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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Rey Ordonez highlighted a
five-run sixth inning with a two-run single as the New York Mets
completed a doubleheader sweep with a 7-6 victory over the
Chicago Cubs.
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| Ordonez |
Ordonez was 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position before his
ground ball up the middle off reliever Mark Guthrie eluded a
drawn-in infield, plating a pair of runs and giving the Mets a
5-3 lead.
"Rey had two big hits for us today," Mets manager Bobby
Valentine said. "That last one was a big one. He was a little
tired at the end of the day, but he is showing better balance at
the plate."
Robin Ventura started the bottom of the sixth with a homer and
Cubs third baseman Shane Andrews added to it with a throwing
error that allowed a run to score and New York to go ahead 7-3.
Benny Agbayani had two hits and two RBI after helping the Mets
to an 8-3 win in the first game with a pinch two-run single
during a five-run eighth inning.
Dennis Cook (3-0) picked up the win, New York's sixth straight,
after giving up a run over 1 1/3 innings in relief of
knuckleballer Dennis Springer.
Springer, who was recalled from the minor leagues Tuesday,
carried a shutout into the fifth in his Mets debut. He left
after 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.
"It's been a couple of years since I caught a knuckler," Mets
catcher Mike Piazza said. "He has a good one. He can throw
strikes with it. His was moving pretty well. It's different.
You just do the best you can with it. He did a good job."
Turk Wendell pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in place of Cook
and Armando Benitez picked up his major league-leading seventh
save, despite surrendering a two-run homer to Henry Rodriguez
with two outs in the ninth.
Sammy Sosa and Rodriguez each had three hits for Chicago, which
has lost five of its last six games and was swept in a
doubleheader against New York for the second time in as many
seasons.
Kyle Farnsworth (1-3) gave up six runs and nine hits in five
innings for the Cubs, whose beleagured bullpen allowed just one
unearned run over three innings after allowing five in the
eighth this afternoon.
The Mets opened the scoring in the first on Agbayani's two-out,
two-run single off Farnsworth.
Springer cruised into the fifth, when he surrendered an RBI
single to Jeff Huson, but got Ricky Gutierrez on an
inning-ending grounder with runners at second and third.
"I was excited," Springer said. "Once we got a couple of runs,
I felt I could play around a bit. I was able to throw a couple
of fastballs right down the middle that they just missed or
popped up. ... For a first outing it was a very positive one."
The Cubs chased Springer in the sixth. Rodriguez followed
Sosa's one-out single with a double, and Jeff Reed doubled home
both for a 3-2 lead.
Cook entered and recorded the biggest out of the game without
throwing a pitch, picking off Roosevelt Brown at first base for
the second out.
"It absolutely killed us," said Cubs manager Don Baylor, who
replaced Brown after the inning. "It was the difference in the
game."
Cook then walked Andrews intentionally and got Farnsworth to
bounce into a force play with runners at the corners to end the
inning.
Ventura gave the Mets the lead for good in the sixth, battling
Farnsworth to a full count before hitting his fourth homer.
"I fell behind Ventura and he knew what was coming," Farnsworth
said. "I was picking and he was able to wait on his pitch.
Stuff started falling apart after that. The team came back and
I put the blame on myself."
Farnsworth then allowed a double and walk before peeling off
Kyle Abbott's sacrifice attempt down the third-base line, which
turned into a bunt single and loaded the bases.
"You can't make mistakes against a team like the Mets and expect
to win," Grace said. "We can't afford for things like that to
happen."
"It was just a mixup," Farnsworth said. "I thought one play was
on and it was the other one. Just a mixup. There is not much
you can say about it."
Guthrie replaced Farnsworth and allowed Ordonez's single that
made it 5-3. After a sacrifice by Cook, Melvin Mora hit a
sacrifice fly, Derek Bell walked and Andrews threw wild to first
on Piazza's grounder, allowing Ordonez to score.
Rodriguez doubled home a run in the seventh to make it 7-4, but
Wendell replaced Cook and struck out pinch-hitter Glenallen Hill
with runners at second and third to end the inning.
Benitez retired the first two batters in the ninth before Sosa
singled and Rodriguez hit his third homer of the season. But
Benitez overmatched rookie pinch-hitter Tarrik Brock, striking
him out to end the game.
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RECAPS
Toronto 8
NY Yankees 2
Chi. White Sox 14
Detroit 6
Cleveland 0
Boston 0
Baltimore 4
Oakland 3
Seattle 4
Kansas City 2
Tampa Bay 11
Anaheim 9
Texas 8
Minnesota 3
NY Mets 7
Chicago Cubs 6
(2nd game)
NY Mets 8
Chicago Cubs 3
Los Angeles 16
Cincinnati 2
San Diego 8
Houston 6
San Francisco 8
Arizona 6
Florida 4
Philadelphia 2
Milwaukee 7
Montreal 3
Atlanta 4
Pittsburgh 2
Colorado 7
St. Louis 6
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