GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: NY METS (29-17) at FLORIDA (23-24)

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL AT FLORIDA - PITCHING CHANGE
NYM: BILLY WAGNER (0-0, 0.90) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6, FLORIDA 1

DUE UP FOR FLORIDA: H RAMIREZ (.339, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL AT FLORIDA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Wagner relieved A Heilman.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6
FLORIDA 1 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR FLORIDA: H Ramirez (.339, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL AT FLORIDA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Franco at first base.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6
FLORIDA 1 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR FLORIDA: H Ramirez (.339, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL AT FLORIDA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY MIGUEL CABRERA (9) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF BILLY WAGNER.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6, FLORIDA 2

DUE UP FOR FLORIDA: J WILLINGHAM (.278, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL AT FLORIDA - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Wood hit for J Hermida.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WILLINGHAM ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6
FLORIDA 2 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR FLORIDA: J Wood (.222, 1 HR, 8 RBI)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 12 0
FLORIDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: NYM - ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, JOE SMITH (7TH), AARON HEILMAN (8TH), BILLY
WAGNER (9TH) AND PAUL LO DUCA

FLA - SERGIO MITRE, MATT LINDSTROM (8TH), RENYEL PINTO
(9TH), JUSTIN MILLER (9TH), RANDY MESSENGER (9TH) AND MIGUEL
OLIVO

HOME RUNS: NYM - NONE

FLA - MIGUEL CABRERA (9) OFF BILLY WAGNER IN THE 9TH, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 12 0
FLORIDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: NYM - ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, JOE SMITH (7TH), AARON HEILMAN (8TH), BILLY
WAGNER (9TH) AND PAUL LO DUCA

FLA - SERGIO MITRE, MATT LINDSTROM (8TH), RENYEL PINTO
(9TH), JUSTIN MILLER (9TH), RANDY MESSENGER (9TH) AND MIGUEL
OLIVO


WP - AARON HEILMAN (5-2)
LP - RENYEL PINTO (0-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: NYM - NONE

FLA - MIGUEL CABRERA (9) OFF BILLY WAGNER IN THE 9TH, 0 ON


TIME: 3:11 ATT: 24,278

PROBABLES: NYM - JOHN MAINE (5-2, 2.77)
FLA - WES OBERMUELLER (1-2, 3.71)</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NY METS (6) VS FLORIDA (2) - FINAL

NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 4 1 1 1 1 2 0 .311
E Chavez lf 5 0 1 1 0 2 1 .324
C Beltran cf 5 0 1 2 0 2 2 .298
D Wright 3b 4 0 1 0 1 1 2 .267
C Delgado 1b 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 .224
C Gomez pr-rf 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 .263
P Lo Duca c 5 0 4 0 0 0 3 .329
S Green rf 4 1 1 1 0 1 4 .314
B Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Easley 2b 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 .274
O Hernandez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .267
J Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-D Newhan ph 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .161
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-J Franco ph-1b 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .167

Totals 38 6 12 5 4 9 20

a-bunted into fielder's choice to pitcher for J Smith in the 8th; b-grounded
into fielder's choice to shortstop for A Heilman in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - C Beltran (12, J Miller). RBI - S Green (22), J Reyes (24), E
Chavez (11), C Beltran 2 (32). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - P Lo
Duca 2, D Wright 1. GIDP - S Green. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Gomez (2, 2nd base off R Pinto/M Olivo).


FLORIDA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Amezaga cf 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .238
D Uggla 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .259
H Ramirez ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .337
M Cabrera 3b 4 1 1 1 0 2 1 .314
J Willingham lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .278
J Hermida rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .275
b-J Wood ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .216
M Olivo c 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .230
A Boone 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .276
S Mitre p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .154
M Lindstrom p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-T Linden ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .197
R Pinto p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Messenger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 31 2 5 2 2 9 10

a-walked for M Lindstrom in the 8th; b-struck out swinging for J Hermida in
the 9th.

BATTING: 3B - M Olivo (3, A Heilman). HR - M Cabrera (9, 9th inning off B
Wagner 0 on, 1 Out). SF - A Amezaga. RBI - A Amezaga (10), M Cabrera (33).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Boone 1, M Cabrera 1, D Uggla 1.
Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Amezaga (3, 2nd base off O Hernandez/P Lo Duca).

FIELDING: E - D Uggla (3, ground ball); H Ramirez (9, catch). Outfield
assists - A Amezaga (P Lo Duca at 3rd base), J Willingham (C Delgado at 2nd
base). DP: 1 (D Uggla-H Ramirez-A Boone).


