After Long Rain Delay, Martinez Pitches Mets to Victory
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Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, carrying the Mets and Pedro Martinez to a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies last night.
Beltran’s fourth homer of the season broke a 1-1 tie and rewarded Martinez (3-1) for seven innings of four-hit pitching. Cliff Floyd had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest run in the majors this season.
The start of the game was delayed two hours, 17 minutes by rain. Then Martinez and Philadelphia’s Jon Lieber hooked up in a dandy pitcher’s duel.
Martinez struck out six and walked two, mixing speeds brilliantly. Lieber went six innings, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Martinez led 1-0 until the seventh when Chase Utley opened with a double and David Bell singled him to third. Utley then scored on an infield out, barely beating the play at the plate on first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz’s throw to catcher Ramon Castro.
In the bottom of the seventh against reliever Terry Adams, Jose Reyes singled for his fourth hit and stole second. After Kaz Matsui walked, Beltran hit a 460-foot homer, putting the Mets in front.
After Floyd singled and stole second, the Mets loaded the bases on two walks before reliever Geoff Geary’s wild pitch made it 5-1.
The Mets nicked Lieber for a run with two out in the third.
Reyes singled with two out and then circled the bases on Matsui’s single into the right-field corner. Reyes collided with Mike Lieberthal as he reached home and missed the plate but recovered in time to touch it before the Phillies’ catcher could tag him. Beltran followed with a single, but Lieber escaped further damage.
Martinez retired nine straight batters over the middle innings, a streak kept intact by Floyd’s tumbling catch in left that ended the sixth inning.
Martinez’s first-inning strikeout of Jason Michaels was the 2,700th of his career. The right-hander is the 19th pitcher to reach that plateau.
Mets right fielder Mike Cameron is scheduled the report to Triple-A Norfolk today to continue his rehab from tendinitis in his left wrist. Cameron played four games at Single-A St. Lucie, batting .300.
