With El Duque Out, Mets Turn To Park, and Marlins Take Advantage
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Hanley Ramirez homered, Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs and the Florida Marlins chased emergency starter Chan Ho Park early in a 9–6 victory over the Mets last night.
Alfredo Amezaga also connected and Josh Willingham had a tworun single during Florida’s five-run rally in the third inning, which started with a two-out single by sweet-swinging pitcher Scott Olsen (3–1).
It was a discouraging day all around for the sloppy Mets, who got a double dose of bad medical news: Starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez has bursitis in his right shoulder and second baseman Jose Valentin has a partially torn knee ligament. Both were put on the 15-day disabled list.
Carlos Beltran was 4-for-5 with a home run for New York, his third four-hit game this season, and Jose Reyes added three hits and two RBIs. But David Wright went 0-for-5 and left six runners on base, including five in scoring position.
Disappointed when he didn’t win a spot in the rotation during spring training, Park was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to start in place of El Duque. The right-hander retired his first eight batters but lasted only four innings, allowing seven runs and six hits.
Amezaga, batting eighth, finished with three hits and his first home run in 156 at-bats since August 31. The Marlins have 19 homers in their last 10 games.
Florida improved to 23–16 at Shea Stadium since the start of the 2003 season, the best mark of any Mets opponent. New York outscored the Marlins 20-5 in a two-game sweep at Florida from April 18-19.
Staked to a 7-0 lead, Olsen gave up four runs — two earned — and 10 hits in six-plus innings. Randy Messenger wriggled out of a twoon, none-out jam in the seventh to preserve an 8-4 cushion.
Pinch-hitter Jason Wood made it 9-4 with an RBI double off Aaron Sele in the eighth. New York got a run-scoring double from Reyes and an RBI single by Paul Lo Duca off Renyel Pinto in the bottom half, but Pinto struck out Beltran with a runner on to end the inning.
Ex-Met Henry Owens got three outs for his second save. Olsen went 1-for-2 at the plate with a sacrifice bunt that led to a run, leaving him 6-for-11 (.545) this year.
Park (0–1) got himself in trouble in the third. After Olsen’s single on a 2-2 pitch, he threw his next eight pitches for balls, loading the bases.
Cabrera hit a liner that second baseman Damion Easley jumped awkwardly for, and the ball glanced off his glove for a two-run single. Mike Jacobs then hit a high popup to center that fell beyond the reach of shortstop Reyes for an RBI double — perhaps helped by a 20 mph wind.