Mets 6 Braves 3
ATLANTA – It’s a start. That’s what last night’s 6-3 Mets win over the Braves should be considered. A much-needed start.
At least for one night, the Mets shook offthe feeling that when they walk into Turner Field, they are destined to leave with a loss. Last night, the Mets gained confidence, because if this is indeed going to be a special season for them, they have to win here.
As Bobby Valentine has said, the talking doesn’t matter unless there are victories. Maybe his blowup after Tuesday’s 12-4 embarrasment helped.
One thing is certain. The win – just the Mets’ third in 23 games at Turner Field – was huge. Even the manager, who never admits such things, said this: “I think we needed a win and we got it.”
The win puts the Mets four back of the Braves and left them clinging to a slim hope of catching Atlanta in the NL East. The teams meet for a three-game series next week at Shea. Both teams have weak opponents beforehand. The Mets are in Philadelphia starting tonight for four games, while the Braves play the Expos.
“It’s a start,” said Mike Piazza, who homered in the eighth, perhaps the most encouraging sign for Met fans. “Our goal coming in here was to win the series, but it turned from that to not getting swept. You know what? We accomplished our goal. We just knew we were a better team than what we’ve shown.”
Last night’s victory really didn’t have one standout Met. Al Leiter appeared as if he would be it for awhile.
Leiter (16-7) picked up his first-ever win, against three losses, at The Ted and he was almost perfect in the process. He retired the first 16 batters he faced, while the Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind sixth-inning solo homers by Edgardo Alfonzo, who added two doubles, and Todd Zeile.
The Mets had scored their first run an inning earlier when Braves starter and loser Tom Glavine allowed a bloop single to Mike Bordick and then walked Leiter, who can’t hit at all. This brought up the reliable Benny Agbayani, who slammed an RBI single up the middle past a diving Walt Weiss.
“We cracked the ice, too, that stuff always helps,” Valentine said.
So Leiter, up 3-0 and with one out in the sixth, was still perfect. But Weiss’ groundball skipped under Robin Ventura’s glove at third. The error not only finished off the perfection, it started a Braves’ rally. But last night was different.
“Every time it was, ‘Here go again,’ we got out of it,” said Todd Zeile, who had two RBIs. “It is something to be build on.”
So even when Leiter’s no-hitter and shutout went by the boards on rookie Rafael Furcal’s classic 12-pitch at-bat which resulted in an RBI single to left with two outs in the sixth, the Mets didn’t crumble as they have here in September pasts.
Last night was the Mets’ first win in 12 tries at The Ted in September over the past four seasons. The Mets held off the Braves as Atlanta left the bases loaded in the sixth, seventh and eighth.
“It’s good to leave here knowing that they don’t play perfect games all the time either,” said Valentine, who’s been trumpeting this card all year.
But Leiter ended the sixth-inning, bases-loaded threat by inducing Jordan to pop out to first. That it was Jordan was particularly sweet for some Mets veterans, who felt Jordan showboated a little too much Monday when he homered.
So Leiter finished the night, having given up just four hits and two runs, two earned, in his 62/3 innings.
“Leiter was dominant,” Chipper Jones said. “I’ve never seen four weaker hits off a guy in my life. Rafael’s hits were decent, the other three were pathetic.”
Valentine added, “He was Al Leiter at his best.”
Automatic Armando Bentiez and set-up man extradonaire John Franco weren’t their best, but they were good enough.
In the seventh with the Mets up 3-2, Franco came in for Leiter with two men on. After walking Furcal on a 3-1 pitch, Franco fell behind 3-0 to Andruw Jones before a called strike.
Jones, with the tying run just 90 feet away, then hit a high, popout to right, which Derek Bell caught and held high as if it were the Olympic torch.
In the eighth, Benitez replaced Franco with one out and a man on and promptly walked the first two batters he faced. It remained 5-3 as Benitez induced a Keith Lockhart popout and a Wally Joyner groundout. He worked a scoreless ninth and picked up save No. 38. It was the most important save of the season.