13 INNINGS: Mets 1 – D’Backs 0
Willie Randolph refuses to declare Jose Valentin his new starting second baseman.
If nothing else, the suddenly indispensable Valentin sparked quite an ending last night.
In his fourth straight start at second, Valentin smashed a leadoff double in the 13th inning before walking home from third on Endy Chavez’s one-out single to right-center that capped a 1-0 victory over Arizona.
“I’m not going to go up there thinking if I don’t get any hits, I won’t be in the lineup the next day,” Valentin said. “I’m not gonna put pressure on myself that I’ve got competition against [Kaz] Matsui or [Chris] Woodward. I want all three guys to contribute and help the team win. It’s gonna take all 25 guys to win it all.” Valentin, who hadn’t played second since 1994 before this season, saved a run with a diving stop up the middle in the second. He led off the 13th with an oppositefield double into the left-field corner off Jason Grimsley.
“After you’ve been there for 13 innings … you can’t afford to be a hero swinging for the fences,” Valentin said.
He alertly moved to third on Ramon Castro’s slow grounder to short and scored easily on Chavez’s line shot into the gap in right-center.
Chavez, an unlikely hero again, also sparked Monday’s come-from-behind victory with a leadoff double.
“It was a tough game,” Chavez said. “We just played good fundamental baseball:
get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in.” The Mets (32-20) are 5-4 in extras and 4-1 in games 12 innings or longer. This was their eighth walk-off victory and majorleague leading 16th one-run win.
“Championship teams have to win games like this,” Valentin said. “You want to win a lot easier than the way we’re doing it.” Said Pedro Martinez: “The tighter it gets, and the later it gets, more and more and more we believe we’re going to win it.” The Mets bullpen tossed five shutout innings, picking up where Martinez left off. Arizona only mustered three hits in the last six frames. Duaner Sanchez was especially filthy, with three innings that Billy Wagner (two innings) said looked easy.
As expected, Brandon Webb versus Martinez was thrilling for everyone but the hitters.
Webb tossed seven shutout innings, allowing only four hits and one walk with five Ks. Pedro produced eight scoreless innings while scattering five hits. He whiffed eight without a walk, utilizing a 90-mph fastball and effective change-ups and curves.
It didn’t take long for Lastings Milledge to make his first mistake. It only took him a little longer to absolutely electrify the crowd of 37,735.
After a second-inning fielding error that nearly turned into a run, Milledge notched his first major-league assist in the sixth, erasing Craig Counsell at third on Chad Tracy’s single to right.
His cannonball reached David Wright in the air and beat Counsell by five feet.
“I knew I’d make up for it,” Milledge said. “I didn’t think it’d be that quick.” Before the game, Randolph said Matsui was still in the mix and there was no new everyday guy. Afterwards, the manager proudly explained why he gave the 36year-old Valentin a continued shot after his 3-for-24 start.
“I know it’s easy for everyone to go by stats and start to bury guys when they don’t produce right away,” he said. “But I know better, and guys like Valentin and Chavez … you just have to believe in your people and know what they’re all about.
“That’s why I never overreact or panic … I know my team as well as anyone.”