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| Martinez strong in return for Mets NY METS 9, SAN FRANCISCO 6 |
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SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Pedro Martinez made a successful return to the mound for the New York Mets, tossing six solid innings in leading his team to a 9-6 triumph over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Pitching for the first time since his season debut at Florida on April 1 due to a hamstring injury, Martinez (1-0) surrendered three runs and seven hits. The three-time Cy Young Award winner walked three and struck out three, throwing 63 of his 109 pitches for strikes. "Real good, real good, just like I expected to feel," Martinez said. "Came off the field in the same shape I went in and got my work done and I got it. I got my feet wet a little bit today." Martinez, who claimed he did not feel hampered by any lingering effects from his hamstring injury except when he was running the bases, mentioned the cold, windy conditions at AT&T Park forced him to change his approach. "It was really uncomfortable, especially for my changeup and the feel pitches," he said. "It was really difficult to grip. The breaking ball, I had to throw hard - as hard as I could to get a good bite on it. But I managed to throw more fastballs than normal, and I got away with it." "Just what the doctor ordered," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "That's the way we drew it up. He never ceases to amaze you. You're not so surprised - you just want to get him out there so you can get him back in the mix. He probably didn't have his best command early, but he has a way of, when he needs to make pitches or put people away, he was able to do it. It's good to have him back. It's a good sign for the club to have him back in the fold." Martinez also helped himself at the plate, going 2-for-3 - including an RBI single during New York's eight-run outburst in the fifth inning. Damion Easley collected three hits and drove in three runs for the Mets, who have won six of their last eight games. The wheels came off for Barry Zito (1-9) and San Francisco in the fifth, as New York sent 12 batters to the plate. Easley drew a leadoff walk and David Wright singled before Carlos Beltran delivered an RBI double to snap a 1-1 tie. Ryan Church lifted a sacrifice fly and, after Fernando Tatis walked, Carlos Delgado plated a run with an infield single to shortstop, ending Zito's outing. "I just think walking guys was the downfall tonight," Zito said. "Walking guys, falling behind was the reason. I was working out of jams most of the night. For the most part, I was just trying to be too fine and not attacking the zone. I just have to put this behind me and keep going." The lefthander, who has lasted at least six innings in only five of his 12 starts this season, allowed six runs - five earned - seven hits and five walks with just one strikeout in 4 1/3 frames. It marked the third time Zito has failed to make it out of the fifth inning this year. "He was fine," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "The fifth inning, he just got out of sync there a little bit. We didn't play very well defensively either, but he was throwing the ball fine and his (pitch) count got up there pretty good in the fifth and we couldn't stop them." After Ramon Castro greeted Vinnie Chulk with a single to load the bases, Martinez followed with his second hit of the night - a bloop RBI single over leaping second baseman Ray Durham. It capped the third career two-hit game for Martinez and first since August 3, 1997 while with Montreal. "Every time I get a hit, I'm going to give the double gun and a little shake and stuff, especially when I predict I'm going to get hits," Martinez said. "I tell the guys, 'I'm going to get one now.'" Durham then misplayed Jose Reyes' grounder, allowing Delgado to score, and Easley delivered a three-run double to deep center field, completing the eight-run eruption. It was New York's biggest inning since it recorded 11 runs in a frame at Chicago on July 16, 2006. San Francisco scored twice in the fifth before making things interesting in the ninth against Scott Schoeneweis. After issuing a pair of walks to start the inning, the lefthander served up Travis Denker's first career homer - a three-run shot that drew the Giants within 9-6. Following a one-out single by Bengie Molina, closer Billy Wagner came on to induce Aaron Rowand to ground into a game-ending double play for his 12th save. New York grabbed an early lead as Reyes reached on a game-opening error by third baseman Rich Aurilia, advanced to third on a single by Easley and scored on Wright's sacrifice fly. But the Giants answered in the bottom of the first as Fred Lewis led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on Castro's throwing error and came home on Randy Winn's one-out double. Reyes reached twice on errors but finished 0-for-5, snapping his 18-game hitting streak. |
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