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Pelfrey pitches Mets past Cardinals

Jul 26, 2008 - 4:02 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTIcker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- It took the New York Mets over three months to perform like a first-place team. Mike Pelfrey and Carlos Delgado epitomize that rise and continued it on Friday night.

Pelfrey pitched seven solid innings and Delgado hit a two-run homer to lead the Mets to a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series.

David Wright lined an RBI double and Jose Reyes ripped a two-run triple as the Mets won for the 14th time in 17 games. Argenis Reyes belted his first career homer and added a run-scoring single for New York, which improved to 22-12 since Jerry Manuel replaced Willie Randolph as manager.

"We've hit a stride where we've played our best baseball," Wright said. "I've said it a million times, we're confident. We go out there every game and expect to win. The mark of a winning team is a team that goes there and is surprised to lose and expects to win every day."

Endy Chavez collected four hits for the Mets, who moved into first place in the National League East Division on Thursday, when Delgado ripped a two-run double in the eighth inning to give the club a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. That put New York in front for the first time since April 19, when they were 10-6.

In this one, Pelfrey and the Mets looked like the team projected to win the division.

"For him to have the success, when he had it, it gave the confidence he needed at this level," Manuel said. "I think everybody, regardless of who they are, how good they say they are to play in the major leagues, if you can have some early success, it can help tremendously. He struggled kind of early, but we saw good stuff."

That confidence has resulted in positive results for both Pelfrey and the Mets.

"I think my command has been a lot better than it has in the past," Pelfrey said. "I think I had some success, and confidence came with that. I feel very confident now. I don't feel like I have to be as perfect. I'm just throwing a lot more strikes, a lot more quality strikes."

Pelfrey (9-6) allowed one run and seven hits, striking out five without a walk in winning his career-high seventh straight decision. The righthander has not lost since May 26 against Florida.

"He's definitely come a long ways," Delgado said. "This guy has got unbelievable potential. He's got a super-explosive sinking fastball. I look back a couple of months and say if this guy threw more strikes, he's going to be unhittable, and we have seen the results of his last 10-12 starts."

Joe Smith pitched a scoreless eighth and Duaner Sanchez started the ninth but loaded the bases without recording an out. Pedro Feliciano came on and retired the only batter he faced before Aaron Heilman notched the last two outs.

By the time Pelfrey allowed his only run, an RBI single by Troy Glaus in the sixth, the Mets already had built a 6-0 lead.

Wright opened the scoring in the third with his run-scoring double and Jose Reyes made it 3-0 with his triple an inning later. Delgado launched his 20th homer in the fifth, when he crushed a 1-0 fastball, and Argenis Reyes plated a run with a base hit later in the frame.

Delgado's shot was his ninth in the last 25 games. It also continued his turnaround that has seen him bat .390 (30-for-77) since July 1.

"I'm feeling pretty good," said Delgado, who reached 20 home runs for the 13th straight season. "Every hitter will tell you that when he's seeing the ball early, things kind of slow down for him and they can do a lot more things."

Argenis Reyes, who started at second base, added a solo blast in the seventh to cap the scoring for the Mets.

Mitchell Boggs (3-2), who was tagged for 11 runs in six frames by New York on July 3, allowed six runs, eight hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in this one.

"They saw me throw a lot of pitches early in the game," Boggs said. "So it was easy the third time around."

All-Star Ryan Ludwick lifted a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Cardinals, who have lost five in a row. After being swept of a four-game series at home by Milwaukee, St. Louis stranded 10 and went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

"There's nothing wrong with the way we competed," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, whose team has scored 11 runs over its last five games. "That's the way we played. We lost the first game of this series and we're in a little streak."