• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Vazquez lifts Rangers past Mets

Jun 15, 2008 - 9:40 PM By Zachary Braziller PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Ramon Vazquez homered and knocked in four runs as the Texas Rangers held on for an 8-7 victory over the New York Mets in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday.

While Vazquez was big at the plate, Kevin Millwood (5-3) did his part on the mound, allowing two runs and five hits over six innings. The righthander walked four and struck out five.

"Everybody contributed today," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Millwood almost failed to pick up the win as the Mets nearly rallied from an 8-2 deficit against the Texas bullpen.

In the eighth, the Mets scored three runs off the combination of Frank Francisco and Eddie Guardado. But with the bases loaded and one out, Jose Reyes flied into a double play as right fielder Milton Bradley gunned down slow-footed catcher Brian Schneider at the plate to end the inning.

"I may have lost a step speed-wise, but my arm is still strong," Bradley said.

In the ninth, the first three Mets reached against C.J. Wilson. After Carlos Beltran's RBI single made it 8-6, Carlos Delgado promptly hit into a double play. Trot Nixon walked and Ramon Castro delivered a run-scoring single before Damion Easley flied out to left field to end it.

"We're just not clicking on all cylinders," Mets starter John Maine said. "It's something different every day. We made a good comeback, we just fell short. It's tough to pinpoint, just a loss here, a loss there. It's frustrating, but we got to keep on playing."

Maine (6-5) gave up five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five without a walk.

Maine did retire his six batters but ran into trouble in the third, allowing three hits, including Ian Kinsler's run-scoring single.

After Delgado hit a long homer off the scoreboard in right field in the fourth, Vazquez belted his fourth homer of the season with one out in the fifth, a two-run blast which gave Texas a 3-1 lead.

"They're a good hitting team," Maine said. "They do a good job putting the ball in play."

Beltran hit his ninth homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth, pulling the Mets within 3-2.

Vazquez came through again in the seventh, delivering a two-run single up the middle. Kinsler hit a two-run homer later in the frame off Joe Smith for a 7-2 lead.

Bradley hit his 15th homer with one out in the eighth off Scott Schoeneweis.

"He can do everything," Washington said. "I'm so happy to have him on the team."