Mets 7
Astros 0
The only thing the Mets didn’t ask John Maine to do yesterday was roll out the tarp.
Around two hours before the scheduled first pitch, the Mets decided to start Maine instead of Orlando Hernandez. With rain in the forecast, Willie Randolph didn’t want to waste Hernandez’s start if the game were delayed, because Hernandez had to deal with that scenario twice before.
“We didn’t want to put El Duque through that again,” Randolph said.
As for Maine, he could deal with the elements.
So Maine, who was supposed to start today, got the call to take one for the team if there were delays last night.
Maine responded by firing a four-hit shutout in the Mets’ 7-0 win over the Astros after a nearly one-hour pregame rain delay. There were no other stoppages of play.
“It didn’t give me a chance to think about the hitters,” said Maine, who found out at 5 p.m. he would get the ball. “I think that was the best thing for me.”
Jose Valentin provided all the offense Maine needed by a blasting a second-inning grand slam, the first four runs of the game. Carlos Delgado added his second homer in as many days, crushing a two-run shot in the fifth.
Cliff Floyd, not known for his defense, stole a home run from Chris Burke in the fourth, and Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca kept the game scoreless in the eighth with a textbook center fielder-to-catcher throw and tag.
The victory was Maine’s first as a Met, in his second consecutive solid start. A little more than two weeks ago at Shea, Maine threw six innings of three-run ball against the Marlins but took his third loss of the season. Since then, he had pitched one inning of relief.
Even with almost two full weeks of rest, Maine was sharp, firing 67 strikes and 31 balls.
When he retired Lance Berkman on a flyout to center to end it, he pumped his fist as fireworks went off in right-center field. The sold-out Merengue Night crowd stood and gave him a standing ovation.
The only real threat the Astros had was the home run Floyd took away from Burke in the fourth and when they put men in scoring position with no outs in the eighth.
With one out in the eighth, Beltran threw a one-bouncer off the mound to home. The ball probably didn’t beat Eric Munson, but Lo Duca did a superb job of blocking the plate and made the tag.
In the second, there was no way any Astro could deny Valentin. In fact, Houston’s defense actually helped load the bases.
When Floyd grounded to first with two men on, Mike Lamb, trying to snag David Wright at second, threw errantly, pulling shortstop Adam Everett off the base. Floyd beat the relay to first to load the bases for Valentin.
Valentin blasted Taylor Bucholz’s 0-1, 90-mph fastball. The drive, somewhat fittingly, flew over the Geico sign in right; Valentin has been invaluable insurance for the Mets.
With trade rumors about the Mets trying to acquire a second baseman still in the air, Valentin is just working to keep his job.
“If it happened to the guy before me, it can happen to me,” said Valentin, who took over for Kaz Matsui. “I don’t want to lose my job.”