Pedro Unsharp as Phillies Bomb Mets
| Box Score >>> Record : 69-63 |
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| Oh shucks! |
He just couldn't keep the Phillies in the ballpark.
Chase Utley hit two of Philadelphia's four homers off the New York ace, Brett Myers pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies bounced back from an early deficit for an 8-2 victory Wednesday night.
Ryan Howard and Mike Lieberthal also connected for Philadelphia, which stopped a three-game skid and sent New York to its fourth loss in 12 games. The Phillies (71-62) regained sole possession of the wild-card lead, a half-game ahead of Houston.
Martinez (13-6) had a 2-0 cushion and an opportunity to push the Mets in front of their NL East rivals, but failed to do it. The four home runs he gave up matched a career high, set twice in consecutive starts for Boston in June 1998. 
Castro Blast Leads Met Comeback
| Box Score >>> Record : 69-62 |
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| Mets' Ramon Castro follows through on a three run home run in the eighth inning. |
Disgusted by his first two at-bats against Philadelphia, Castro turned his night around with a pair of extra-base hits, fueling a furious Mets comeback that resulted in a 6-4 victory and cost the Phillies the outright lead in the NL wild-card chase.
Castro doubled and scored in the seventh inning and then hit a three-run homer to put the Mets in front in the eighth. Braden Looper's 28th save sealed the win and dropped the Phillies (70-62) into a wild-card tie with the Florida Marlins, who beat St. Louis 7-6.
The Mets and Houston Astros (both 69-62) are a half-game back.
With the Mets trailing 4-2, Castro opened the seventh with a double and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Ryan Madson. That made it 4-3 and put the Mets in striking distance when David Wright opened the eighth with a walk against Ugueth Urbina (3-1).
Wright hustled down the line, as if he knew something good was about to happen for the Mets. After rookie Mike Jacobs struck out, Victor Diaz walked, bringing up Castro. He hit a slider into the left-field seats, capping New York's comeback.
Lowry Shutdowns Mets
| Box Score >>> Record : 68-62 |
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| Mets' David Wright falls to the ground while trying to avoid a close pitch thrown by Giants' Noah Lowry during the fourth inning. |
Snow hit a game-tying home run leading off the inning, a shot into the right-field arcade on a 3-2 pitch from Benson for his fourth homer of the season and first at home. He added an RBI single in the seventh for just his sixth multi-RBI game of the year and first since Aug. 2.
Lowry (11-11) completed an unbeaten August, winning all five of his starts and going at least seven innings in each outing. He hasn't lost since a 4-1 defeat at Milwaukee on July 31 and received a standing ovation when he walked off in the eighth.
Benson (9-6), who beat the Giants 12-1 on June 5 at Shea Stadium, lost his second straight start after being knocked out in the first against Washington on Aug. 21. He looked better Sunday, giving up seven hits in six innings, striking out two and walking two.
Met Offense Left in Arizona
| Box Score >>> Record : 68-61 |
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| Mets' Carlos Beltran misses a fly ball hit by the San Francisco Giants' Edgardo Alfonzo during the second inning. |
Schmidt avenged an embarrassing loss to New York in June, outpitching Tom Glavine to help the San Francisco Giants end the Mets' five-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Saturday.
"It's always good to go out there against the great ones,'' Schmidt said. ``Glavine's pitched like that his whole career. Fortunately, I got a couple of runs early and that helped. I could afford to make a mistake."
Mike Matheny hit an RBI double, Todd Linden added a run-scoring groundout, and Schmidt (11-6) won his third straight decision for his first unbeaten month since May, when he went 1-0 in three starts.
Schmidt was on the losing end of a 12-1 defeat to the Mets on June 5 at Shea Stadium after giving up six runs in four innings but was impressive this time. He didn't allow a hit until Jose Reyes tripled to start the fourth, retiring 11 of his first 13 batters and getting through the first four innings on 55 pitches.
