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Maine pitches, hits way past Pirates

Jul 25, 2007 - 3:37 AM FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- John Maine already has established himself as a bona fide major league starter. Yet he was not much of a hitter, until Tuesday.

Maine pitched seven strong innings and hit his first major league home run in a four-run fourth inning as the New York Mets defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-4, in the opener of a three-game series.

Lastings Milledge also homered and drove in three runs for the Mets, who banged out 13 hits and won for the fourth time in five games.

The 26-year-old Maine normally looks far more comfortable on the mound than at the plate, where he had just four hits in 62 career at-bats (.062 average) with one extra-base hit entering Tuesday. Maine changed that by belting a pitch from Ian Snell over the left field fence for a two-run homer.

"That's a big step for John. I think he shocked everyone," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "I give him credit. He keeps working at it."

Maine had just three hits in 34 at-bats with one RBI this season before the home run.

"I tried to swing as hard as I can and I got lucky," Maine said. "No way around it."

Maine (11-5) won for the first time in three starts, overcoming a shaky first inning to allow two runs and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. He has won five of his last six decisions and leads the Mets in wins and strikeouts (108).

"After you take a curtain call, you better pitch better," Randolph said.

Jason Bay homered twice - his 10th multi-homer game of his career - for the struggling Pirates, who made a pair of defensive miscues in New York's four-run fourth and lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

Bay, the left fielder, and center fielder Xavier Nady allowed a deep fly ball by Paul Lo Duca to fall between them for a double with one out in the fourth. Shawn Green followed with an RBI single to put the Mets in front, 3-2.

Third baseman Matt Kata allowed a hard-hit ground ball by Milledge to go through his legs for what was scored an RBI single.

"Ian did leave a couple of pitches up in the zone that inning," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "There also were a couple of plays in the field that didn't go our way."

Maine followed by homering on a 1-0 pitch to give the Mets a 6-2 lead. It was the first home run by a Mets pitcher since Steve Trachsel connected against Cincinnati on June 20 of last season.

Snell (7-8) lost his third straight start, allowing six runs and 10 hits in four innings.

"I don't want to be called a loser," Snell said. "Man, even my family calls our team losers, I don't want anyone to say that about our team."

Maine allowed a first-inning run for the third straight start when Adam LaRoche singled with two outs and scored on a double by former Met Nady. Maine had allowed a first-inning run just once in his first 17 starts.

The Mets scored quickly in the first on back-to-back doubles by Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay. After a single by Carlos Beltran, David Wright followed with a sacrifice fly.

Milledge, who led the cheers as he rounded the bases during Maine's homer, hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Masumi Kuwata.

"I know they were down and I knew I would get something good to hit," said Milledge, who was back in left field after the Mets failed to activate Moises Alou off he disabled list. Alou suffered a shoulder injury during a rehab outing on Sunday and will be out a few more days.

"We all want Alou back. We know he'll be the left fielder. Nobody is being fooled here. All I can do is get my reps."

Bay hit his 14th home run in the fourth to tie it at 2-2 and added a two-run homer off Guillermo Mota in the ninth.