GAME THREAD: NL: WASHINGTON (45-59) at NY METS (58-46)

Maine picks up 12th win in short work

<h3>NY METS 5, WASHINGTON 0 (5 INNINGS, RAIN)</h3>FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- When the New York Mets want toavoid losing streaks, having John Maine scheduled to start helpsimmensely.


Maine allowed a hit in five innings and the Mets got significantcontributions throughout their lineup in a 5-0 rain-shortenedvictory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.

The game was called following a 91-minute delay that stopped inthe bottom of the fifth inning.


With the win, the Mets salvaged a split of the four-game seriesand won for the seventh time in 11 games. They also improved to9-3 after a loss when Maine starts dating back to last season.

Maine (12-5) has six of those wins and Sunday was among hisfinest efforts of his tenure with the Mets, which began last Mayagainst Washington. On a rainy afternoon at Shea Stadium, heallowed just a one-out bloop single to Ronnie Belliard in thefirst inning and struck out five without a walk.


The righthander's outing continued an impressive campaignagainst the Nationals this season, holding them without a run in12 innings. He has also yielded four hits and fanned 13batters.


After Belliard's base hit, the righthander retired the final 14hitters and became the third 12-game winner in the NationalLeague. He finished with 44 strikes on 62 pitches.

While Maine was shutting down the Nationals, his teammates weredoing several things right at the plate. The Mets were withoutCarlos Beltran, who missed his sixth straight game with a quadinjury and Paul Lo Duca, who sat out with a right hamstringinjury.


Without their starting center fielder and catcher, New Yorkstill managed nine hits in the first four innings and a 5-0lead.


Jose Reyes, whose batting average had dipped below .300 for thefirst time since early April, scored the first two runs on RBIsingles by Lastings Milledge and David Wright in the first andthird innings, respectively.


Ramon Castro replaced Lo Duca and had a pair of hits. One was along two-run homer to center field in the fourth, which gaveNew York a four-run advantage.


The Mets scored three runs in the fourth. After Castro'sseventh home run, Wright delivered his second RBI single of thegame.


An inning later, the rain that had been steadily falling causedthe delay that would shorten the contest.


The Nationals set a season low in hits for the second straightday. In the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, they managedjust three hits and Sunday they were blanked for the seventhtime this season.


Billy Traber (2-2) made his second start with Washington andallowed five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

A 2000 first-round draft pick of the Mets, Traber was knockedout after issuing a walk to Milledge, which immediately precededWright's second run-scoring hit.

 

NL: WASHINGTON at NY METS

<div class="pre">WASHINGTON (0) VS NY METS (5) - FINAL IN 5 INNINGS

WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .239
R Belliard 2b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .299
R Zimmerman 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .258
R Church lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .255
T Batista 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .214
B Schneider c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .228
N Logan cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .228
R Langerhans rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .160
B Traber p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Schroder p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 16 0 1 0 0 5 1

BATTING: Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Church 1. Team LOB - 1.


NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 3 2 2 0 0 0 1 .302
L Milledge cf 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 .286
D Wright 3b 3 0 2 2 0 1 1 .298
C Delgado 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .252
M Alou lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .298
D Easley rf 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 .266
R Castro c 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 .327
R Gotay 2b 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .350
J Maine p 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .111

Totals 21 5 10 5 2 3 8

BATTING: 2B - J Reyes 2 (24, B Traber 2); R Castro (6, B Traber). HR - R Castro
(7, 4th inning off B Traber 1 on, 0 Out). S - J Maine. RBI - L Milledge (14), D
Wright 2 (65), R Castro 2 (23). 2-out RBI - D Wright. Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - C Delgado 1, M Alou 1, J Maine 1. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Reyes (49, 3rd base off B Traber/B Schneider), D Wright
(23, 2nd base off B Traber/B Schneider). CS - L Milledge (2, 2nd base by B
Traber/B Schneider).


----------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON - 000 00 -- 0
NY METS - 101 30 -- 5
----------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
B Traber (L, 2-2) 3 2/3 8 5 5 2 3 1 4.91
C Schroder 2/3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.33

NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Maine (W, 12-5) 5 1 0 0 0 5 0 2.92

IBB - R Gotay (by B Traber). Pitches-strikes: B Traber 83-49; C Schroder
12-7; J Maine 62-44. Ground balls-fly balls: B Traber 4-3; C Schroder 0-2; J
Maine 3-7. Batters faced: B Traber 20; C Schroder 4; J Maine 16.

