• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dodgers show rare power, Kuo does rest in win over Mets

Jun 13, 2007 - 6:50 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Long known as a team that prides itself on pitching and defense, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally flashed some eye-popping power from an unlikely cast of hitters.

The Dodgers hit homers on three consecutive pitches in the second inning and Hong-Chih Kuo tossed seven solid innings as the Dodgers downed the New York Mets, 4-1, on Tuesday.

Last in the majors with 39 home runs at game time, the Dodgers set a season high in a contest all in one inning, turning a one-run second-inning deficit into a 3-1 lead off Mets starter John Maine (6-4).

It marked the first time any team accomplished the feat on three pitches since Los Angeles turned the trick on September 18, when J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit three homers on three pitches against San Diego.

"It happened so fast, they made it look to easy, I was in awe," Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran said. "Even (Kuo) took a good swing and drove it far."

Matt Kemp and Kuo, neither of whom started the season with the team, and Wilson Betemit - who was recently benched in favor of rookie Tony Abreu - each hit solo blasts that traveled over 400 feet, including Kemp's homer that went an estimated 447 feet off Maine, who lost his first road start of the season.

"That shows what happens when you leave three pitches across the plate," Maine said. "It was only 3-1 at that point; it was still a winnable ballgame."

Kuo's blast was on just the 11th at-bat of his career.

The power display was more than enough for Kuo (1-1), as he limited the New York offense to one run. The lefthander, in just his third start of the season, allowed five hits and struck out four on 89 pitches.

"He was throwing a great combination of pitches, he threw his fastball well on the inside of the plate, which allowed him to use the off-speed (stuff)," Dodgers catcher Martin said.

"We're just not doing the things we're capable of, we need to score more runs and work on better pitch selection," Mets third baseman David Wright said.

Jonathan Broxton pitched a flawless eighth before handing it over to closer Takashi Saito, who pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. With the victory, the Dodgers have won the last 94 games they've played at Dodger Stadium in which they entered the ninth with a lead.

"I just wanted to throw some strikes and keep us in the ballgame," Broxton said. "Saito's been doing a great job for us."

The three consecutive homers allowed by Maine were one more than he had surrendered in six road starts this season and the first time the Mets had allowed three consecutive homers since April 1, 1997. The righthander permitted four runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Carlos Delgado drove in a run in the second and Wright had two hits, extending his hitting streak to 14 games for the Mets, who have dropped four straight and nine of their 11 games this month.

With a loss in the first two games of the series, the Mets are guaranteed to lose their fourth consecutive series.

"This is a test of what we're made of, everyone's trying to do too much at the plate with every at-bat," Wright said. "It's getting to a point where it's beyond a slump."