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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- Except for a scary injury to Mike Piazza, the New
York Mets had a smooth ride to their fifth straight win over
Arizona.
|  | | Derek Bell goes 3-for-5 with a double Saturday to keep the Mets rolling. |
Robin Ventura hit a two-run homer and Edgardo Alfonzo drove in
two runs as the New York Mets moved within three games of NL
East-leading Atlanta with a 6-2 victory over the Arizona
Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
"I think it's just everyone playing together," said Piazza,
who sprained his left knee in the fourth inning. "Robin Ventura
came in with the big insurance home run tonight, and Derek Bell
swung the bat well. Alfonzo had a couple of clutch hits. That's
what a team is."
The top four batters in the order were 8-for-12.
Ventura, hitting No. 5, was 1-for-5. But his two-run shot -- his
18th homer -- sent New York to a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning.
Alfonzo had a pair of run-scoring singles, and Piazza and Bell
each had an RBI.
The victory was the Mets' fourth in a row and 10th in 11 games.
Atlanta lost at St. Louis earlier Saturday.
Piazza, who missed 13 days last season when he sprained a
ligament in his right knee, stepped awkwardly on the bag trying to
beat out a grounder in the fourth. X-rays were negative, and the
All-Star catcher said he expects to be back soon.
"Obviously I'm not going to play tomorrow, but we're just going
to take it day-to-day, and I'm fortunate," Piazza said. "It feels
all right -- just a little swollen. It seems kind of similar to the
injury I had last year as far as it's in the same area, but it
doesn't seem like it's as stiff or severe."
Bobby J. Jones (6-5) gave up eight hits and two runs in six
innings to go 5-2 in his last nine starts. He struck out just one
and gave up a leadoff homer to Steve Finley in the sixth. But that
was his only glitch after allowing a first-inning run.
"His command was there," Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter
said. "We got plenty of opportunities. We had some people out
there. It was good to see, but we didn't take advantage of the
baserunners we had."
Rick White followed Jones' strong outing with three scoreless
innings for his first save with the Mets. White, acquired from New
York just before the trade deadline, had two saves this season with
Tampa Bay.
"He did a great job tonight," manager Bobby Valentine said.
"You know, three-inning saves are tough to come by."
The Mets took advantage of the third consecutive shaky start by
Geraldo Guzman (3-2), who gave up four runs and a career-high eight
hits in four innings.
Guzman, a 27-year-old rookie who hurt his shoulder in 1990 and
took up carpentry for seven years, gave up one run and eight hits
in 16 innings while winning his first two starts.
But he has failed to get past the sixth inning since then,
allowing 13 runs and 21 hits in 12 1/3 innings.
He was lifted for a pinch-hitter after the New York fourth, when
he got two outs and then walked Jones, 0-for-25 this season, on
four pitches. Lenny Harris, who was traded by the Diamondbacks to
the Mets on June 2, moved Jones to third with a single. Bell lined
an RBI double over Luis Gonzalez's head in left field.
Harris made it 4-1 when he scored on Alfonzo's second RBI hit.
Guzman was in trouble from the start, surrendering singles to
Harris, Bell, Alfonzo and Piazza without getting anyone out in the
first as the Mets took a 2-0 lead.
Bell's liner off the glove of first baseman Alex Cabrera was the
key to the inning. Alfonzo followed with a run-scoring hit, and
Piazza blooped a single over shortstop, scoring Bell from second
with none out.
"He's got good stuff, and he's going to be a good pitcher in
the future," said Bell, who was 3-for-5, the same as Alfonzo.
The Diamondbacks cut into the deficit in their half when Tony
Womack doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gonzalez.
"We haven't capitalized on our opportunities," said Finley,
who hit his 28th homer but the first since July 21. "It's kind of
been the story of our season."
Game notes
Jones is 3-0 in four appearances against the Diamondbacks.
He beat them in New York last May 19 and on Aug. 22, 1998. ...
Harris made his third start in left field because Benny Agbayani,
who was hit on the left triceps by a pitch the night before, was
still sore. ... The Mets, 2-7 against Arizona in the 1999 regular
season, are 5-0 this year and clinched a winning record in the
series. ... Todd Pratt, Piazza's replacement, homered in the 10th
inning of Game 4 to complete New York's win over Arizona in the
Division Series last season. ... The Diamondbacks have scored more
than five runs in a game just twice since July 7. ... White's saves
with Tampa Bay were back-to-back and his first since June 16, 1994.
He has not allowed a run in nine innings spanning six appearances.
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