----------------------------------------------------
NY METS - 000 000 015 -- 6
FLORIDA - 000 000 011 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------

NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
O Hernandez 6 2 0 0 0 4 0 2.13
J Smith 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.31
A Heilman (W, 5-2; B, 2) 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 3.43
B Wagner 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1.29

FLORIDA ip h r er bb so hr era
S Mitre 7 2/3 8 1 0 1 8 0 1.89
M Lindstrom 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.86
R Pinto (L, 0-2) 0 1 4 4 2 0 0 4.37
J Miller 1/3 3 1 1 1 0 0 3.00
R Messenger 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.37

R Pinto pitched to 4 batters in the 9th.

HBP - A Boone (by A Heilman). Pitches-strikes: O Hernandez 88-57; J Smith
13-7; A Heilman 23-13; B Wagner 32-22; S Mitre 123-78; M Lindstrom 5-3; R Pinto
22-9; J Miller 15-8; R Messenger 7-5. Ground balls-fly balls: O Hernandez 8-6;
J Smith 2-0; A Heilman 0-1; B Wagner 0-1; S Mitre 12-1; M Lindstrom 0-0; R
Pinto 1-0; J Miller 1-0; R Messenger 0-2. Batters faced: O Hernandez 20; J
Smith 3; A Heilman 6; B Wagner 6; S Mitre 30; M Lindstrom 1; R Pinto 4; J
Miller 5; R Messenger 2.

UMPIRES: HP--Joe West. 1B--Ed Rapuano. 2B--Ed Hickox. 3B--C.B. Bucknor.

T--3:11. Att--24,278.
Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 19 mph, in from
center.</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
NY METS 6
FLORIDA 2 FINAL</div>

 

Mets break out of slump with five-run ninth in win over Florida

<h3>NY METS 6, FLORIDA 2</h3>MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Mets broke open an outstanding duelbetween Orlando Hernandez and Sergio Mitre with five runs in theninth inning en route to a 6-2 triumph over the Marlins.

Paul Lo Duca had four hits and Carlos Beltran hit a three-rundouble for the Mets, who had lost three of four and scored justseven runs in those contests.

<div class="pre">With the game tied at 1-1 in the ninth and runners on the</div>corners, Shawn Green hit a grounder to shortstop Hanley Ramirez,whose throw home was dropped by Miguel Olivo, allowing speedyCarlos Gomez to slide in for a 2-1 lead.

Jose Reyes and Endy Chavez each drove in runs with singles offReynel Pinto (0-2) and Beltran followed with a ground-ruledouble to left-center field for a 6-1 lead.

Aaron Heilman (5-2), who allowed a run in the eighth, was thewinner and Billy Wagner allowed a home run to Miguel Cabrera inthe ninth before shutting down the Marlins.

Carlos Delgado had two hits for New York, which have won fivestraight in Florida for the first time in nine years.

Hernandez, who had been out since April 25 with elbow bursitis,pitched like he never left. He allowed a leadoff single toAlfredo Amezega and then retired 17 in a row. The righthander,who struck out a season-high 10 Marlins in seven innings in an11-3 win on April 19, allowed just two hits in six shutoutinning with four strikeouts and threw 57 of 88 pitches forstrikes.

Mitre, who was aiming for his career-high third straight win,was Hernandez's equal. The righthander struck out a career-higheight and allowed just one run and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings.

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">NY METS (6) VS FLORIDA (2) - FINAL

NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 4 1 1 1 1 2 0 .311
E Chavez lf 5 0 1 1 0 2 1 .324
C Beltran cf 5 0 1 2 0 2 2 .298
D Wright 3b 4 0 1 0 1 1 2 .267
C Delgado 1b 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 .224
C Gomez pr-rf 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 .263
P Lo Duca c 5 0 4 0 0 0 3 .329
S Green rf 4 1 1 1 0 1 4 .314
B Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Easley 2b 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 .274
O Hernandez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .267
J Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-D Newhan ph 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .161
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-J Franco ph-1b 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .167

Totals 38 6 12 5 4 9 20

a-bunted into fielder's choice to pitcher for J Smith in the 8th; b-grounded
into fielder's choice to shortstop for A Heilman in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - C Beltran (12, J Miller). RBI - S Green (22), J Reyes (24), E
Chavez (11), C Beltran 2 (32). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - P Lo
Duca 2, D Wright 1. GIDP - S Green. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Gomez (2, 2nd base off R Pinto/M Olivo).