Schmidt beat the Mets for the first time in four tries since a 1-0 win Aug. 20, 2002, during the Giants' World Series season. He gave up three walks in the seventh that loaded the bases with two outs but got Reyes to pop out to second on a 3-2 pitch to escape the jam.
Glavine (10-11) pitched six strong innings, allowing two runs and four hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter for the fourth time in six starts. Glavine, who had won his prior two outings, allowed three hits in the second including Matheny's RBI double, then got seven straight outs.
New York's David Wright has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games and is batting .522 with three homers, 10 runs scored and five RBIs on the trip.
Trachsel Returns a Giant Slayer
| Box Score >>> Record : 68-60 |
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| Mets' starting pitcher Steve Trachsel throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning. |
Trachsel returned all right, making a triumphant season debut Friday night that showed he could play a key role as the Mets chase a playoff berth down the stretch.
Trachsel allowed two hits in eight innings in his first major league start in nearly 11 months, leading New York to its fifth straight win, 1-0 over the San Francisco Giants.
David Wright homered off Kevin Correia (2-5) for the only run for the Mets, who remained 1 1/2 games behind wild-card leader Philadelphia. The streak has moved the Mets (68-60) eight games over .500 for the first time since their pennant-winning season of 2000.
Trachsel got off to a quick start, recording five of his six strikeouts in the first four innings. The Giants had only one runner in the first five innings -- a walk by Correia -- and few hard-hit balls other than Edgardo Alfonzo's one-hopper to shortstop Jose Reyes.
Bats cool off, but Pedro heats up as Mets sweep D-Backs
| Box Score >>> Record : 67-60 |
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| Pedro Martinez follows through on a pitch during the second inning against the Diamondbacks. Martinez struck out six to pass Mickey Lolich for 15th place on the career list with 2,835. |
Martinez took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Victor Diaz homered and added a sacrifice fly to lead the Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night.
"I knew we weren't going to keep up the same offensive explosion we had the first three games," Martinez said. "I expected it. I just had to pitch along with Javy (Arizona starter Javier Vazquez)."
The Mets, coming off 14-1 and 18-4 victories, completed their first four-game sweep in more than two years and have won eight of 10 to move within 1½ games of Philadelphia in the NL wild-card race.
Arizona has lost five straight to drop 6½ games behind first-place San Diego in the NL West.
Martinez (13-5) snapped his two-game losing streak, limiting Arizona to two hits over six innings. He had six strikeouts to pass Mickey Lolich for 15th place on the career list with 2,835. The right-hander also walked four and hit a batter.
The Mets scored twice in the second inning. Cliff Floyd led off with a single, went to third on David Wright's single and scored on a double play grounder. Diaz followed with his ninth homer into the left-field stands. He also had a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Met Youth Bite Snakes in Desert
| Box Score >>> Record : 66-60 |
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| Mets' David Wright, right, is congratulated by teammate Mike Jacobs, left, as he returns to the dugout after hitting a home run against the Diamondbacks in the sixth inning. Wright and Jacobs both hit two homers in the Mets 18-4 win. |
Both budding stars hit two homers, and Jacobs and Jose Reyes each had four RBI as the Mets pounded Arizona for a second straight game, beating the Diamondbacks 18-4 Wednesday night.
Mike Jacobs, a belated Mets response to Kevin Maas, continued his improbable surge, and David Wright and Jose Reyes had rewarding games as well. Wright had four hits, including his 19th and 20th home runs, four runs and two RBIs. Reyes hit his third home run in a week and his NL-leading 13th triple of the season and drove in four runs.
As the Mets stand on the verge of a four-game road sweep and closer to the lead in the National League Wild Card race than they have been all season, they could make light of almost anything that involved baseball.
Jae Seo (6-1) continued his remarkable emergence with another victory, his fifth straight. He put his ERA at 1.30 Wednesday -- it increased -- by allowing two runs in seven innings. He had allowed one in his previous 30 1/3.
The 18 runs are the most in one game since they scored 19 in 1990. The 32 runs in two successive games are the most the Mets have scored in two games since June 12 and 13 that year, when they scored 34 in two games at Wrigley Field.
