Double Trouble: Mets Lose Pedro, Game to Fish, 5-4
by: Michael Avallone | Staff Columnist - NY Sports Day | Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Considering it was April Fools Day, nobody would blame the Mets for thinking that they were the recipients of a cruel prank.
No such luck.
A 5-4, extra-inning defeat was secondary to New York, which lost Pedro Martinez to a strained left hamstring just 3 1/3 innings and 57 pitches into his 2008 debut. Robert Andino, who entered the game with just 81 career at-bats, clubbed his first career home run off reliever Matt Wise in the bottom of the 10th to lift Florida to their first victory of the season in front of 15,117 at Dolphin Stadium.
Angel Pagan drove in a pair of runs and Brian Schneider went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Mets, who battled back from an early four-run deficit.
The loss, however, was the last thing on anyone's mind following the game.
After a rough start in which he allowed a pair of homers and an RBI triple through the first two innings, Martinez seemed to settle down, hurling a 1-2-3 third. However, in the bottom of the fourth, the 36-year-old grabbed his left leg after delivering a pitch to Florida catcher Matt Treanor, who chopped a grounder to third for the first out.
New York skipper Willie Randolph and team trainers hurried out to the mound to check on their hurler, who walked off the mound with a slight limp. The Mets termed Martinez "day-to-day" with a strained left hamstring and said he would leave the club and head back to New York for an MRI on Wednesday.
After boasting of his newfound health during the spring, the three-time Cy Young Award winner will most certainly be headed for his fourth stint on the disabled list since joining New York prior to the 2005 season.
Despite the loss of their starter, New York had opportunities to earn the victory, evidenced by the 12 men they left on base. However, after amassing eight hits over the first five innings, including four straight to open the fourth, the Mets were held hitless until Schneider's one-out single in the top of the 10th.
The Fish jumped on Pedro in the first after Hanley Ramirez was hit by a pitch leading off. Dan Uggla followed with a two-run blast and Luis Gonzalez, who entered the game with a .364 (16-for-44) lifetime average against Martinez, slugged his first longball as a Marlin in the second for a 3-0 lead. Ramirez's two-out, RBI triple later in the inning increased the lead to 4-0.
Pedro was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout.
The Mets put up a three-spot in the fourth off Florida starter Rick VandenHurk, who surrendered singles to Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church, Angel Pagan and Schneider to start the inning, cutting the deficit to 4-2. After Martinez sacrificed Pagan (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Schneider to second and third, Jose Reyes lofted a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game.
VandenHurk lasted just three-plus innings and was charged with three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
Pagan's sac fly in the fifth off Marlins reliever Renyel Pinto plated David Wright with the tying run. Wright, who came within a few feet of homering in the ninth, had singled leading off the inning to stretch his hitting streak to 19 games dating back to last season.
Jorge Sosa fired 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Martinez. Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith and Aaron Heilman combined to blank the Fish for three frames heading into the tenth.
After a choppy debut in Tuesday’s victory, Wise (0-1) struck out the first two batters he faced in the 10th before Andino (1-for-1, HR) ended the game with a 371' blast over the scoreboard in left.
Justin Miller (1-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing a single in his one inning of work.
After experiencing the high of Johan Santana on Monday and the low of yet another Pedro injury on Tuesday, the Mets (1-1) will look to bounce back in the series finale on Wednesday evening. Oliver Perez (15-10, 3.56) will make his first start of the year following a strong 2007 campaign. Although inconsistent, the 26-year-old southpaw tied for the team-lead in victories and averaged close to a strikeout-per-inning while holding opposing batters to a .229 average in 177 frames last season. Perez faced Florida four times in '07, going 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA. For his career, the native of Mexico is 3-3 with a 5.20 ERA in 10 starts against the Fish.
After a thrilling walk-off win on Tuesday, the Marlins (1-1) will try and sting the Mets with a series victory in the rubber-game of the three-game set. Youngster Andrew Miller (5-6, 5.63) will make his Florida debut after being one of the centerpieces in the offseason trade which sent all-stars Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers. The sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft out of North Carolina won five of his first eight decisions in 2007 before struggling to a 0-2 record and an 11.60 ERA in his final five starts. Miller picked up his second big league win on June 10 against the Mets, surrendering four runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings of a 15-7 victory.
E-mail
this story | Printer-friendly
| Discuss
|