FLORIDA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Amezaga cf 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .238
D Uggla 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .259
H Ramirez ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .337
M Cabrera 3b 4 1 1 1 0 2 1 .314
J Willingham lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .278
J Hermida rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .275
b-J Wood ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .216
M Olivo c 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .230
A Boone 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .276
S Mitre p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .154
M Lindstrom p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-T Linden ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .197
R Pinto p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Messenger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 31 2 5 2 2 9 10

a-walked for M Lindstrom in the 8th; b-struck out swinging for J Hermida in
the 9th.

BATTING: 3B - M Olivo (3, A Heilman). HR - M Cabrera (9, 9th inning off B
Wagner 0 on, 1 Out). SF - A Amezaga. RBI - A Amezaga (10), M Cabrera (33).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Boone 1, M Cabrera 1, D Uggla 1.
Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - A Amezaga (3, 2nd base off O Hernandez/P Lo Duca).

FIELDING: E - D Uggla (3, ground ball); H Ramirez (9, throw). Outfield
assists - A Amezaga (P Lo Duca at 3rd base), J Willingham (C Delgado at 2nd
base). DP: 1 (D Uggla-H Ramirez-A Boone).


----------------------------------------------------
NY METS - 000 000 015 -- 6
FLORIDA - 000 000 011 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------

NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
O Hernandez 6 2 0 0 0 4 0 2.13
J Smith 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.31
A Heilman (W, 5-2; B, 2) 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 3.43
B Wagner 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1.29

FLORIDA ip h r er bb so hr era
S Mitre 7 2/3 8 1 0 1 8 0 1.89
M Lindstrom 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.86
R Pinto (L, 0-2) 0 1 4 4 2 0 0 4.37
J Miller 1/3 3 1 1 1 0 0 3.00
R Messenger 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.37

R Pinto pitched to 4 batters in the 9th.

HBP - A Boone (by A Heilman). Pitches-strikes: O Hernandez 88-57; J Smith
13-7; A Heilman 23-13; B Wagner 32-22; S Mitre 123-78; M Lindstrom 5-3; R Pinto
22-9; J Miller 15-8; R Messenger 7-5. Ground balls-fly balls: O Hernandez 8-6;
J Smith 2-0; A Heilman 0-1; B Wagner 0-1; S Mitre 12-1; M Lindstrom 0-0; R
Pinto 1-0; J Miller 1-0; R Messenger 0-2. Batters faced: O Hernandez 20; J
Smith 3; A Heilman 6; B Wagner 6; S Mitre 30; M Lindstrom 1; R Pinto 4; J
Miller 5; R Messenger 2.

UMPIRES: HP--Joe West. 1B--Ed Rapuano. 2B--Ed Hickox. 3B--C.B. Bucknor.

T--3:11. Att--24,278.
Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 19 mph, in from
center.</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NY METS (6) AT FLORIDA (2) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NY METS 8TH: D Easley singled to left center. D Newhan hit for J Smith.
D Newhan bunted into fielder's choice to pitcher, D Easley out at second.
J Reyes walked, D Newhan to second. E Chavez grounded into fielder's choice to
first, J Reyes out at second, D Newhan to third. M Lindstrom relieved S Mitre.
C Beltran safe at first on error by second baseman D Uggla, D Newhan scored,
E Chavez to second. D Wright struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error)
NY METS 1, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 8TH: A Heilman relieved J Smith. J Hermida struck out looking.
M Olivo tripled to deep left center. A Boone hit by pitch. T Linden hit for
M Lindstrom. T Linden walked, A Boone to second. A Amezaga hit sacrifice fly to
left, M Olivo scored. D Uggla struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
NY METS 1, FLORIDA 1.

NY METS 9TH: R Pinto relieved M Lindstrom. C Delgado walked. C Gomez ran
for C Delgado. C Gomez stole second. P Lo Duca singled to left, C Gomez to
third. S Green grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, C Gomez scored,
P Lo Duca safe at third on throwing error by shortstop H Ramirez. D Easley
walked, S Green to second. J Franco hit for A Heilman. J Miller relieved
R Pinto. J Franco grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, P Lo Duca out at
home, S Green to third, D Easley to second. J Reyes singled to right, S Green
scored, D Easley to third, J Franco to second. E Chavez singled to left,
D Easley scored, J Franco to third, J Reyes to second. C Beltran hit a ground
rule double to deep center, J Franco and J Reyes scored, E Chavez to third.
D Wright walked. R Messenger relieved J Miller. C Gomez popped out to first.
P Lo Duca flied out to center. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) NY METS 6, FLORIDA 1.