The New Hall of Fame Catcher
| Box Score >>> Record : 65-60 |
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| Mets pitcher Victor Zambrano looked great for once against the Diamondbacks. |
Victor Zambrano (7-10) allowed six hits, including an RBI single by Luis Gonzalez, in eight innings as the Mets won for the sixth time in eight games. New York, 23-35 on the road before winning Monday's series opener, is starting a stretch in which it plays 17 of 20 away from Shea Stadium.
New York had 17 hits, tying its season high for a nine-inning game, and Zambrano went 2-for-5 at the plate, punctuating his strong bid to remain in the rotation since the activation of Steve Trachsel.
David Wright and Victor Diaz drove in two runs each, and Cliff Floyd, Jose Reyes and Miguel Cairo had run-scoring hits.
Diaz and Reyes had RBI triples during a four-run second inning, the Mets made it 6-0 in the third and Jacobs boosted the lead to 8-1 in the fourth with a two-run homer. On Sunday, he homered in his first major league at-bat, a three-run drive as a pinch hitter.
Glavine Looks Like Tom Terrific
| Box Score >>> Record : 64-60 |
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| Mets pitcher Tom Glavine delivers a pitch against Arizona Diamondbacks batter Craig Counsell in the first inning. |
Glavine pitched into the ninth inning for his eighth win in ninth starts in Phoenix, and the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 on Monday night.
Glavine said the dirt path between the mound and home plate helps him focus.
"(It) kind of locks me in, makes me feel good about my target and where I'm trying to go and where I'm trying to step with my pitches," Glavine said. "It just kind of gives you a little sense of tunnel vision."
Jose Reyes and Victor Diaz homered, and Cliff Floyd drove in two runs for the Mets, who got another strong outing from Glavine in the opener of a seven-game road trip.
Glavine (10-10) matched his season high for innings pitched, but lost a chance at his first complete game since May 23, 2004, and 54th of his career when he gave up a leadoff single to Royce Clayton in the ninth. He was replaced by Braden Looper, who finished for his 25th save in 30 chances.
Glavine went eight innings in a 9-5 win over Chicago on Aug. 5 -- the beginning of a four-start stretch in which the left-hander is 3-1 and has pitched 30 innings. The win was his 272nd, leaving him one short of Red Ruffing for 29th on the all-time list.
Benson Bombed, Too Much Ana the Night Before
| Box Score >>> Record : 63-60 |
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| Mets' Victor Diaz chases down a ball hit by Washington Nationals' Preston Wilson in the first inning. |
Ryan Church doubled and singled in a six-run first inning, and Washington battered Benson in a 7-4 victory Sunday over the New York Mets.
"I was surprised that we had that type of success against him because he's been tough," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "He didn't seem to have the answer today."
Light-hitting Cristian Guzman doubled twice and drove in two runs for the Nationals, who avoided a three-game sweep and kept pace in the tight NL wild-card race.
Working on three days' rest for the first time this year, Esteban Loaiza (8-9) was handed a 6-0 lead before he threw a pitch.
Washington got seven straight hits with two outs in the first inning, chasing Benson (9-5) from the shortest outing of his seven-year career.
Mike Jacobs homered in his first major league at-bat, becoming the fourth Mets player to accomplish the feat. But his three-run shot as a pinch-hitter in the fifth wasn't nearly enough to pull New York out of a huge hole, and the Mets lost for only the fifth time in 19 home games.
The previous Mets player to hit a home run in his first big league at-bat was Kaz Matsui on April 6, 2004, in Atlanta. The others to do it were Benny Ayala in 1974 and Mike Fitzgerald in 1983. Jacobs drove an 0-1 pitch from Loaiza into the right-field bullpen in the bottom half, cutting New York's deficit to 7-3 and earning the rookie a curtain call from the crowd of 42,412.
