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Johnson, Marlins cruise past Mets

Aug 10, 2008 - 9:41 PM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) - While other teams found starting pitching in the trade market, the Florida Marlins felt that having a healthy Josh Johnson back is the equivalent of a big move.

Johnson pitched seven strong innings and the Florida Marlins rolled to an 8-2 victory over the New York Mets in the rubber game of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

Slumping second baseman Dan Uggla doubled twice and drove in three runs.while Luis Gonzalez and former Met Mike Jacobs added solo home runs for the Marlins, who split a six-game road trip through Philadelphia and New York.

Johnson pitched in two of those wins and allowed two runs on five hits in this one. He turned in his longest outing since pitching 7 2/3 innings at Milwaukee on August 28, 2006.

Johnson (3-0) remained unbeaten since returning from last August's elbow surgery and the Marlins are now 6-0 in his starts. He held the Phillies to five hits over six scoreless innings in an 8-2 win and was equally as effective in his third straight start against a National League East Division rival.

The righthander said he lost 30 pounds while rehabbing and is in the best shape of his career. It showed in this one as the Mets rarely hit the ball hard and fell to 0-4 against him.

"It's like almost getting a big trade, making a trade for a guy who was a big part of our success in 06," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "To get him to me is like Milwaukee getting (CC) Sabathia."

Johnson's return from surgery has not quite had the same impact as Sabathia joining the Brewers but his teammates are in agreement on what his arrival has done.

"Absolutely," Jacobs said. "Getting him and Anibal (Sanchez) back is almost like us making a trade with ourselves. Anytime you can get those two quality arms like we have with those guys - it's exactly like that."

For Johnson, returning means pitching in a pennant race and even if his only goal was to go deep into the game, he also thought about helping the Marlins get to the postseason during his long recovery.

"Even when you're rehabbing, you want to get to a World Series," Johnson said. "You still have those thoughts. It doesn't change, we're still playing a kids game."

Johnson allowed just an RBI groundout to Jose Reyes in the third and a run-scoring single to David Wright in the sixth. He struck out five and walked two while throwing 58 of 104 pitches for strikes.

"You talk to guys on other teams that have to face him and they marvel at the fact that he hasn't been around," Gonzalez said. "And then you tell them that he had surgery. But he's tough. He's aggressive and goes right after guys.

"And for teams like that - a veteran team that hasn't seen a pitcher like that in a long time - it makes it tough because there's no track record for some of these guys that he's facing. So it kind of gives us a little bit of an advantage."

The Mets had a three-game winning streak stopped and got a sub-par showing from Mike Pelfrey (10-8), who lost for the just the second time in 11 decisions. Pelfrey lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed six runs and seven hits.

"I think I made some bad pitches," said Pelfrey, whose only other loss since May 26 was against Johnson. "I made some stupid pitches and when I did they made me pay."

Florida jumped ahead in the second inning when Jacobs lined a double over left fielder Daniel Murphy's head and then scored on Uggla's two-base hit to left. They later made it 2-0 when Uggla trotted home on Jeremy Hermida's sacrifice fly.

After the Mets made it a one-run game on Jose Reyes' groundout in the third, Florida put together three straight two-out base hits and went up 3-1 on Matt Treanor's line-drive single up the middle.

Florida added three in the fifth to knock out Pelfrey, whose downfall began when he issued walks to Gonzalez and Jacobs - both of whom later scored when Uggla doubled to right.

Pelfrey plunked Cody Ross in the back and was lifted after walking Hermida. Rookie Eddie Kunz came on and Uggla scored on a wild pitch.

"When your location's off and you're a fastball pitcher, that's not a good combination," New York catcher Brian Schneider said.

The Marlins officially made it a blowout when Gonzalez homered to right-center off Carlos Muniz and Jacobs homered to right.