| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Good weather and the right opponent added up to
zero for Mike Hampton.
The left-hander scattered five hits for his first shutout with
New York, winning for the first time in a month as the Mets beat
the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0 Sunday for a three-game sweep.
|  | | Mike Hampton pitched a five-hitter Sunday, his first shutout as a New York Met. |
"I've had games where I probably pitched a little better, but I
didn't make too many mistakes," Hampton said.
Melvin Mora had a career-high four hits in five at-bats with a
homer, double and two singles. He also scored three times and drove
in a run.
Hampton has not allowed a run to the Pirates in 17 1/3 innings
this year, beating them 2-0 on May 9.
"I'm a groundball pitcher and they're a young, aggressive
team," said Hampton, who blanked the Pirates last season for
Houston. "Any time I keep the ball down, I have a good chance to
get an out."
The 84-degree weather under blue skies certainly suited him as
well. Before a no-decision against Philadelphia on Tuesday, Hampton
was limited to only 3 1/3 innings in two rain-shortened starts.
"It was nice, it was easy to break a sweat," Hampton said.
"You don't need a heavy jacket."
Hampton (7-5) had been 0-1 with three no-decisions since a May
26 win at St. Louis. He pitched the first shutout for a Mets
starter this season, the seventh of his career.
Hampton struck out a season-high nine and walked two, improving
to 5-1 with a 1.60 ERA in his last nine starts.
"The bottom line is winning," he said.
The Mets outscored Pittsburgh 31-10 in the series.
"They played great defense and scored a lot of runs," he said.
It was the second time this season Hampton outdueled Kris
Benson; Hampton allowed six hits at Pittsburgh and struck out
eight.
"He was pretty good against us the last time, but now it looks
like he's getting back to what he was last year," Pittsburgh
manager Gene LaMont said of Hampton, who went 22-4 with the Astros.
Benson, who gave up six runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings,
allowed more than two runs for only the third time in 12 starts.
Benson retired 11 straight from the second inning through the fifth
but got in trouble in the sixth.
With the Mets leading 1-0, Mora led off with a single and took
third on Derek Bell's hit-and-run single to right. Edgardo Alfonzo
walked to load the bases before Mike Piazza fouled out.
Benson walked Robin Ventura on a 3-2 pitch, forcing in a run,
and Todd Zeile's sacrifice fly scored Bell for a 3-0 lead.
"I knew he was a tough out with men on base," Benson said of
Ventura, who has 14 career grand slams. "I felt if I made that
pitch on 3-2, I could have gotten him. I left it up and walked him
and I didn't want to do that. "
New York scored five times the following inning. Bell drove in
Joe McEwing and Mora with a single and Piazza knocked in two more
with a ground-rule double that extended his hitting streak to 14
games and his RBI streak to nine.
"I thought he threw well, but that one inning there -- the
seventh when you have to shut them down _ he got the bases loaded
and it's tough to pitch like that," LaMont said.
Mora hit a solo homer in the eighth off Mike Williams.
"We had good at-bats, wore them down a little, scored some runs
early and broke it open," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "It
was a good team effort."
Benson, a former No. 1 draft pick, allowed two runs in three
starts -- and one in 20 1/3 innings -- coming in. He struck out seven
in his worst start since giving up seven runs May 11 against
Montreal.
Pittsburgh's best scoring chance came in the fifth, when Benson
singled with two outs. Mike Benjamin followed with a single and Pat
Meares walked to load the bases. Hampton struck out Bruce Aven on
three pitches to end the threat.
Jay Payton's RBI single in the second gave New York a 1-0 lead.
Game
notes
Pirates backup C Keith Osik completed a strikeout-throwout
double play in the first inning, catching Mora trying to steal
third. Osik has thrown out three of the seven runners attempting to
steal this season, but couldn't get Mora again in the seventh when
he swiped second. ... LaMont and pitching coach Pete Vuckovich were
ejected in the first inning by first-base umpire John Hirschbeck.
Vuckovich was thrown out on Friday night by Hirschbeck, arguing a
balk call. ... Piazza, who entered with only 30 strikeouts this
season, fanned in his first two at-bats against Benson. ... Mora's
previous best was three hits April 8 against Los Angeles. ... Bell
walked in the first to reach base for the eighth straight time
(four hits, four walks) before grounding out in the third. He
singled in his final two at-bats.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
Upcoming visit to Big Apple weighs heavily on Braves
RECAPS
Cleveland 2
Detroit 1
Toronto 6
Boston 5
Chi. White Sox 8
NY Yankees 7
Oakland 4
Kansas City 3
Seattle 4
Baltimore 2
Anaheim 7
Minnesota 6
Texas 9
Tampa Bay 5
Florida 8
Chicago Cubs 7
Atlanta 5
Milwaukee 4
NY Mets 9
Pittsburgh 0
San Diego 5
Cincinnati 4
Montreal 3
Philadelphia 1
St. Louis 2
Los Angeles 1
San Francisco 4
Houston 2
Arizona 8
Colorado 3
|