Looper and Bullpen Blow Another Pedro Outing
| Box Score >>> Record : 63-59 |
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| Chris Woodward celebrates with teammates after hitting a game-winning single against the Washington Nationals in the tenth inning. |
Instead, the New York bullpen blew the lead, allowing six runs in the seventh and two more with two outs in the ninth, costing Martinez his first win in a month. New York needed a two-out pinch single by Chris Woodward in the bottom of the 10th for a 9-8 victory.
Manager Willie Randolph pulled Martinez after six innings and had no regrets, even after the bullpen meltdown. Martinez threw just 78 pitches, 57 for strikes. Martinez left after six innings of shutout ball, but the Mets bullpen gave it all back.
Danny Graves started the seventh with a walk to Schneider. After an infield out, Reyes threw low on Cristian Guzman's grounder for an error, giving Washington runners at first and third. Pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga doubled for one run and Graves walked Brad Wilkerson. Carroll's single made it 8-2 and finished Graves.
Dae-Sung Koo relieved and struck out Nick Johnson, but Church followed with a two-run single, making it 8-4. Aaron Heilman relieved and his first pitch hit Preston Wilson, loading the bases. Schneider followed with a two-run single, making it 8-6.
Heilman finally got the third out and sailed through a 1-2-3 eighth. Looper came on in the ninth, looking for his 25th save. He retired the first two batters but gave up singles to Church and Wilson before Schneider's double tied it at 8.
Seo Makes Pitch For Starting Job
| Box Score >>> Record : 62-59 |
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| Jae Seo reacts after forcing Washington Nationals' Jose Vidro into flying out to center field with two men on base to end the eighth inning. |
Seo allowed four hits in eight innings to outpitch John Patterson, and Victor Diaz drove in the only run with a seventh-inning single Friday night as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 1-0.
Jose Reyes tied career highs with four hits -- all singles -- and three stolen bases, helping the Mets take the opener of the three-game series between NL wild-card hopefuls. New York is 17-4 in series openers at home, tops in the majors.
Seo (5-1) improved to 3-0 since the Mets recalled him from Triple-A Norfolk earlier this month. He matched the longest outing of his career last Saturday in a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and has allowed one run and 13 hits in 23 1-3 innings since his return.
Had Diaz not driven in the run in the seventh, Randolph said he might have hit for Seo, the next batter. Instead, he didn't think twice about sending him back out for the eighth.
Seo rewarded Randolph's trust by pitching out of a jam in that inning. Vinny Castilla dropped a double down the right-field line leading off and Jamey Carroll sacrificed pinch-runner Cristian Guzman to third. Pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga walked, but Seo struck out Brad Wilkerson and got Jose Vidro to fly out.
Duke Shuts Down Mets
| Box Score >>> Record : 61-59 |
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| David Wright is slow getting up from second base after being thrown out on a double play ball hit by Chris Woodward during the seventh inning. |
Those confrontations highlighted Duke's seven innings of two-hit ball as he won his sixth straight decision, beating the Mets 5-0.
Why the curves instead of going right after Floyd?
The Mets didn't have many other chances against Duke, who retired the first 11 batters, did not give up a hit until Chris Woodward's double in the fifth and allowed four baserunners. He threw 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.
It was a continuation of an impressive success story for the 22-year-old, who was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 1 and has been Pittsburgh's best pitcher for two months. He made it look easy.
Duke (6-0) struck out five and walked one.
New York's first baserunner came with two outs in the fourth, when right fielder Nate McLouth dropped Carlos Beltran's routine fly ball. The mistake hardly disturbed Duke, who struck out Floyd, ending the inning.
By then, the Pirates had a 4-0 lead on two RBI doubles by Jose Castillo and a two-run homer by Brad Eldred against Victor Zambrano (6-10).
Beltran singled in the seventh for the Mets' other hit off Duke. Duke then struck out Floyd with another 75 mph curve. David Wright walked but Woodward hit into an inning-ending double play.
Beltran Runs Mets to Victory
| Box Score >>> Record : 61-58 |
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| Mets' Carlos Beltran, left, greets Cliff Floyd after the two scored on a two-run single by David Wright during the fourth inning. |
Beltran scored in his first two plate appearances after returning from the injury, leading Glavine and the Mets over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1. Robbed of his speed for much of the first half of the season because of a nagging thigh injury, Beltran scored from first base on a single in his first plate appearance, then stole a base and scored his second time up.
