Benson Helps His Own Cause as Mets Bounce Pirates
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Kris Benson knew right away that beating the Pittsburgh Pirates would be no simple matter.
No fastball. Average changeup. Nothing special in his pitching arsenal against his former team.
“I battled with my cutter and slider,” Benson said after pitching seven gritty innings in the Mets’ 6-2 victory last night. “I didn’t have great stuff. I tried to keep them off balance with my slider and cutter and sprinkle in a fastball. It did the trick.”
Benson limited the Pirates to seven hits and two runs and helped himself with a two-run single.
His ex-manager, Lloyd McClendon, has been critical of him before and agreed that the lanky right-hander was nothing special in this game.
“He threw the ball okay,” McClendon said. “We had him on the ropes a couple of times, but he threw the ball well when he had to. I think his stuff was just okay, though. It wasn’t electric. I have seen him when he’s been more electric than that.”
Benson had a shaky start, allowing a pair of second-inning runs. But his bases-loaded single keyed a four-run rally in the bottom half, and he protected the lead from there.
Roberto Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth, and Braden Looper worked the ninth.
Cliff Floyd hit his 27th homer for the Mets, who hung right fielder Mike Cameron’s jersey in their dugout during the game. Cameron is recovering from facial surgery after a head-to-head collision with teammate Carlos Beltran in San Diego last week.
Benson (9-4) gave up five hits in the first three innings before settling down. He got his clutch hit off Mark Redman (5-13), who lost for the ninth time in 10 decisions.
“The hit definitely helped my cause,” Benson said. “It was nice to get the go-ahead run home in that situation.”
The Mets returned home after going 2-4 on an emotional road trip. Cameron and Beltran were injured last Thursday, then Pedro Martinez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Sunday only to lose to the Dodgers.
“We are a resilient team,” Benson said. “You’ve got to work through those things and come out ahead.”
Acquired from Pittsburgh in a trade last July, Benson earned his second consecutive win. He carried a one-hit shutout into the ninth against the Padres last week.
Pittsburgh jumped in front in the second inning when Rob Mackowiak opened with a triple beyond the reach of Gerald Williams in center field and came home on a sacrifice fly by Jose Castillo. With two outs, Jack Wilson walked, moved to third on a single by Redman and scored on Chris Duffy’s second hit.