant in a decidedly uneven Mets season. The right-hander was in control in his first start in Pittsburgh since 1997, striking out four in the first two innings and nine overall in seven innings to win his eighth in 10 decisions and lower his ERA to 2.82.
Pirates Pull out Lumber Company Bats
| Box Score >>> Record : 43-44 |
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| Mets catcher Mike Piazza, left, blocks the ball as Pirates Umberto Cota, right, scores on a single in the sixth inning in Pittsburgh. The teams were wearing throwback uniforms honoring Negro League teams, The Mets wore the New York Cubans uniforms while the Pirates wore Pittsburgh Crawfords uniforms. |
Pirates starter Dave Williams (7-6) bounced back from his worst start this season, a 12-1 loss Monday to Philadelphia. He won despite allowing Mike Cameron's two-run homer and Floyd's solo drive in a span of three batters in the fifth and sixth innings that turned a 3-0 Pirates lead into a 3-all tie.
Jack Wilson broke that tie after Ishii (2-8) got the first two batters in the sixth. Cota singled and Michael Restovich walked before Wilson singled for the second of his three hits, after beginning the game in a 5-for-28 slump.
Danny Graves didn't retire any of the three batters he faced, allowing three runs, after not permitting any scoring in his previous three appearances.
Massive Met Choke
| Box Score >>> Record : 43-43 |
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| Mets third baseman David Wright (5) and left fielder Cliff Floyd (30) sit in the dugout after a ten inning 6-5 loss to the Pirates. |
Cota's game-winning single completed a frantic comeback in the 10th inning after Mets closer Braden Looper wasted a four-run lead in the ninth, and the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned New York 6-5 Friday night.
The Mets, coming off three wins in a four-game series at NL East leader Washington, opened a 5-1 lead on Ramon Castro's homer and RBI single, but one of the league's most reliable closers couldn't hold it.
Pittsburgh had only five hits in eight innings against starter Victor Zambrano but loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against reliever Aaron Heilman on Jack Wilson's walk.
After Looper came in, pinch-hitter Tike Redman repeatedly fouled off pitches during a 12-pitch at-bat before grounding a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-3. Despite giving up the hit, Looper still had a chance for his 21st save in 24 opportunities.
Vintage Piazza Comes Through
| Box Score >>> Record : 43-42 |
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| Mike Piazza watches his rbi hit against the Nationals during the 11th inning of the Mets' 3-2 win. Piazza drove in Carlos Beltran for the winning run. |
Piazza drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning with his third hit, and the Mets handed the Nationals their first series loss at home since April by beating Washington 3-2 Thursday.
Returning from a night off, Piazza went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, including the run-scoring single off Luis Ayala (7-5) that gave the Mets three wins in the four-game series. New York also snapped the Nationals' 12-game winning streak in one-run games, three shy of the major league record.
"I don't necessarily feel like the first day of spring, but I feel better," said Piazza, who tied Howard Johnson for second on the Mets' career RBIs list with 629. "It's pitch selection. If I'm able to lay off the bad pitches, I'll get better swings."
With two on and one out in the 11th, Piazza lifted a blooper that fell in between second base and right field, scoring Carlos Beltran. Guillen threw home too late -- Robinson said that was the wrong play -- but catcher Brian Schneider threw to second to get Piazza. Shortstop Jamey Carroll threw back home to get Floyd at the plate to end the inning on a 9-2-6-2 double play.
The bottom of the 11th was delayed while Robinson argued with crew chief Joe West after the Mets sent Heath Bell (1-3) out to the mound to warm up, then replaced him with closer Braden Looper.
Heilman Saves Glavine to Tie Palmer
| Box Score >>> Record : 42-42 |
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| Mets reliever Aaron Heilman pitches against the Nationals during the eighth inning of the Mets' 5-3 win at RFK Stadium in Washington. |
The New York Mets could easily have unraveled, especially when Jose Guillen stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth.
It took starter-turned-reliever Aaron Heilman to settle the team. He retired Guillen and preserved Glavine's victory with 2 1-3 scoreless innings in Wednesday night's 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Mike Cameron homered in the first for the Mets, and three more runs followed in a sixth that would have been more productive if not for the baserunning errors. Glavine (6-7) pitched 5 2-3 innings and allowed three runs and nine hits -- all singles -- for his 268th victory, tying Jim Palmer for 31st on the career list.
