Alou Connects Twice, as Mets Halt Three-Game Losing Streak

Moises Alou homered twice and drove in four runs, helping the Mets beat the Florida Marlins 10–4 yesterday to avoid a three-game sweep.Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado also connected for the first-place Mets, who snapped a three-game skid.Hanley Ramirez hit a leadoff homer for the Marlins, who had won three straight.Alou, who had three hits, erased a 1–0 deficit in the second with a three-run shot off Rick Vandenhurk. In the sixth, Alou lined his second home run to left off Lee Gardner (3–3) to break a 4-all tie. Alou has seven home runs this season — and three two-homer games. It was his 31st career multi-homer game.New York’s bullpen, which blew late leads in the previous two games, came through this time.Jorge Sosa (8–6) pitched two scoreless innings for the win and Aaron Heilman worked a perfect eighth to preserve a one-run lead. But after three straight tough losses, this victory was far from pretty for the Mets. Backup catcher Ramon Castro left with an injury on the same day starter Paul Lo Duca went on the disabled list because of a strained right hamstring, and the near-capacity crowd sat through some sloppy play in the field.On a play at the plate in the third, Castro was unable to hold onto right fielder Shawn Green’s throw that would have nailed Cody Ross. It would have been a nice payback; Ross threw out Reyes at home on Saturday night.The next batter, Matt Treanor, popped up to left but Alou lost the ball in the sun and could only crouch, protecting his face as the ball came down 10 feet behind him for a single.With Ross on first in the fifth inning, Oliver Perez bounced a pickoff throw past Delgado. When Ross tried for second, Delgado threw the ball into left field. Ross ended up at third on the two throwing errors.Castro’s replacement, Mike DiFelice, picked up his teammates by picking off Ross at third base for the final out of the inning.Castro left after three innings because of back discomfort that likely was sustained on the play at the plate. He’s day-to-day.The Mets broke it open with five runs in the eighth. Delgado hit a two-run shot an estimated 445 feet to center off Taylor Tankersley, his 18th homer of the season. Luis Castillo’s RBI single made it 8-4, and pinch-hitter Lastings Milledge capped the outburst with a two-run single on a hit-and-run. When Reyes broke for second, so did Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who tried to get back to field Milledge’s grounder but let the ball deflect off his glove and into the outfield. The speedy Reyes never stopped running and scored from first — without a slide — on the infield single.Uggla was slow to retrieve the ball. His throw home was in time but wide, and Reyes kicked Treanor in the head and knocked the ball free as the catcher lunged across the plate.Ramirez hit Perez’s third pitch to left for his 21st homer. It was his fifth leadoff home run this year, and second in less than a week.

Alou Connects Twice, as Mets Halt Three-Game Losing Streak

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