| Brian
McRae's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning gave New
York the lead for good and rookie Jeff Tam picked up his first
major-league victory as four Mets pitchers combined to two-hit the
Montreal Expos, 5-2.
With the Mets trailing 2-1 entering the
sixth, Butch Huskey singled with one out and McRae drilled the first
pitch he saw from Montreal starter Javier Vazquez (3-7) over the
center-field wall. Huskey tied a career high with four hits while
McRae's 12th homer was his sixth in his last 17 games.
"I hit them in bunches," said
McRae of his home run ability. "I'll hit four or five in a week
and then I'll go a month without one. This one (streak) is lasting a
little longer.
"I was just looking for something to
drive. They've been giving me good pitches early in the count in
this series and I adjusted accordingly."
"It wasn't down the middle of the
plate, but it was too good," said Vazquez. "I wanted it
low and away and it stayed up. I need to concentrate when I have a
lead. I need to do better in that situation."
New York, which added a pair of runs in the
eighth against former Met Mike Maddux, salvaged the final two games
of the series after a five-game losing streak.
After starter Hideo Nomo, who is still in
search of his first win as a Met, faltered in the sixth, Tam (1-0)
entered the game with the bases loaded and one out. He got Mike
Hubbard to bounce out, plating the go-ahead run, before escaping the
jam by retiring Vazquez on a groundout.
Tam retired the side in order in the
seventh, and Greg McMichael got all three batters he faced in the
eighth. Dennis Cook struck out the side in the ninth for his first
save since August 26th, 1995, when he was with Texas.
"This is something I'll take wherever
I go," said Tam. "I knew when McRae homered I had a chance
(for his first win). I was just glad to get out there for the
seventh."
"With a three-game suspension coming
up for Franco, it was good for Cookie to get a save and to have
McMichael back," said Mets manager Bobby Valentine when asked
about using Cook over closer John Franco.
New York's Todd Hundley was 0-for-2 with a
walk in his second game back from reconstructive elbow surgery.
Montreal overcame a 1-0 deficit without the
benefit of a hit in the sixth. Vladimir Guerrero and Brad Fullmer
walked to open the inning but Rondell White bounced into a forceout
at second. Mark Grudzielanek walked to load the bases but Nomo got
ahead of Shane Andrews 0-2 before throwing four straight balls to
force home the tying run.
After Hubbard reached on the fielder's
choice that scored White, the Expos didn't have another batter reach
base.
"We got a run on a bases-loaded walk
and a forceout," said Expos manager Felipe Alou. "We
didn't do anything with the bats. They hit many balls hard. The
bottom line is we didn't take advantage of Nomo's wildness."
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when
leadoff hitter Lenny Harris doubled, moved to third on a groundout,
and scored on Mike Piazza's single to left.
White got the Expos' first hit, a single in
the second, but was stranded at third when Nomo struck out Hubbard.
Hubbard, who was starting for the first time since May 31st, was
0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.
Vazquez got the last hit for the Expos in
the third, a leadoff single. But he too was stranded in scoring
position. |
