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Perez sharp as Mets win second straight over Marlins

Sep 23, 2007 - 4:59 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Oliver Perez and the New York Mets aren't panicking just yet.

Perez tossed eight solid innings and Ramon Castro blasted a three-run homer as the Mets won their second straight game with a 7-2 victory over the Florida Marlins in the second contest of a four-game set on Saturday afternoon.

David Wright, Luis Castillo and Carlos Delgado each drove in a run for New York (86-68), which remained 1 1/2 games ahead of the streaking Philadelphia Phillies (85-70) in the National League East Division.

"We're still grinding it out," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "Sometimes you get one win and it feels like three. We are in playoff mode now. Each one is huge. You don't win now, you don't get to 'the show.'"

The Phillies face off with the Washington Nationals later Saturday night.

Entering Friday's game, it looked bleak for the Mets, who had lost five of their last six contests - including an excruciating extra-inning defeat on Thursday night. But New York has not folded.

"We're just thinking of winning every single ballgame right now," New York center fielder Carlos Beltran said.

The Mets avoided a complete collapse one night later against the Marlins, taking advantage of six errors by Florida en route to a 9-6 victory. The win seemed to energize them in this one.

Playing before a largely pro-Mets crowd at Dolphin Stadium did not hurt either.

"That was nice, but just being able to go out and win (was huge)," Beltran said. "Oliver did a great job, and we put a few runs on the board. Ramon Castro came up with a big home run. That feels great."

Staked to an early two-run lead, Perez (15-9) worked quickly and efficiently - throwing just 102 pitches. He yielded two runs and six hits while striking out eight without a walk. Aaron Heilman pitched the ninth in a non-save situation.

"(Perez was) outstanding," Randolph said. "He stepped up at the right time for us - as he has all year. It's all about getting it done. It's huge (to not have to rely on the bullpen) this time of year.

"I challenged him as much as anybody on the staff, but he's responded."

Perez said he had command of all his pitches.

"My fastball - both sides - my slider and my changeup," Perez said. "Sometimes you have to be more focused when you have the lead. I was using all my pitches in the zone."

The Mets blew the game open in the fourth after Beltran was issued a leadoff walk. Moises Alou flied out and Delgado struck out before Shawn Green was hit by a pitch.

Castro then lined a three-run homer to left field off Marlins starter Byung-Hyun Kim (9-8) to make it 5-0. After Miguel Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning cut Florida's deficit to four, New York added single tallies in the seventh and eighth to make it 7-1.

"It was a slider," Castro said of his shot. "I got lucky and hit it good."

New York started the scoring in the first thanks to Jose Reyes, who led off the game with a double. Luis Castillo then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to put the speedy Reyes on third with just one out.

Wright singled him home to start the scoring and stole second to get himself into scoring position. After Beltran struck out, Wright scored on Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez's throwing error on Alou's grounder to make it 2-0.

Perez has now won three of his last four starts.

"(He was) aggressive going after hitters. He wasn't walking guys," Castro said. "He was aggressive with his fastball. When he was on top of the hitters, he'd throw a slider, and they would have no chance."

Kim surrendered five runs and three hits in five frames. He struck out five and walked two for Florida, which has lost six of its last seven.

"I thought he just made one bad pitch and that was to Castro - the three-run homer - but other than that he was good," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Alou set a Mets' single-season mark and tied the longest streak in the major leagues this season when he singled in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 26.