"When you have a guy like that, it makes a big difference," Glavine said. "I don't care if he's hot or he's not hot, or he's having the kind of year that people want him to or not. You know as a pitcher he always has the potential to have that kind of game."
David Wright and Jose Offerman each hit two-run singles for the Mets, who learned Wednesday that catcher Mike Piazza would miss at least a few games with a broken bone in his left hand after being hit by a foul ball Tuesday night.
Beltran's successful return gave New York some good news on the injury front for a change. It came only six days after his head-to-head collision with right fielder Mike Cameron in a loss at San Diego that left him with a concussion and a facial fracture.
Glavine (9-10) scattered nine hits in seven-plus innings, improving to 20-12 against the Pirates and moving into sole possession of 30th place on the career wins list with his 271st.
Benson Makes Lloyd Eat His Words
| Box Score >>> Record : 60-58 |
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| David Wright greets Cliff Floyd, right, at the plate after Floyd hit Wright in on a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Pirates. |
Benson limited the Pirates to seven hits and two runs and helped himself with a two-run single.
His ex-manager, Lloyd McClendon, has been critical of him before and agreed that the lanky right-hander was nothing special in this game. "He threw the ball OK," McClendon said. "We had him on the ropes a couple of times but he threw the ball well when he had to. I think his stuff was just OK, though. It wasn't electric. I have seen him when he's been more electric than that."
Cliff Floyd hit his 27th homer for the Mets, who hung right fielder Mike Cameron's jersey in their dugout during the game. Cameron is recovering from facial surgery after a head-to-head collision with teammate Carlos Beltran in San Diego last week.
Benson (9-4) gave up five hits in the first three innings before settling down. He got his clutch hit off Mark Redman (5-13), who lost for the ninth time in 10 decisions.
No No-No For Pedro
| Box Score >>> Record : 59-58 |
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| New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez watches from the dugout in the ninth inning during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2-1 victory. |
Martinez didn't allow a hit Sunday until Antonio Perez tripled with one out in the eighth inning. Jayson Werth followed with a two-run homer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled out a 2-1 victory.
"It's always hard. I felt like I was in command of the game -- and all of a sudden, in two pitches, I lost it," Martinez said. "It was a little bit frustrating. I did whatever possible to give my team an opportunity to win, and I blew it at the end. No excuses. They battled and never gave up."
Martinez (12-5) struck out five, walked one and retired 20 consecutive batters before Perez drove his 86th pitch off the left-center fence on a 1-1 count.
It would have taken a spectacular play for 39-year-old Gerald Williams to catch Perez's long drive. He ran full speed to the warning track, then pulled back at the last moment as he crashed shoulder-first into the wall and the ball bounced away.
Williams was in center field for this series only because the Mets' two best defensive outfielders -- Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron and All-Star Carlos Beltran -- were injured in a head-to-head collision Thursday at San Diego.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Martinez helped Boston win the World Series last season. That title left him with most everything on his resume except a no-hitter -- though he did his best to get one 10 years ago.
Seo Looks Solid Again
| Box Score >>> Record : 59-57 |
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| Mets pitcher Jae Seo pitches to the Dodgers in the first inning. |
Seo pitched eight sharp innings Saturday and the Mets got consecutive home runs from backup catcher Ramon Castro and emergency center fielder Gerald Williams in a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trachsel is expected to come off the disabled list this week after making five minor league rehabilitation starts. The right-hander has yet to pitch for the Mets this season after having back surgery in March.
Seo (4-1) allowed five hits and struck out six, lowering his ERA to 1.35 in five starts with New York this season. The right-hander's streak of 20 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings-- the longest by any Mets pitcher this year -- ended when Olmedo Saenz hit an RBI double in the seventh.