FLORIDA 9TH: C Gomez in right field. B Wagner relieved A Heilman. J Franco
at first base. H Ramirez struck out swinging. M Cabrera homered to left.
J Willingham walked. J Wood hit for J Hermida. J Wood struck out swinging.
M Olivo reached on infield single to second, J Willingham to second. A Boone
popped out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 6, FLORIDA 2.</div>

 

NL: NY METS at FLORIDA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NY METS (6) AT FLORIDA (2) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ny Mets Starting Lineups -- J Reyes SS, E Chavez LF, C Beltran CF, D Wright 3B,
C Delgado 1B, P Lo Duca C, S Green RF, D Easley 2B, O Hernandez RHP.

Florida Starting Lineups -- A Amezaga CF, D Uggla 2B, H Ramirez SS, M Cabrera 3B,
J Willingham LF, J Hermida RF, M Olivo C, A Boone 1B, S Mitre RHP.

Umpires -- Joe West (HP), Ed Rapuano (1B), Ed Hickox (2B), C.B. Bucknor (3B).


Gametime Weather: 79 degrees, Cloudy, wind in from center at 19 mph.


NY METS 1ST: J Reyes grounded out to second. E Chavez struck out looking.
C Beltran grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 1ST: A Amezaga singled to right. A Amezaga stole second. D Uggla
grounded out to second, A Amezaga to third. H Ramirez popped out to second.
M Cabrera struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 2ND: D Wright grounded out to third. C Delgado singled to left.
P Lo Duca singled to right, C Delgado to second. S Green grounded into double
play, second to shortstop to first, P Lo Duca out at second.(0 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 2ND: J Willingham grounded out to second. J Hermida struck out
swinging. M Olivo struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0,
FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 3RD: D Easley flied out to right. O Hernandez struck out swinging.
J Reyes struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 3RD: A Boone grounded out to first. S Mitre struck out swinging.
A Amezaga grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0,
FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 4TH: E Chavez struck out swinging. C Beltran struck out swinging.
D Wright singled to right. C Delgado grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 4TH: D Uggla popped out to shortstop. H Ramirez grounded out to
second. M Cabrera grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0,
FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 5TH: P Lo Duca singled to left. S Green singled to center,
P Lo Duca thrown out at third. D Easley grounded into fielder's choice to
shortstop, S Green out at second. O Hernandez grounded out to third. (0 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 5TH: J Willingham flied out to center. J Hermida grounded out to
second. M Olivo flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0,
FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 6TH: J Reyes struck out swinging. E Chavez bunt grounded out to
third. C Beltran struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0,
FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 6TH: A Boone flied out to center. S Mitre grounded out to third.
A Amezaga singled to right. D Uggla flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 7TH: D Wright grounded out to first. C Delgado singled to deep
left, C Delgado out stretching at second. P Lo Duca singled to center.
S Green struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 7TH: J Smith relieved O Hernandez. H Ramirez grounded out to third.
M Cabrera struck out swinging. J Willingham grounded out to third. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 0, FLORIDA 0.

NY METS 8TH: D Easley singled to left center. D Newhan hit for J Smith.
D Newhan bunted into fielder's choice to pitcher, D Easley out at second.
J Reyes walked, D Newhan to second. E Chavez grounded into fielder's choice to
first, J Reyes out at second, D Newhan to third. M Lindstrom relieved S Mitre.
C Beltran safe at first on error by second baseman D Uggla, D Newhan scored,
E Chavez to second. D Wright struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error)
NY METS 1, FLORIDA 0.

FLORIDA 8TH: A Heilman relieved J Smith. J Hermida struck out looking.
M Olivo tripled to deep left center. A Boone hit by pitch. T Linden hit for
M Lindstrom. T Linden walked, A Boone to second. A Amezaga hit sacrifice fly to
left, M Olivo scored. D Uggla struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
NY METS 1, FLORIDA 1.

