Wagner Blows Fifth Save of Year As Fish Top Mets

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The New York Sun

MIAMI — Pinch-hitter Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer off Billy Wagner with one out in the ninth inning, and the Florida Marlins rallied to beat the Mets 6–5 last night.

Miguel Olivo singled on the first pitch to start the ninth and reached second on a sacrifice. Willingham pulled the first pitch over the scoreboard for his 16th homer and his first pinch-hit of the season, snapping New York’s four-game winning streak.

Carlos Beltran hit his fifth home run in three games for the Mets and Jose Reyes had a tiebreaking shot in the seventh inning.

Wagner (3–2) blew a save for the fifth time in 27 chances.Matt Herge pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

The game-ending homer was the first for the Marlins since Mike Lowell hit one on May 29,2004 — also against the Mets.

Reyes broke a 4-all tie when he homered off Randy Messenger to start the seventh. Reyes also tripled and scored three times. Beltran hit a tworun homer in the third, his 33rd, to give him 14 RBI in the past four games.

Marlins starter Scott Olsen, who had won his past three starts, struck out 10 but allowed four runs in six innings. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings.

The Mets fell to 22–11 in one-run games, while Florida improved to 13–20.The crowd of 16,641 had divided loyalties, with chants of “Let’s Go Mets!” by transplanted New Yorkers answered with jeers from Marlins fans.

Hanley Ramirez hit his 10th homer for Florida. Marlins center fielder Alfredo Amezaga struck out with the bases loaded to end the sixth and misplayed a fly ball in the Mets’ three-run third.

Amezaga failed to retreat on Reyes’ liner and let the ball carry over his head for a triple. Paul Lo Duca then hit an RBI single past a drawn-in infield, and Beltran homered for a 4-1 lead.

Florida tied the game in the fourth, scoring three runs with two outs. Ramirez hit a two-run homer, and Olivo and Olsen followed with back-to-back doubles. Olsen’s extra-base hit was his first in 35 career at-bats.

The Mets’ defense gave up a run in the first when right fielder Lastings Milledge, recalled Monday from Triple-A Norfolk, let a routine, two-out fly drop for a single. That put runners at first and second, and Cody Ross doubled for a 1-all tie.

***

Also yesterday, right-hander Duaner Sanchez underwent shoulder surgery on his pitching arm and will miss the rest of the season.

The reliever was riding in a cab that got into an accident near the team’s hotel in Florida on Sunday night and flew back to New York on Monday, the team said.

The Mets hoped that Sanchez wouldn’t need surgery to repair his severely separated right shoulder and that he would be able to return to the mound in September.

But the decision to operate was made yesterday, thus ending his season. Sanchez will be able to resume baseball activities in four months.

“There’s no reason to panic about losing a guy,”manager Willie Randolph said last night from Florida. “You’ve got to move on.”

Hernandez or Aaron Heilman could assume Sanchez’s role as the primary setup man for closer Billy Wagner.


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