Bullpen Loses Lead and Then game
| Box Score >>> Record : 58-57 |
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| Victor Diaz rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jeff Weaver in the sixth inning. The home run was Diaz's second of the night. |
The Los Angeles Dodgers, though, were the team that ended up with the feel-good finish.
Dioner Navarro hit his first major league home run with two outs in the 10th inning and the Dodgers rallied to beat the injury-hampered Mets 7-6 Friday night.
The Mets played without two-thirds of their regular outfield, a day after Cameron and Beltran were injured in a face-to-face collision during a 2-1 loss at San Diego.
Cameron had a broken nose, multiple fractures of both cheekbones and a concussion. Beltran also had a concussion, in addition to a small fracture in his cheekbone.
Beltran and Cameron were still in San Diego when their teammates took the field up the Santa Ana Freeway against the Dodgers, but Beltran and trainer Ray Ramirez left the hotel in San Diego about an hour later and drove to the Mets' hotel in Los Angeles.
Mets starter Victor Zambrano took a 6-3 lead into the seventh, but walked the first two batters. Heilman replaced him and allowed a single by pinch-hitter Hee-Seop Choi before hitting Cesar Izturis on the right hip with the bases loaded to force in a run. Oscar Robles tied it moments later with a two-run single.
Victor Diaz tied it at 3-all in the second with a two-run homer off the left-field pole. The former Dodger farmhand made it 6-3 in the sixth with his seventh home run, driving Jeff Weaver's first-pitch fastball more than halfway up the left-field pavilion for his seventh homer after David Wright put the Mets ahead 5-3 in the fifth with a two-run double.
Smash Mouth Collision Is Game Turner
| Box Score >>> Record : 58-56 |
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| Mets' centerfielder Carlos Beltran, left, and rightfielder Mike Cameron collide while trying for a diving catch on a bloop fly off the bat of San Diego Padres' David Ross in the seventh inning. The two collided resulting in a triple for Ross and both Mets' players were injured. Cameron was taken to the trauma unit of a local hopsital. |
They didn't see each other and smashed face-to-face in what many of their New York teammates said was one of the scariest collisions they've ever seen. The Mets who ran to the fallen pair during the seventh inning of the 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday said Cameron was dazed and bleeding from the mouth.
Cameron was taken off the field on a stretcher, his body immobilized and his neck in a brace. He was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he underwent two CT scans. Cameron broke his nose, had multiple fractures of both cheekbones and a slight concussion, and was to be hospitalized overnight, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. Cameron was placed on the disabled list.
Beltran had a sore left shoulder and a cut near his left temple. He was taken to Scripps Clinic where he will remain overnight for evaluation and tests, Horwitz said late Thursday night.
Cameron was fully extended diving for David Ross' liner when he and Beltran collided, falling into a heap. The game was delayed for about 13 minutes as the players were tended to by trainers from both teams, then paramedics.
Cameron lifted up his head at one point, and shielded his eyes from the sun as he was put onto a stretcher by paramedics, lifted onto a cart and driven off the field.
Beltran got up after a few minutes after the collision and eventually walked off the field on his own power. Neither Cameron nor Beltran caught the ball, which went for a triple. Shortstop Chris Woodward sprinted out to get the ball and throw it into the infield.
Benson and Wright Star in Mets Romp
| Box Score >>> Record : 58-55 |
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| Mets starter Pedro Martinez spins around in disgust after allowing his fifth run in the fifth inning of his start against the Padres. |
Benson took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning and David Wright tied career highs with four hits and six RBIs -- including a three-run homer -- as the New York Mets routed San Diego 9-1 Wednesday night.
A night after Pedro Martinez had his worst start of the year in an 8-3 loss to the Padres, Benson (8-4) shut down the NL West leaders, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. The right-hander allowed one run and three hits in 8 1-3 innings, striking out six and walking one. He retired the side in order six times.
Wright drove a 1-0 pitch from Brian Lawrence into the left-field seats with two outs in the fourth to give the Mets an 8-0 lead and chase the right-hander. It was Wright's 17th homer this season.
