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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Blame it on the odd travel itinerary or
Baltimore's putrid pitching. Either way, the road-weary Orioles are
heading home with seven losses on their 10-game trip.
|  | | Mets shortstop Kurt Abbott watches his game-winning home run in the 10th inning at Shea Stadium on Thursday night. |
The Orioles, forced to fly back and forth from Baltimore between
the last two games of the series, wasted a four-run lead Thursday
night and lost 8-7 to the New York Mets on Kurt Abbott's
10th-inning homer.
Todd Zeile added a three-run homer and Jay Payton went 2-for-4
with a homer and two RBIs as the Mets rallied from deficits of 4-0
and 6-3 to win for the second straight time heading into Friday's
Subway Series at Yankee Stadium.
"We had to go overtime and it was a little stressful," Mets
manager Bobby Valentine said. "But it was a confidence builder. It
was a really good win on our part. I think we wanted it a little
bit more than the other team."
That's understandable after what Baltimore has been through this
week. After Tuesday night's rainout led to Thursday's makeup game,
the Orioles were unable to find hotel rooms in the New York area
and chartered a plane home after Wednesday's 11-3 loss.
Six players stayed in New York, but the rest of the team didn't
get home until about 2 a.m. and was back at the airport 13 hours
later to finish the 11-day road trip.
"Just over a month is how it feels," reliever Mike Trombley
said. "It has been tough. And it's not over yet. We're not home."
Abbott made sure Baltimore's second plane ride home in two days
won't be a happy one.
With one out in the 10th, he hit the first pitch from Jose
Mercedes (2-3) into the left-field seats to send the 9,540 fans who
showed up -- the smallest crowd in three years -- home happy.
Abbott pumped his fist as he ran to first and was mobbed by
teammates as he reached home plate following his second homer of
the year.
"Rounding third base, seeing your teammates waiting to trample
you is a great feeling," Abbott said. "I don't know if I've ever
done that before. I certainly hope to do it again."
Abbott hadn't done much of anything since starting shortstop Rey
Ordonez went down with a broken left forearm last month. Valentine
benched Abbott earlier this week to clear his head and the results
have been immediate.
He had a double and triple Wednesday, and a key sacrifice fly
and the game-winning homer Thursday.
"This was a long time coming," Abbott said. "This is a big
boost. Not only for me, but for the team also. We were down early,
and down big, and we came back."
Dennis Cook (5-2) pitched a perfect 10th for the win.
Many Orioles contributed to the loss. The third-worst pitching
staff in baseball allowed 11 hits and six walks to waste a big
offensive game.
"It's a tough way to end anything," manager Mike Hargrove
said. "We played well enough and scored enough runs to win. We
just gave up the long ball at the wrong times."
Payton's fifth homer gave the Mets a 7-6 lead in the eighth, but
John Franco and Armando Benitez couldn't hold it in the ninth.
Pinch-hitter Will Clark's sacrifice fly tied the game.
Jason Johnson, who declined to stay back in New York, tired in
the sixth inning as the Mets scored three runs to tie it at 6.
Johnson, who won his last five decisions in 1999, and remained
winless in eight starts this season.
Cal Ripken, who stayed in New York, homered for the second
straight game, and Mike Bordick hit a two-run homer to give
Baltimore a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Johnson retired the first two batters in the bottom of the
fourth before Mike Piazza hit a hard, one-hopper off his left side
for an infield single. Johnson appeared flustered, throwing 10 of
the next 14 pitches for balls. Two of the four strikes were hit
hard: a double by Robin Ventura and Zeile's 11th homer.
Piazza grounded a ball off Johnson again in the fifth, but this
time it was the Mets catcher who got banged up on the play. Ripken
fielded the ricochet near third and threw Piazza out at first.
Piazza tripped over the bag and injured his right heel. He stayed
in the game and said he was fine.
Game notes
This was the smallest crowd at Shea Stadium since June 2,
1997, when 2,672 fans showed up for a makeup game against Montreal.
... Mets starter Glendon Rusch allowed six runs and 10 hits in five
innings. ... Mets 2B Edgardo Alfonzo struck out swinging in the
fourth ending, ending a 42 at-bat stretch without a K. ... Charles
Johnson, Albert Belle, Jose Mercedes and Scott Erickson also stayed
on their own in New York, while Friday's starter against
Philadelphia, Pat Rapp remained in Baltimore.
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RECAPS
NY Mets 8
Baltimore 7
Boston 3
Cleveland 0
Los Angeles 5
Houston 2
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