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| Evans sparks Mets to win in debut NY METS 9, COLORADO 2 |
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DENVER (Ticker) -- Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Nick Evans had three doubles and a pair of RBI in his major league debut and Claudio Vargas threw seven outstanding innings as the New York Mets snapped a season-high five-game skid with a 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Carlos Beltran delivered a three-run double in a five-run first inning and David Wright homered for the Mets, who suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in 13 innings on Friday. That setback only added fuel to the firestorm surrounding embattled New York manager Willie Randolph. General manager Omar Minaya traveled to Colorado to observe the team, sparking speculation that Randolph's firing is imminent. But Evans, who had his contract purchased from Class AA Binghamton to help an injury-depleted outfield, has not been around the Mets' tumultuous clubhouse during the skid. Randolph probably was the happiest to see the youngster succeed. "It's what you need, man," he said. "A young kid to come up and give you a little energy. It was a great job of picking us up, along with Vargas." The 22-year-old Evans had an RBI double in the first frame and added another run-scoring two-base hit in the eighth. In the process, Evans helped the Mets avoid their first six-game slide since September 5-10, 2005. New York had two five-game losing streaks during its monumental collapse last September. "It's been unreal, the whole thing," Evans said of making the jump from Binghamton to the majors. "The whole thing's been kind of a blur. I was just trying not to do too much. The fact that I'm here hasn't really sunk in yet." Randolph said the win was important for the players' mental health after a tough week of criticism and rumors. "Just to get these guys feeling good about themselves is the big thing," Randolph said. "There's no doubt in my mind we'll win our share of games. We're not where we're supposed to be, of course, but I've always stayed positive with the guys." New York ambushed Jeff Francis (1-5) from the start. The first five hitters reached safely as the Mets sent 11 batters to the plate in the opening frame. Jose Reyes led off the game with a single and Luis Castillo and Wright both walked before Beltran laced a double to left-center field for a 3-0 lead. Fernando Tatis singled and, one batter later, Ramon Castro plated him with a single to right. Evans capped the outburst by belting a double to right for his first career hit and RBI. "My body felt good," Francis said. "I was just trying to get too much out of it. I was trying to make pitches that were too good. It's not them beating me, it's me beating myself, and that's the frustrating part." "It was a rough inning," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He just wasn't able to step back and regroup." Given a big lead, Vargas (1-2) helped ease the burden on an overworked bullpen. Pitching on three days' rest, the righthander allowed two runs and four hits with three strikeouts and one walk. "I don't think about that," Vargas said of the quick turnaround. "I just think I'm on (normal) rest and go out there and try to pitch my game. That's what I did." Friday night's hero, Matt Holliday, blasted a solo home run off Vargas in the first, but Wright answered in the second with a solo shot - his ninth of the season - to make it 6-1. Holliday hit a game-tying home run in the ninth in Friday's series opener before plating the winning run with a single in the 13th. There were no such heroics in this one thanks to Vargas, who was sharp and benefited from his team's season-high eight extra-base hits. Castro doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on Evans' third two-base hit of the day. Castillo added an RBI double in the frame and Carlos Delgado capped the scoring in the ninth with his third home run in as many days. Francis allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and three walks. The lefthander did settle down, allowing just one run and two hits after the first inning. But by that time, it was too late. "Bad news, good news," Hurdle said. "Bad news is, we dug a hole pretty big for us. We need better from Jeff than that. The good news is, he was able to find some rhythm and re-establish some command and repeat his delivery late in the game. So we'll see where that takes him next." |
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