Loser Loaiza Beats Pedro
| Box Score >>> Record : 41-42 |
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| New York Mets starter Pedro Martinez looks down at the ball after he hit Washington Nationals' Jose Guillen with a pitch during the first inning. |
But, no, the Washington Nationals like to take drama to the extreme. A three-run lead in the ninth was whittled down, with the young All-Star closer hanging on in his first appearance since blowing a big save on the road.
The Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 3-2 Tuesday night, and the emotion runneth over in the locker room once again after the team's 12th straight one-run victory.
Loaiza (5-5), the right-hander had his best game of the season, allowing six hits and striking out eight through eight-plus innings. Loaiza has won four of his last five starts after enduring a spate of no-decisions with little run support early in the season.
For much of the evening, the game was a tense battle between Loaiza and Pedro Martinez (9-3), who allowed three runs, eight hits, walked one and struck out six before leaving for a pinch-hitter after seven innings.
Reyes Runs Wild as Cameron Comes Through
| Box Score >>> Record : 41-41 |
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| Mike Cameron shatters his bat on a single against the Nationals during the seventh inning of the Mets' 5-2 win. |
Batting seventh instead of first, Reyes legged out an infield single for one of his two hits, got an RBI and scored the tying and go-ahead runs. He stole a base, worked the count by taking pitches and fouled off several more, helping wear down the opposing starter.
Not only did the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 Monday, they also seemed to effectively send a message to a speedy player who entered the game with an odious .276 on-base percentage.
With the score 2-2 in the ninth, Reyes got an infield hit, stole his 24th base and scored on pinch-hitter Jose Offerman's single off Sun-Woo Kim (1-1).
The victory moved the Mets back to .500 and snapped the Nationals' six-game winning streak in the first Fourth of July game in the nation's capital in 37 years. It was a rare setback at RFK Stadium for the Nationals, who still lead the majors with a 29-11 home record.
D Train Runs Over Mets
| Box Score >>> Record : 40-41 |
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| Home plate umpire Jim Wolf, left, calls the Mets' David Wright, out on strikes against the Marlins' starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis in the seventh inning. |
Willis also felt a little lucky. In the ninth inning, he hit leadoff batter Mike Cameron with a pitch. Then, after Willis struck out Carlos Beltran, Mike Piazza banged a comebacker off the left-hander's leg. The ball rolled just a few feet away and Willis made the play.
The Mets finished the first half of the season at 40-41. They were 41-40 last year.
Bobblehead Beltran Booed
| Box Score >>> Record : 40-40 |
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| Marlins' Alex Gonzalez slides into second base while attempting a steal as Mets Jose Reyes awaits the throw during the sixth inning. Gonzalez later stole third base and then scored on a hit by Paul Lo Duca. The Marlins won 7-3. |
"There's nothing to say. Everyone saw that play. I'm sure he's embarrassed by it. I just want to make sure it doesn't happen again," Mets manager Willie Randolph said.
Juan Encarnacion had four hits and three RBIs, finally providing some run support for Marlins starter Brian Moehler. Pinch-hitter Paul Lo Duca added an RBI single in the sixth inning, when Florida took advantage of a key error by fill-in first baseman Jose Offerman and scored four times.
Beltran hit a two-run double, but he had an up-and-down performance -- appropriately -- on his own bobblehead day. The Mets fell back to .500 and last place in the NL East. The speedy switch-hitter doubled in the first and made a diving catch in the second. But he failed to run out a weak popup in the third, and first baseman Carlos Delgado alertly let the ball drop so he could start a 3-6-3 double play. "Take a chance. Columbus did, discovered America," Delgado said. ``It just worked out well for us -- caught a break there."
Beltran was booed by the crowd of 41,290 -- then cheered after his two-run double with two outs in the fifth gave the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Bullpen Struggles As Woodward Wins One
| Box Score >>> Record : 40-39 |
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| New York Mets' Chris Woodward follows through on a single that drove in Marlon Anderson, the game-winning run. |
Woodward hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth after the Mets blew a late three-run lead, and New York held on through a shaky ninth for a 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins on Friday night.
"Our defense cracked tonight," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "We had plenty of scoring opportunities, again."
The Marlins left 11 men on base and committed three errors, two by third baseman Mike Lowell in the same inning. The Mets' struggling bullpen blew a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning and closer Braden Looper put runners on first and second before finishing for his 17th save.