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Tatis continues stellar hitting as Mets sweep Giants

Jul 10, 2008 - 10:20 PM By Doug Mitler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- More late-inning heroics by Fernando Tatis gave the New York Mets their longest winning streak in close to two years.

Tatis drove in four runs, capped by a two-run homer that snapped a seventh-inning tie, as New York completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants and extended its winning streak to six games with a 7-3 victory on Thursday.

The Mets had not won more than five in a row since taking seven straight from August 17-24, 2006.

The 33-year-old Tatis, who began the season in the minors before being called up in mid-May, hit a two-run homer in the 12th-inning on Sunday to propel New York past Philadelphia.

"We're comfortable right now. We're playing loose," Tatis said. "I just go out there and play the best I can for this team. I feel great at the plate."

With Ryan Church and Moises Alou on the disabled list, Tatis continues to play a prominent role and he continued his success Thursday with a two-run double in the third off Giants starter Barry Zito and his two-run shot in the seventh off Sergio Romo (0-1).

"Any time a bench player comes in and plays a bigger role, it inspires the whole team," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.

Tatis' role will likely be even bigger after the Mets learned that Alou will likely miss the rest of the season with a torn hamstring.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the seventh, David Wright led off with a double before Tatis hit a one-out homer to left field, giving him three extra-base hits for the first time in his career.

"Fastball way in, and I just jumped on it," Tatis said.

The Mets added two more runs in the frame, one scoring on a throwing error by third baseman Jose Castillo and another on a single by Jose Reyes.

New York reliever Scott Schoeneweis (1-2) earned the win with a scoreless seventh. Duaner Sanchez pitched the eighth and Billy Wagner needed just five pitches to work through the ninth.

Mets starter John Maine could not hold a three-run lead and was gone after 4 2/3 innings due to an inflated pitch count. He allowed three runs, two hits and five walks while striking out eight.

"It was an all-around bad performance," Maine said. "Nothing positive came out it."

The Giants have lost five of their last six games and were shut out in the first two games of this series. They were swept in a three-game set by the Mets for the first time since May 2004.

"We got outplayed, we got out-hit and we didn't play well on defense," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It was probably our worst series of the year."

The Mets opened the scoring with three runs in the third. Argenis Reyes singled and third baseman Jose Castillo booted a groundball by Wright before Carlos Beltran singled to bring home the first run. Tatis followed with a two-run double to right-center field to make it 3-0.

Zito lasted one batter into the sixth inning and allowed three runs - two earned - and four hits with six walks.

"I think I'm putting too many balls in the middle of the plate," Zito said.

The Giants ended their scoreless streak at 21 innings in the fourth when John Bowker came home on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Randy Winn sliced Maine's 109th and final pitch of the game down the left field line for a two-run double that tied it at 3-3.