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  Friday, Jun. 16 8:05pm ET
Agbayani, Piazza hit homers for N.Y.
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Al Leiter claimed he didn't have his best stuff. He still fooled the Milwaukee Brewers.

Benny Agbayani
Benny Agbayani is congratulated by Mets third base coach Cookie Rojas after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Brewers on Friday.

Leiter allowed three hits in eight innings and Benny Agbayani had a leadoff homer and three RBIs as the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers for the ninth straight time, 7-1 Friday night.

"It seemed warming up, I just knew that I didn't have my best stuff," Leiter said. "In years past, I would have panicked with that thought. I knew had to change speeds a little more, sink the ball away and use my changeup a lot."

Leiter (8-1) struck out seven and walked three, winning his third straight start. He is 4-0 against the Brewers since June 27, 1994, when he was with Toronto and Milwaukee was in the American League.

He two hits to Jose Hernandez and a third-inning RBI single to James Mouton. During one stretch, he retired nine straight.

"As the game went on, my slider felt better," Leiter said. "I was able to ride some fastballs upstairs and kind of got back into a groove."

He proved it by striking out two in the fifth, one in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth.

Agbayani got the first leadoff homer of his career. He homered in three consecutive plate appearances, the first Mets player to accomplish the feat since Gary Carter at San Diego on Sept. 3, 1985.

The Mets made it 3-0 in the second when Jay Payton singled in the second and took third when third baseman Jose Hernandez misplayed Melvin Mora's grounder for an error. Leiter sacrificed, and Agbayani hit a slow roller between first and second that rolled into the outfield for a two-run single.

Consecutive doubles by Payton and Mora made it 4-0 in the third.

"We gave them some runs early," Brewers manager Davey Lopes said. "When you make mistakes against a team of that caliber, it's tough to come back, especially against a pitcher like Leiter."

Mike Piazza's 18th homer, a two-run shot in the sixth off Steve Woodard, helped the Mets improve to 17-3 against Milwaukee.

Jimmy Haynes (7-5) allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings.

In the eighth, Leiter struck out pinch hitter Lyle Mouton and got Ron Belliard to fly out, but he walked James Mouton. Any chance of the Brewers' getting back into the game ended when Mets' right fielder Derek Bell made a nice sliding catch on Jeromy Burnitz's sinking liner, ending the inning.

Robin Ventura had a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Bobby M. Jones pitched the ninth and gave up a pair of walks, but got out of the jam when Raul Casanova popped out to second and struck out Santiago Perez.

Game notes
Henry Blanco struck out pinch hitting in the fifth. He had missed 12 games to be with his father, who died Saturday in Venezuela. ... The Mets are 12-1 when Leiter pitches. ... The Brewers are 5-13 against left-handed starters. ... The Brewers activated OF Lyle Mouton from the 15-day DL and designated INF Sean Berry for assignment.
 


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