| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Robin Ventura loves to bat with the bases
loaded.
|  | | Mike Hampton allowed two runs in eight innings Friday night. |
"It's nice to get put in that situation. A lot of it is luck,
too," he said after breaking a seventh-inning tie with a two-run,
bases-loaded single as the New York Mets beat the St. Louis
Cardinals 5-2 Friday night.
New York won for the seventh time in 10 games and stopped the
Cardinals' five-game losing streak as Ventura improved his career
average with the bases loaded to .364 with 154 RBIs and 14 homers
in 129 at-bats.
He also hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
"I think we saw him make an out about a week ago, so he was
due," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "You get spoiled by his
efficiency. I like being spoiled."
Mike Hampton (6-4) escaped early trouble to win his fourth
straight start, quieting an attack that had totaled 48 runs during
the streak. He allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, and
has given up only three runs in 31 1/3 innings during his streak.
"It's not anything mechanical, I'm just feeling comfortable out
there," Hampton said. "I'm just out there having fun."
After a slow start, last year's NL Cy Young runner-up is 6-1 in
his last eight outings. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a
sacrifice fly.
Jim Edmonds hit his third homer in four games, his 16th overall,
and Fernando Vina had a run-scoring groundout for St. Louis. Mark
McGwire, the major league leader with 20 homers, went 0-for-3 with
a walk.
Cardinals pitchers tied a season high with nine walks, including
three straight by Pat Hentgen that forced in a run in the first
inning.
With the score 2-all in the seventh, Mark Thompson (0-1) got two
outs and then walked Derek Bell, Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza,
bringing up Ventura.
"It's ridiculous," Thompson said. "You don't put three guys
on the bases with the game tied in the seventh inning. You can't do
that."
Hampton got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the
first when Eric Davis grounded into a double play. The Cardinals
loaded the bases in the second on singles by Placido Polanco,
Hentgen and Fernando Vina before Edgar Renteria struck out.
"I always feel that I'm one pitch away from a ground ball
double play," Hampton said. "I've got a good chance of getting
them to hit the ball on the ground and with the defense we have,
that they're going to get the job done."
Hampton nicked Mike Matheny with in the fourth and it finally
cost him a run as Polanco singled, Hentgen sacrificed with a
two-strike bunt and Vina followed with a run-scoring groundout.
Hentgen, who has a 5.52 ERA, put together his second straight
solid outing, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings.
Game
notes
Edmonds is almost halfway to his best season homer total of
33 in 1995. ... Armando Benitez pitched a hitless ninth for his
13th save in 14 chances. ... Cardinals pitchers also had nine walks
April 20 at San Diego. ... The Cardinals have 97 homers in 47 games
and need three in the next three to tie Seattle's record of
reaching 100 homers in 50 games last season. The NL record for
reaching 100 is 64 games by the 1956 Reds. ... Alfonzo is only
6-for-30 for his career against the Cardinals. ... Cardinals C Mike
Matheny has thrown out 17 of 28 would-be basestealers. ... The
Cardinals are 23-7 against teams with losing records and 5-11 vs.
winners. ... Derek Bell is in an 0-for-17 slump.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Mets Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 8
Oakland 3
Toronto 8
Detroit 2
Boston 4
NY Yankees 1
Seattle 11
Tampa Bay 4
Chi. White Sox 5
Cleveland 3
Kansas City 9
Anaheim 4
Minnesota 10
Texas 2
Cincinnati 3
Florida 2
Houston 5
Atlanta 4
NY Mets 5
St. Louis 2
Pittsburgh 2
Colorado 1
Arizona 9
Milwaukee 2
San Diego 6
Montreal 2
Los Angeles 11
Philadelphia 4
San Francisco 5
Chicago Cubs 3
|
