Recap: NY Mets vs. Atlanta
Sports Network | September 13, 2008
Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Omar Infante's sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth proved to be the difference, as the Atlanta Braves edged the New York Mets, 3-2, in the opener of a doubleheader from Shea Stadium.
Jeff Francoeur knocked in the other two runs for Atlanta, which was coming off a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Casey Kotchman reached base in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Mike Hampton gave up two runs on six hits in six frames, with five walks and four strikeouts. Jeff Ridgway (1-0) got the win after he tossed a scoreless seventh.
Carlos Delgado went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run for the Mets, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. New York is two games ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East. The Phillies defeated Milwaukee, 7-3, on Saturday.
Johan Santana was touched for two runs on nine hits in seven-plus innings, while Scott Schoeneweis (2-4) took the loss.
Atlanta's Jo-Jo Reyes and New York's Jonathon Niese are slated to start the second game.
Trailing 2-0, the Braves forged ahead with three runs in the eighth. Brian McCann led off with a single, and Yunel Escobar followed with another hit to chase Santana from the game. Schoeneweis came on for the Mets and gave up a single to Kotchman. Brian Stokes was then summoned from the bullpen and Francoeur greeted the reliever with a two-run single to center. Infante's sacrifice fly plated Kotchman and put Atlanta in front.
Will Ohman and Jeff Bennett combined to toss a perfect eighth, and Mike Gonzalez retired the Mets in order in the ninth to notch his 10th save.
New York loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth on singles by Carlos Beltran and Delgado and a walk to Fernando Tatis. Damion Easley's sharp single to left got the Mets on the board and Brian Schneider bounced into a 6-4-3 double play to force in another run.
The Mets were looking to pad their lead in the sixth, but Hampton wiggled out of a pair of bases-loaded jams to keep the Braves within two. Beltran worked a leadoff walk and Delgado lined a double to left. After Hampton intentionally walked Tatis, Easley grounded into a 5-2-3 twin killing. An intentional free pass to Schneider reloaded the bags for Santana, who went down swinging to end the threat.
The Braves left 11 men on base, while New York stranded eight...Kelly Johnson collected two hits for Atlanta...The Mets activated catcher Ramon Castro (strained right quad) from the 15-day disabled list on Friday.
