Redding lifts Mets
Pitcher, Santos trip Cards; Rockies win 17th in 18
No matter how many All-Stars get injured, the New York Mets plan to stick around in the pennant race.
Tim Redding pitched into the eighth inning for his first win with the Mets and substitute setup man Brian Stokes got Albert Pujols to ground into a crucial double play, leading New York past the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4, last night at Citi Field.
Daniel Murphy homered and Omir Santos went 4 for 4 in an uplifting victory for the Mets, hours after they received another dose of disheartening news. Star center fielder Carlos Beltran went on the 15-day disabled list because of a bone bruise on his right knee, a huge blow to a team already decimated by key injuries.
"It's got to be huge to know we can compete after losing a huge player like Carlos," Stokes said.
Before the game, New York manager Jerry Manuel said he would keep a close eye on the spirit of his squad, also missing shortstop Jose Reyes, first baseman Carlos Delgado, and three important pitchers.
But the Mets' makeshift lineup responded with 14 hits and the pitching staff held a streaking Pujols in check. Alex Cora had two run-scoring singles and Luis Castillo went 3 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. Santos set a career high for hits, including a run-scoring single.
"It takes more than five superstars to win," Cora said.
A difficult day almost got even worse for the Mets. Reyes and trainer Ray Ramirez were rear-ended by a fire truck on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge en route to the hospital for a checkup. Nobody was hurt, team spokesman Jay Horwitz said.
“It was a whirlwind day,’’ Redding said. “I told myself we had to get off to a good start, show we’re not just going to lay down.’’
Making his seventh start for New York, Redding (1-2) was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer to No. 9 batter Brendan Ryan in the eighth, his first since Aug. 18, 2007.
Stokes came on to protect a 5-4 lead with one out and a runner on first. He threw a 2-2 slider to Pujols, who hit a comebacker that Stokes turned into an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
“He made a good pitch. I swung. That’s all,’’ Pujols said. “I’m human. What, am I supposed to hit everything out of the park?’’
Rockies 11, Angels 1 - Brad Hawpe celebrated his 30th birthday with a three-run homer, Seth Smith also went deep, and Colorado captured its 17th victory in 18 games and club-record ninth straight on the road.
The Angels tied a club record with six wild pitches - all with Jeff Napoli behind the plate. One was by Rafael Rodriguez in the seventh inning that allowed Troy Tulowitzki to score, one by Jason Bulger in the ninth that enabled Ian Stewart to come home.
Aaron Cook (7-3) gave up a run and three hits over seven innings and struck out four, helping send Matt Palmer to his first loss of the season.
Braves 2, Cubs 0 - Javier Vazquez and three relievers combined to shut out visiting Chicago in a makeup game caused by a June 4 rainout. The Braves won a series for the first time since completing a three-game sweep of Toronto May 24.
Atlanta, which snapped a two-game slide, ended the Cubs’ four-game winning streak.
Vazquez (5-6) gave up nine hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The righthander’s victory snapped a five-start streak in which he went 0-3 despite a 3.44 ERA.
Athletics 5, Giants 1 - Bobby Crosby drove in three runs, rookie Trevor Cahill won his third straight decision, and host Oakland ended a five-game losing streak in the Bay Bridge Series.
Travis Ishikawa hit a solo home run in the second to put San Francisco ahead but that’s all the offense the Giants could muster. Orlando Cabrera doubled in a run in the fourth for Oakland to tie the score at 1, then Ryan Sweeney’s RBI groundout two batters later gave the A’s the lead. 