UMPIRES: HP--Mike Winters. 1B--Phil Cuzzi. 2B--Tom Hallion. 3B--James Hoye.

T--1:31 (Plus rain delay totaling 91 minutes in the 5th). Att--47,264.
Weather: 82 degrees, rain. Wind: 10 mph, in from
left.</div>

 

Maine picks up 12th win in short work

<h3>NY METS 5, WASHINGTON 0 (5 INNINGS, RAIN)</h3>FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- When the New York Mets want toavoid losing streaks, having John Maine scheduled to start helpsimmensely.


Maine allowed a hit in five innings and the Mets got significantcontributions throughout their lineup in a 5-0 rain-shortenedvictory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.

The game was called following a 91-minute delay that stopped inthe bottom of the fifth inning.


With the win, the Mets salvaged a split of the four-game seriesand won for the seventh time in 11 games. They also improved to9-3 after a loss when Maine starts dating back to last season.

"He's been known as our stopper this year and that's whatstoppers do," New York manager Willie Randolph said.

Maine (12-5) has six of those wins and Sunday was among hisfinest efforts of his tenure with the Mets, which began last Mayagainst Washington. On a rainy afternoon at Shea Stadium, heallowed just a one-out bloop single to Ronnie Belliard in thefirst inning and struck out five without a walk.


"I think most of my pitches (were working well)," Maine said."I felt good. I felt probably the best (I felt) in the secondhalf."


The righthander's outing continued an impressive campaignagainst the Nationals this season, holding them without a run in12 innings. He has also yielded four hits and fanned 13batters.


After Belliard's base hit, the righthander retired the final 14hitters and became the third 12-game winner in the NationalLeague. He finished with 44 strikes on 62 pitches, and wouldnot have returned if the game was resumed.


"I only faced him once," said Washington right fielder RyanLangerhans, who struck out in the third. "He was locating hisfastball from what it looked like. I only faced one at-bat soit was tough to get a real good feel."


It was Maine's second career complete game and the 31stone-hitter in New York history. It also was the second timethis season the Mets allowed one hit in a rain-shortenedvictory.


"You go out there and do your job until they (umpires) tell you(otherwise)," Maine said.


The other instance was June 27 when Tom Glavine pitched sixinnings in a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Maine's other complete game was a four-hitter against theHouston Astros on July 21, 2006. That was also his firstvictory with the Mets, a game that Nationals manager Manny Actasaw as a member of New York's coaching staff.


"Johnny is turning the corner," Acta said. "He did it for theMets last year in the second half and he was huge during theplayoffs. He's going to be a good pitcher for a lot of years tocome here in the big leagues."


While Maine was shutting down the Nationals, his teammates weredoing several things right at the plate. The Mets were withoutCarlos Beltran, who missed his sixth straight game with a quadinjury and Paul Lo Duca, who sat out with a right hamstringinjury.


Without their starting center fielder and catcher, New Yorkstill managed nine hits in the first four innings and a 5-0lead.


"I think one through 25, everybody on this team - they're allgetting the job done," Maine said.


Jose Reyes, whose batting average had dipped below .300 for thefirst time since early April, scored the first two runs on RBIsingles by Lastings Milledge and David Wright in the first andthird innings, respectively.


"I just try to do my part," Reyes said. "I just try to get onbase and go from there."


"He's the catalyst," Milledge said. "We go off of him. It's alittle tougher when he doesn't get on."


Ramon Castro replaced Lo Duca and had a pair of hits. One was along two-run homer to center field in the fourth, which gaveNew York a four-run advantage.


"He's doing a fine job," Randolph said of Castro. "He's one ofthe better backup catchers in the game and he's ready to playfor us. He's ready to play and a big part of our success thelast few years."


The Mets scored three runs in the fourth. After Castro'sseventh home run, Wright delivered his second RBI single of thegame.


An inning later, the rain that had been steadily falling causedthe delay that would shorten the contest.


The Nationals set a season low in hits for the second straightday. In the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, they managedjust three hits and Sunday they were blanked for the seventhtime this season.


Billy Traber (2-2) made his second start with Washington andallowed five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

"He wasn't able to finish any hitters," said Acta, who alsoadded that he thinks Traber would be better suited as areliever. "Once he got guys to two strikes, he wasn't able toget them out."


A 2000 first-round draft pick of the Mets, Traber was knockedout after issuing a walk to Milledge, which immediately precededWright's second run-scoring hit.