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Mets do it with offense again in win over Nats

Sep 11, 2008 - 4:43 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Mets gave away one comfortable lead and nearly blew another. Now they can try to enjoy their biggest cushion of the season in the National League East.

David Wright homered and drove in three runs and Brian Schneider had a two-run single in a four-run seventh as the Mets outlasted the Washington Nationals, 13-10, on Wednesday to complete a sweep of their two-game series.

Carlos Delgado had a key sacrifice fly in the seventh and Fernando Tatis had a two-run double for the Mets, who have won seven of their last nine games to open a 3 1/2 game bulge over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies lost to the Florida Marlins, 7-3, on Wednesday afternoon.

"We're 3 1/2 games up. I think they're feeling the pressure, but there's a lot of season left," Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran said.

Cristian Guzman had the first multi-homer game of his career and drove in five runs for the Nationals, who had rallied from a 7-1 deficit to tie the game by the sixth.

Wright and Beltran opened the seventh with singles off Saul Rivera (5-6) before the red-hot Delgado put the Mets back in front, 9-8, with a sacrifice fly that gave him 69 RBI in his last 67 games. Tatis singled before Guzman could not handle a pickoff throw at shortstop, putting runners on second and third. A wild pitch by Rivera brought home another run and Schneider capped the inning with a two-run single.

"What was good tonight was that I felt we would continue to score," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "There were other times this year I didn't feel as comfortable when we lost a lead,"

Guzman hit a three-run homer off Brian Stokes in the eighth to cut the deficit to 11-10 before Wright, who has struggled at the plate in recent weeks, hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Joel Hanrahan for his fourth hit of the game.

"When one part of our team falters, the other part picks it up,' Wright said. "That's the way championship teams are built."

Joe Smith (5-3), the second of four New York relievers, pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win for the second straight night. Luis Ayala worked the ninth for his seventh save and second of the series.

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, staked to the big lead, gave most of it back, allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings.

"I didn't have it. Physically I didn't feel great. Mentally I wasn't into it either," Pelfrey said. "The best thing that came about tonight is we won."

Aaron Heilman took over in the sixth and allowed a two-run home run to Guzman, who also homered on Tuesday, to tie it at 7-7. It was the 10th home run allowed by the Mets reliever in just 74 innings.

The wild contest, which followed a 10-8 Mets win in the series opener, featured 24 hits, a franchise record 282nd career stolen base by the Mets' Jose Reyes and a near benches-clearing incident.

Pelfrey allowed a second-inning home run by Washington's Elijah Dukes. In his next at-bat in the fourth, Dukes took issue with a chest-high inside pitch that did not even move him off the plate. An irate Dukes was calmed down by manager Manny Acta and Dukes responded with a double.

Dukes did not speak to reporters after the game but found a defender in teammate and former Met Lastings Milledge.

"I'd be pretty upset, too. The guy plays hard. I didn't think he did anything wrong," Milledge said. "They can't let them run you out and make you feel uncomfortable."

Nationals starter Odalis Perez also had his troubles as he lasted just three innings and was tagged for seven runs - six earned - and eight hits. The lefthander allowed six of his runs in the third.

"You score 10 runs, you expect to win the game," Nationals manager Manny Acta said.

Reyes started the third-inning outburst when he singled and stole second, breaking the Mets' franchise record held by Mookie Wilson. Reyes stole third and later scored on a bloop single by Wright. Beltran followed with an RBI double and Tatis delivered a two-run double. Damion Easley had an RBI single and another run scored on an error to make it 7-1.

The Nationals cut the lead to 7-5 in the fifth. Ryan Zimmerman had an RBI groundout and Kory Casto had a two-run single immediately after Dukes was hit by a pitch to load the bases.