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Friday, Jun. 23 7:10pm ET
Jones: 'I had something to prove tonight' | |||||
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Normally, a pitcher loves lots of run support but this wasn't a normal start for New York Mets right-hander Bobby Jones. Jones (2-3) allowed one run on five hits in eight innings Friday night in the Mets' 12-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I had something to prove tonight and I had to stay with my game plan," said Jones, who has made two trips to the minors this season and is trying to re-establish his place in the New York starting rotation. "It's hard to say you don't have any doubts," Jones said. "I think I'm pretty tough mentally." Mike Piazza's three-run homer triggered a nine-run third inning that eased Jones's burden. Even though Piazza has hit in 12 straight games and homered seven times during the span, his focus was mostly on Jones. "We wanted to get him a quality start," said the catcher of Jones, who won for the first time since May 19. Jones struck out eight and walked only three. "He threw a lot better than he has been and, hopefully, it's something he can build on," Piazza said. It was only the fifth time in team history that the Mets scored as many as nine runs in an inning and missed the club record by one. Piazza's homer, his 21st, came after a walk to Derek Bell and a single by Edgardo Alfonzo off Pirates starter Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo (0-1), making only his third major-league start, allowed 10 runs -- nine earned -- on nine hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings. "In that third inning when they scored all the runs, they hit everything Bronson threw," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "He threw some good pitches and they hit them. He threw some bad pitches and they hit them." Arroyo retired the first five batters but, in the second, balked home a run with the bases loaded and two outs when Todd Zeile bluffed a break to the plate and Arroyo stopped his motion. "They said he flinched," Lamont said. "But when you get beat 12-1, I don't think it (the balk) is much to talk about." Warren Morris' sacrifice fly made it 1-1 in the third but the Mets answered with nine in the bottom half. Piazza drove in the first three and Jay Payton singled in another before Melvin Mora's bases-loaded double scored three more. Mora moved to third on a fielding error by left fielder Wil Cordero and scored on Derek Bell's infield single. Bell reached second on a throwing error charged to third baseman Aramis Ramirez and scored when Alfonzo greeted reliever Jeff Wallace with a single to right. New York added two more runs on RBI singles by Benny Agbayani in the fourth and sixth. Rich Rodriguez pitched the ninth for the Mets and allowed an RBI single by Ramirez. Game notesThe Mets last scored nine runs in the sixth inning at Florida May 26, 1998. New York scored 10 against Cincinnati on June 12, 1979. ... Pirates pitching coach Pete Vuckovich was ejected by third base umpire John Hirschbeck for arguing the balk call against Arroyo. ... The Pirates have lost six of their last seven at Shea Stadium. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Pittsburgh Clubhouse NY Mets Clubhouse RECAPS Detroit 7 Cleveland 6
NY Mets 12
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