Wright also hit an RBI single in the two-run first and a two-run double in the three-run third. He singled in the ninth and scored his third run of the night, on Mike Cameron's single.
Carlos Beltran scored three times, including in the first on the back end of a double steal. Beltran broke for home when Olivo threw a one-hopper to second baseman Mark Loretta as Wright stole second. Beltran also scored on Wright's double in the third and was on board for the third baseman's homer, having doubled with two outs. Cliff Floyd was intentionally walked to bring up Wright.
Pedro Roughed Up Out West
| Box Score >>> Record : 57-55 |
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| Mets starter Pedro Martinez spins around in disgust after allowing his fifth run in the fifth inning of his start against the Padres. |
Brian Giles and Khalil Greene homered off Martinez for the resurgent Padres, who won their fifth straight game and for the sixth time in seven games.
Martinez (12-4) was roughed up for six extra-base hits in just five innings, his shortest start of the year. He allowed five runs on nine hits, tying season-highs, and struck out four. It was his shortest start since Sept. 29 at Tampa Bay in his last regular-season start for the Boston Red Sox, when he went five innings in a 9-4 loss.
Martinez retired the side after allowing Dave Roberts' leadoff triple in the first, then started getting hit hard. Greene, who finished with three hits, homered into the second deck in left field with two outs in the second, his 10th.
San Diego added three runs in the third, on consecutive RBI doubles by Joe Randa and Ryan Klesko, and an RBI single by Robert Fick, to make it 4-0.
Park opened the inning with a hit down the left-field line that should have been a double, but he had to settle for a single after having trouble rounding first. He took such a wide turn that he had to shove coach Davey Lopes out of the way, then missed the bag and had to come back and touch it.
Victor Outduels Carlos in Battle of Z's
| Box Score >>> Record : 57-54 |
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| Mets pitcher Victor Zambrano delivers a pitch in the first inninng of the Mets game against the Cubs. |
"The guy has good stuff," said Mets manager Willie Randolph, who gave his Zambrano a brief pep talk during the game. "His sinker could be devastating -- if he would just trust that."
David Wright drove in three runs and Cliff Floyd hit his 26th homer for the Mets, who won for the 10th time in 13 home games and handed Chicago its fifth straight defeat.
The Cubs, who lost Carlos Zambrano -- no relation to Victor -- to a back injury after three innings, have dropped nine of 12 and are fading in the NL wild-card race. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in major league history that opposing starters with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other was on June 15, 1944, when Red Barrett of the Boston Braves and Dick Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies each had 19 wins.
Carlos Beltran scored three times for New York, while Floyd had three hits and reached safely all four times up. Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to a career-best 20 games, the longest current run in the majors.
Jae Looks Seo Good Against the Cubbies
| Box Score >>> Record : 56-54 |
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| Mets Jae Seo of South Korea delivers a pitch in the third inning at Shea Stadium in New York. |
Those two starts were separated by three months in the minor leagues, pitching for Triple-A Norfolk, while Seo waited for another chance at big league hitters.
He was sent down after holding Philadelphia to one hit over seven innings on May 4 and celebrated his return to the Mets on Saturday, limiting the Chicago Cubs to four hits over 7 1-3 innings and outpitching Greg Maddux in a 2-0 victory.
Tired of the inconsistent pitching of Kaz Ishii, the Mets sent the left-hander to Norfolk and brought back Seo for Saturday's start. Now, he'll stick around for at least one more while the Mets mull the return of Steve Trachsel to their rotation.
Seo (3-1) had not pitched in nine days as the Mets prepared him for Saturday's assignment against Maddux. He sent the Cubs to their fourth straight loss and fifth in the last six games by striking out four and walking one.
Mets Club Cubs
| Box Score >>> Record : 55-54 |
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| David Wright, right, is greeted by teamate Miguel Cairo after scoring in the fourth inning against Cubs. |
Instead, the Cubs made several mental errors in a six-run second inning and were beaten by the New York Mets 9-5 Friday night to fall under .500 for the first time in a month.
Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd each had two-run hits in the second and the Mets had 14 hits -- all singles -- as they bounced back from two tough losses in a row by outclassing the Cubs in all areas.
Jose Reyes had three singles -- two infield hits -- stole two bases and scored twice. Carlos Beltran had three hits and stole his 200th career base, and Tom Glavine pitched eight serviceable innings.
In all, the Mets matched a season high with five stolen bases and every starter but David Wright had at least one hit. Wright walked three times.
Tom Glavine (8-9) allowed five runs -- four earned -- and 10 hits in eight innings. He gave up a long homer to Derrek Lee in the eighth, his 33rd.
I'm Blowing Ball Games
| Box Score >>> Record : 54-54 |
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| Mets pitcher Roberto Hernandez reacts after giving up a hit to Brewers Brady Clark that allowed a run to score during the ninth inning. The Brewers scored five runs in the inning and won 12-9. |
Jenkins capitalized with his fifth hit, delivering the tying run with an RBI single. Pinch-hitter Damian Miller then beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run.
Wes Helms capped the rally with a two-run double, the last of Milwaukee's 21 hits against six New York pitchers in a game that lasted an unbearable 4 hours, 9 minutes in stifling humidity. It tied the Mets' record for the longest nine-inning game in franchise history.
Roberto Hernandez (5-5) relieved with New York leading 9-7 in the ninth. Bill Hall led off with a double and scored on Brady Clark's fourth single. Rickie Weeks followed with a single, setting the stage for Overbay's bunt and the rest of the rally.
With a heat advisory in effect for New York City, Piazza caught a day game after a night game and drove in five runs with a homer, double and single. It was his 14th home run of the season, second in two days and No. 392 of his career.
Thrown For A Looper
| Box Score >>> Record : 54-53 |
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| Mets Braden Looper reacts after giving up two ninth-inning runs to the Brewers to allow the Brewers a 6-4 victory over the Mets. |
Lyle Overbay singled home two runs in the ninth, and the Brewers rallied after Pedro Martinez left to beat the New York Mets 6-4 Wednesday.
Bill Hall homered in the seventh to end Martinez's most dominant stretch of the game and Carlos Lee added a tying shot in the eighth for the Brewers, who couldn't hold a four-run lead in Tuesday's 11-inning loss but rallied against the Mets' bullpen Wednesday.
With two outs in the ninth, Wes Helms reached on an infield single against Mets closer Braden Looper (4-5) and Brady Clark singled. Looper walked Rickie Weeks, loading the bases, before Overbay singled up the middle for a 6-4 lead.
Cliff Floyd and Mike Piazza homered for the Mets, who lost for the second time in nine home games. David Wright had a two-run single but committed an error to start the ninth.
Pedro Martinez settled down after a rocky start and left with a 4-3 lead after allowing eight hits in seven innings. He struck out eight, raising his NL-leading total to 163, but Roberto Hernandez gave up Lee's 27th homer with one out in the eighth.
The Mets lost an NL-record 146 consecutive times when trailing by at least four runs before rallying to beat Milwaukee 9-8 in 11 innings Tuesday night, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. New York hadn't overcome a four-run deficit since July 28, 2002, against Cincinnati.
Those Bases On Balls Are Killing Me
| Box Score >>> Record : 54-52 |
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| Mike Piazza tosses his bat aside after drawing a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to force in the winning run for a 9-8 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. |
Pinch-hitter Mike Piazza drew a bases-loaded walk from Julio Santana in the 11th inning, and the New York Mets rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers 9-8 Tuesday night.
"At 3-0, I looked down to third to see if there was a sign," Piazza said.
There was none.
"I've hit into double plays in those situations. I could see a 3-0, broken-bat comebacker to the pitcher," Piazza said, ``so I was pretty much taking."
Mike Cameron tied the score with a one-out homer in the ninth off hard-throwing closer Derrick Turnbow, who had not allowed a run in converting his previous 15 save chances.
David Wright also connected for the Mets, who overcame a four-run deficit and Milwaukee's season-high five homers.