NY METS 9TH: R Pinto relieved M Lindstrom. C Delgado walked. C Gomez ran
for C Delgado. C Gomez stole second. P Lo Duca singled to left, C Gomez to
third. S Green grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, C Gomez scored,
P Lo Duca safe at third on throwing error by shortstop H Ramirez. D Easley
walked, S Green to second. J Franco hit for A Heilman. J Miller relieved
R Pinto. J Franco grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, P Lo Duca out at
home, S Green to third, D Easley to second. J Reyes singled to right, S Green
scored, D Easley to third, J Franco to second. E Chavez singled to left,
D Easley scored, J Franco to third, J Reyes to second. C Beltran hit a ground
rule double to deep center, J Franco and J Reyes scored, E Chavez to third.
D Wright walked. R Messenger relieved J Miller. C Gomez popped out to first.
P Lo Duca flied out to center. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) NY METS 6, FLORIDA 1.

FLORIDA 9TH: C Gomez in right field. B Wagner relieved A Heilman. J Franco
at first base. H Ramirez struck out swinging. M Cabrera homered to left.
J Willingham walked. J Wood hit for J Hermida. J Wood struck out swinging.
M Olivo reached on infield single to second, J Willingham to second. A Boone
popped out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY METS 6, FLORIDA 2.</div>

 

Mets break out of slump with five-run ninth in win over Florida

<h3>NY METS 6, FLORIDA 2</h3>MIAMI (Ticker) -- Orlando Hernandez was exceptional in hisreturn. The New York Mets' offense was dismal for eight inningsbefore waking hit.

The Mets broke open an outstanding duel between Hernandez andSergio Mitre with five runs in the ninth inning en route to a6-2 triumph over the Marlins. Paul Lo Duca had four hits andCarlos Beltran hit a three-run double for the Mets, who had lostthree of four and scored just seven runs in those contests.

"It just sort of snowballed," Lo Duca said. "We finally putsomething together. ... We took advantage of some breaks. That'swhat you have to do. A good team takes advantage of those(mistakes) and we've got a good team. When you get breaks likethem you've got to take advantage of them."

With the game tied at 1-1 in the ninth and runners on thecorners, Shawn Green hit a grounder to shortstop Hanley Ramirez,whose throw home was dropped by Miguel Olivo, allowing speedyCarlos Gomez to slide in for a 2-1 lead.

Jose Reyes and Endy Chavez each drove in runs with singles offReynel Pinto (0-2) and Beltran followed with a ground-ruledouble to left-center field for a 6-1 lead.

"It's a tough one (to lose)," said Marlins second baseman DanUggla, whose error in the eighth inning allowed the Mets to takea 1-0 lead. "(Mitre) pitched his butt off and gave us everychance in the world to win. You have to take your hat off tohim, but 'El Duque' (Hernandez) was pretty nasty tonight too.That's kind of the way it worked out and it sucks but we've gotto come back tomorrow."

Aaron Heilman (5-2), who allowed a run in the eighth, was thewinner and Billy Wagner allowed a home run to Miguel Cabrera inthe ninth before shutting down the Marlins.

Carlos Delgado had two hits for New York, which has won fivestraight in Florida for the first time in nine years. Hernandez,who had been out since April 25 with elbow bursitis, pitchedlike he never left.

"I feel OK, but tired," Hernandez said. "I can throw today everypitch. I threw (my) fastball, curveball, and I didn't feel thepain. I had a good rehab in Port St. Lucie, I don't rememberhow many bullpens I threw. I'm ready to throw five or sixinnings and 90 or 100 pitches. I'm not surprised (by how Ipitched.)"

Hernandez allowed a leadoff single to Alfredo Amezega and thenretired 17 in a row.

"He never ceases to amaze me, so I wasn't surprised at anything(he did)," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "He threw a greatballgame for us. "(It was) a great job picking us up," Randolphadded.

"It's good to have him back in the rotation. ... When he'shealthy and feeling good about himself he's a hell of a pitcher.Hopefully, we can keep him in the rotation. That's the key forus right now, so he can continue to work his magic as he has."

The righthander, who struck out a season-high 10 Marlins inseven innings in an 11-3 win on April 19, allowed just two hitsin six shutout inning with four strikeouts and threw 57 of 88pitches for strikes.

"For not having pitched in a while, he had unbelievablecommand," Lo Duca said. "That's probably the best stuff he'shad all year. He threw his curveball wherever he wanted too.We didn't even use his changeup tonight. He had all kinds ofarm angles. He was dominant."

Mitre, who was aiming for his career-high third straight win,was Hernandez's equal.

The righthander struck out a career-high eight and allowed justone run and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. But Mitre has been abit of a hard-luck case. Despite lowering his ERA to 1.89, hedropped to 0-6 at Dolphin Stadium.