When Pedro Martinez allowed a home run to Jody Gerut on the first pitch of the game, it already didn't look good. Then, when he allowed another one just two batters later, it looked like it was definitely going to be a long day for Pedro and the Mets. But Pedro settled down beautifully and allowed just two hits the rest of the way in his 6.1 innings pitched Wednesday night. His curveball and change-up were both working well, forcing San Diego hitters to hit ground balls or pop up, as they were regularly off balance.
But after Pedro allowed a couple of baserunners in the seventh, David Wright made a costly error on a Brian Giles cue shot with two outs, that allowed Luis Rodriguez to score the go-ahead run. Eddie Kunz allowed a solo homer, the first round-tripper he's given up in more than three years, for a bit of insurance, but it was no matter because the Mets went down in order against Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, in the ninth anyway, and the Padres evened the series at 1-1. Wright had also made a significant baserunning error in the fifth inning, getting doubled off at first on a Carlos Beltran fly ball to right field.
Other than Pedro's performance, a good thing to take out of this game was the continued impressive play of Daniel Murphy. Despite not having played the outfield at a professional level prior to this year, Murphy played his third straight solid game in left field, and he has looked excellent at the plate as well. With three hits Wednesday night he is now hitting .455 (5-11). But most importantly, he has drawn three walks and worked four counts of six pitches or more in 14 plate appearances. That kind of patience and mature plate presence has made Murphy a fantastic fit for the number two hole, a spot in the batting order he has manned the last two nights. He has taken outside pitches to the opposite field, and proved he can go the other way with authority, driving an RBI double to left center on Tuesday night. In Ryan Church's absence for the time being, Murphy has stepped up and looks like a good complement to Fernando Tatis as a fellow super-back-up who is currently playing in the Mets' starting lineup.
Around The League
The Tampa Bay Rays overcame a 7-4 deficit with six runs in the ninth inning, to take the rubber game against the Indians on Wednesday. They remain three games ahead of the Red Sox and 6.5 games in front of the Yankees in the AL East, and aren't showing any signs of slowing down. Boston defeated the Royals to win a series of their own, and the Yankees beat the Rangers to salvage the third game of the series in Arlington, to keep the division race status quo. However, the Yankees placed Joba Chamberlain on the 15-day DL with rotator cuff tendinitis.
Jeff Karstens, who came over from the Yankees in the deal for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, pitched a complete game shut-out against the Diamondbacks, allowing just two hits in a 2-0 win. Karstens, who was 3-5 with a 5.65 ERA in 15 games with the Yankees in 2006 and 2007, is now 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15 innings over two starts with the Pirates since the trade. On the other hand, Marte is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA with the Yankees.
Kyle Kendrick tossed six shut-out innings to lead the Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Marlins. Philadelphia is back to 2.5 games ahead of Florida, and three games in front of the Mets in the NL East with the win and losses by both division rivals.
*Statistical information derived from www.baseball-reference.com
Keywords: Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Brian Giles, Carlos Beltran, Damaso Marte, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Eddie Kunz, Fernando Tatis, Florida Marlins, Jeff Karstens, Joba Chamberlain, Jody Gerut, Kyle Kendrick, Luis Rodriguez, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Ryan Church, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Trevor Hoffman, Xavier Nady
