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| Wolf helps Padres sneak by Mets SAN DIEGO 2, NY METS 1 |
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By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Randy Wolf threw seven solid innings and Scott Hairston collected three hits to help the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory over New York Mets in the second of a four-game series on Friday. Wolf (4-4) retired the first 11 batters he faced and allowed one run on seven hits en route to his fourth straight win. The 31-year-old lefthander struck out two and walked two batters. Heath Bell worked a perfect eighth in front of all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who retired the side in order in the ninth to convert his 13th save in 16 opportunities. "Once we were able to go ahead in the game, Heath came in and did his job," Hairston said. "We're very confident in Trevor doing his job. Everything came together today." Wolf held New York scoreless over five frames before David Wright's sacrifice fly brought home Mets starter Johan Santana for 1-0 advantage in the sixth. Wright's drive to left-center field with the bases loaded could have broken open the game, but Hairston made a great diving catch to rob Wright of extra bases. "When you hit the ball hard, you've got to find a hole, too," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "That catch by (Hairston) would've broken the game open for us. When you don't get the breaks and you're not capitalizing on your opportunities, it makes it worse." The Mets' lead was short-lived, as San Diego touched Santana for two runs in the bottom of the frame. After Hairston doubled to start the sixth, three consecutive singles, including run-scoring hits by Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff, put San Diego ahead 2-1. "(Santana) was very effective tonight," Hairston said. "He had all of his pitches working, and with that changeup, we just had to put together good at-bats. Kouz, Adrian and Brian (Giles) all had good quality, major-league at-bats at the end and it put us ahead. That was the difference in the game." Wolf protected the lead by escaping a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, getting Luis Castillo to ground out to second. "I knew I didn't want to throw (Castillo) anything straight," Wolf said. "I had to throw something with movement to get a ground ball. I did and he kept it down and we got the out." The three-game winning streak matches San Diego's longest of the season, a feat the Padres have accomplished twice. "These three games are what we look for in close games," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We get a guy in late in the game, our starting pitching does the job and our bullpen does the job, and we prevail." Santana (7-4) allowed two runs - one earned - on seven hits in six innings. The two-time Cy Young Award winner lost for the first time in three outings. He struck out five and walked one batter. "They rallied, and they scored some runs," Santana said. "I guess everything worked out for them (in the sixth). They took advantage. They hit the ball, and we weren't able to score runs and come back." Santana was also hit in the left shoulder when he squared to bunt in the sixth, but said it didn't affect his performance. "There is a mark," he said. "So we will just see how it feels tomorrow and get ready for my next game." Endy Chavez had two hits for the Mets, who lost for the second time in a row. |
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