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Mets continue offensive barrage, topple Tigers

Jun 30, 2011 - 3:34 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Daniel Murphy and Angel Pagan each drove in four runs as the Mets staved off several comeback bids from the Detroit Tigers and claimed a 16-9 win in the middle test of a three-game interleague set.

Pagan finished 4-for-6 and scored three times for the red-hot Mets, who have tallied 52 runs in the last four games -- all wins. Scott Hairston knocked in three runs while Ronny Paulino had four hits and touched home four times for the victors.

Starter Chris Capuano (7-7) reaped the benefits of the offensive game, which was a season-high in runs and hits (20) to get the win. He allowed five runs on six hits over five-plus innings.

The Tigers clobbered five home runs to keep the game interesting but still suffered their third loss in seven games. That included a 14-3 pounding on Tuesday. Miguel Cabrera had two of the Wednesday homers that brought in four runs.

Detroit starter Phil Coke (1-8) continued his struggles and was roughed up for eight runs -- seven earned -- on 10 hits in four-plus innings. Then again, none of the Tigers pitchers had much success as manager Jim Leyland used position player Don Kelly to get the final out in the top of the ninth.

"The way we were hitting the ball out tonight I really thought we were going to win," Leyland said.

The Mets picked up where they left off in the opener of the series.

Jose Reyes started the game with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a pick-off fielding error and swiped third before racing home on a two-out wild pitch.

The inning kept going as the Mets loaded the bases with Paulino's single, Jason Bay's walk and Pagan's single. Hairston then ripped a base-clearing triple to put the Mets up 4-0.

The Mets continued to strike with two outs -- on Tuesday they scored all their runs with two outs. Coke walked Bay, who stole second before heading home on Pagan's line drive up the middle.

Ryan Raburn belted a home run in the third while Cabrera drilled a homer over the left-field fence in the fourth to make it a 5-2 game.

But New York played keep away during the top of the fifth. Justin Turner and Carlos Beltran started it with back-to-back singles to set up Paulino's double off the fence in center to score Turner.

Coke was then pulled in favor for Ryan Perry, who served a single to Bay that brought home Beltran. Paulino scored on Austin Jackson's error for an 8-2 lead.

The Tigers hung around with Cabrera's three-run bomb into the deepest part of the park in the sixth. Later in the same inning, Jhonny Peralta ripped a solo shot to make it an 8-6 contest.

Again, the Mets kept the comeback at bay when Murphy's two-out single in the seventh scored Beltran and Pagan to push the lead to 10-6.

Those runs proved to be important as the Tigers got their fifth home run in the seventh on pinch-hitter Andy Dirks' two-run shot to pull within two again.

However, New York put the game out of reach for good in the eighth with four runs, which was highlighted by Murphy's two-RBI single.

Tigers tacked on a run in the bottom half and the Mets responded with Pagan's two-run double to make up the final score.

Game Notes

The Mets have collected 69 hits over the last four games...New York was 10- for-20 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base...The five home runs by Detroit is the most by a team at Comerica Park since the Tigers hit five on September 25, 2008...Kelly is the first Tigers position player to pitch since Shane Halter on October 1, 2000...It was the 20th multi-homer game of Cabrera's career and his second this season. His last cane on April 3 at the New York Yankees.