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Delgado sparks five-run eighth as Mets roll Braves

Aug 20, 2008 - 3:58 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Carlos Delgado and the rest of the New York Mets could barely accomplish anything at the plate Tuesday - until the eighth inning.

Delgado sparked a five-run rally in the eighth with a two-run double as the Mets pulled out a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

"It was a fastball right down the middle," Delgado said. "In that situation, you're hoping that you get it."

Damion Easley added a two-run single and Ramon Castro had an RBI double as the Mets (69-57) won for the seventh time in nine games and remained 1 1/2 games in front of the Philadelphia Phillies (67-58) in the National League East race.

The Mets scored their first two runs and had three of their four hits off Atlanta lefthander Jo-Jo Reyes in the opening frame and then their bats went silent. They managed just one more hit and three baserunners over the next six innings.

New York's fortunes at the plate began to change with one out in the inning off Jeff Bennett (2-5), who issued consecutive walks to rookie Nick Evans and David Wright. Carlos Beltran legged out an infield hit to load the bases and the Braves went to lefthander Will Ohman to face Delgado, who had been hitless in his last 12 at-bats.

Delgado began the comeback by drilling an 0-1 pitch off the left-center field wall, scoring pinch runner Endy Chavez and Wright. Two batters later, Easley's single to center scored Beltran and Delgado. Four pitches later, Castro lined a double to left to cap the scoring.

"I made a very below-average pitch to an above-average hitter and I paid for it," Ohman said.

It was rare that the Mets cashed in on a bases-loaded opportunity, as they had batted .188 (25-for-133) in those situations coming into the game.

"That was huge for us," New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "We have not as a whole executed in bases-loaded situations. To be able to come through with two hits in those situations was very big for us."

The comeback made a winner of Aaron Heilman (3-7), and was a welcome sight for New York, which found out closer Billy Wagner is out indefinitely with inflammation in his left elbow.

The beleaguered bullpen was key in this one, thanks to its newest addition.

After Oliver Perez allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, Luis Ayala made his New York debut by getting two huge outs with runners at first and third. The righthander was acquired from Washington on Monday.

"That probably kind of changed the momentum right there," Manuel said. "We were able to keep them right there at that point. That was probably the turning point of the game."

The big inning created a non-save situation for Scott Schoeneweis.

"It's nice to be on the other end of one of those games," Schoeneweis said. "Someone else's (bullpen) gave it up and ours didn't. It's amazing how that works sometimes."

The rally also spoiled an outstanding return to the majors for Reyes, who began his third stint with the Braves by holding the Mets to two runs and four hits over six innings.

Atlanta lost for the seventh time in eight games and scored all its runs in the third. Chipper Jones had an RBI single, Brian McCann had a run-scoring groundout and Jeff Francoeur added a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 lead.

That came two innings after Wright lifted a sacrifice fly and Fernando Tatis delivered an RBI double that put New York up, 2-0.

"We had chances," said Braves manager Bobby Cox after his team stranded 11 and went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. "We had the right guys. They've been doing it all year. We didn't get it (key hits)."