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Mets rout Marlins behind Beltran, Maine

Apr 19, 2007 - 8:06 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Carlos Beltran and the New York Mets continued to knock around their National League East foes.

Beltran homered and drove in three runs and John Maine carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the Mets' 9-2 victory over Florida Marlins.

Following an 8-1 victory at the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, New York beat a divisional foe for the fourth time in its last five games.

"We make a play here or there in the first inning and it might have turned out different, but that's such a great lineup over there you can't make a lot of mistakes," Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Taking full advantage of two early errors by the Marlins, Beltran and the Mets managed four runs off Dontrelle Willis (3-1) in the first inning en route to winning in South Florida for the third straight time dating to last season.

After Jose Reyes singled to lead off the game, third baseman Miguel Cabrera failed to come up with a slow grounder off the bat of Paul Lo Duca. Beltran followed with an RBI single and Carlos Delgado doubled down the right field line, making it 2-0.

The onslaught continued when David Wright reached after shortstop Hanley Ramirez's low throw, allowing Beltran to score. Moises Alou's single then plated Delgado before Willis finally recorded his first out on strikes against Shawn Green.

The poor fielding was a bit surprising, as the Marlins had only committed four errors coming into the game.

While Florida was shaky, Maine (2-0) was in control right from the start, retiring the first seven batters he faced and issuing four walks through the first six innings.

"I was able to get comfortable right away tonight," Maine said. "The guys gave me an early lead and I kind of fed off that. I felt really good innings one through seven."

In the seventh, the righthander had his no-hit bid broken up on a leadoff single by Cabrera. He also gave up a two-run homer to Joe Borchard in the frame.

"At this point, I just want to go out there and get quality innings. I'm not worrying about (a no-hitter)," Maine said. "I never thought about it. I just wanted to stay on top of my pitches and be aggressive and get quick outs."

Mets manager Willie Randolph was among those impressed with the effort displayed by Maine, who one-hit the Cardinals in St. Louis earlier in the season.

"He threw a lot of good pitches. He hit the right locations at the right times, and was in control when he had to be," he said. He had a good rhythm and kept it going the entire time."

Despite the late struggles, Maine allowed two runs and two hits and tied a career high with seven strikeouts in seven innings to remain unbeaten in three starts this season with a 1.93 ERA.

Beltran, who finished with two hits, connected on a two-run homer in the fourth - his third of the season - and Reyes ripped an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch by Willis in the fifth for an 8-0 advantage.

"We were able to get pitches to hit and have scoring chances off a very good pitcher tonight," Beltran said. "Any time you can get to (Dontrelle Willis) it's a bonus."

Reyes finished with four hits and two runs scored and Wright added a pair and an RBI. With his single in the second, Wright extended his hitting streak from last season to 25 games - a franchise record.

"It's fun, but am I going to worry about a streak? Absolutely not," Wright said. "The important thing is to get good at-bats. One of my goals coming into the season was to be consistent with my at-bats. This is such a potent lineup that you just want to do your part."

Willis uncharacteristically struggled against the Mets, surrendering eight runs - seven earned - and 10 hits in five innings to absorb his first loss of the season. The lefthander had been 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 16 previous starts against New York.

"It's such a formidable lineup. They came out hitting strikes and executing early," Willis said. "I wouldn't say I'm overwhelmed with their lineup. I was able to get outs but it was too late."