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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mike Piazza has finished second twice in
voting for the NL's Most Valuable Player award. The way he's
hitting this season, he finally could win in.
|  | | Al Leiter throws against the Dodgers in the second inning. He allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings. |
"I don't worry about it, to be honest with you. I really
don't," Piazza said Friday night after reaching 100 RBIs for the
fifth consecutive season, hitting a two-run homer and RBI double in
a 5-3 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I'm just playing ball. Everything else is out of my control
and up to chance," Piazza said. "The only thing I can control is
my effort, and that's all I'm concentrating on. I'm keeping a clear
mind and just playing hard."
Edgardo Alfonzo went 4-for-5 with a tiebreaking RBI single as
New York win for the 20th time in 25 games.
Joe McEwing, who entered the game in the sixth inning as part of
a double switch, greeted reliever Terry Adams (5-5) with a leadoff
single in the seventh. He scored from second when Alfonzo followed
a one-out walk to Derek Bell with a single, sending the Dodgers to
their ninth loss in 12 games.
Rick White (2-0) allowed one hit in 1 2-3 innings after
relieving starter Al Leiter, who was charged with three runs and
six hits in 5 1-3 innings.
John Franco pitched out of a jam in the eighth with the tying
run at third, and Armando Benitez got three outs for his 32nd save
in 36 chances.
Leiter, winless in four road starts, took a two-hit shutout and
3-0 lead into the sixth before the Dodgers tied it with four
consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly to take Kevin Brown off the
hook.
Gary Sheffield led off with his 38th homer, two behind Sammy
Sosa for the major league lead. Eric Karros singled, Shawn Green
followed with a ground-rule double and Adrian Beltre fisted a 1-1
pitch to center to score Karros. Green scored the tying run on Todd
Hundley's fly to Jay Payton in shallow center.
An intentional walk to Kevin Elster and a walk to pinch-hitter
Jim Leyritz loaded the bases before Leiter gave way to White. F.P.
Santangelo struck out, and first baseman Todd Zeile preserved the
tie with a diving grab of Mark Grudzielanek's grounder down the
line before throwing to White covering the bag.
"We had the table set and couldn't put the ball in play,"
Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said.
After converting Elster's fielding error into an unearned run in
the second inning, the Mets extended their lead to 3-0 in the third
when Piazza followed a one-out single by Alfonzo with his 32nd
homer. It was Piazza's first in 19 at-bats this season against the
Dodgers, and first in 28 career at-bats against Brown.
"Brown is really tough on right-handed hitters," Piazza said.
"But he threw a ball up and over the plate a little bit and I
didn't hit it great. But I hit it well enough and I think there was
a little bit of a breeze helping it."
Piazza, who entered the game with a major league-leading .410
batting average in road games, singled home Alfonzo in the ninth to
drive in the final run. He has 28 RBIs in his last 28 games
overall.
"For some reason, mentally, everybody starts to press when you
get to those plateaus, like 100 RBIs or 30 home runs," said
Piazza, whose 124 RBIs last season set a Mets' record and matched
his own career best.
Brown who has made five starts since his previous victory on
July 24, was charged with three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in
six innings. He struck out five and walked none.
The win, coupled with Atlanta's loss to San Francisco, reduced
the Braves' lead over New York to 1½ games in the NL East and
maintained the Mets' 4½-game advantage over Arizona in the
wild-card race.
Los Angeles slipped eight games off the pace in the NL West and
11 games out in the wild card race.
"We can't look at the standings anymore," Sheffield said. "If
you don't have everybody on the same page, you can't go
anywhere."
Game notes
Alfonzo has three four-hit games this season. ... Hundley
was ejected by umpire Mike Everitt for arguing a called third
strike in the eighth inning. ... Brown has surrendered 18 home runs
in 175 innings, one fewer than he did last year in 252 1-3 innings.
... Santangelo, replacing the ailing Devon White in center field
and the leadoff spot, struck out four times -- three times looking.
... With only 55 stolen bases through their first 121 games, the
Mets need 11 more as a team to tie Roger Cedeno's total from last
season, when he set a franchise record with 66.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Mets Clubhouse
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Giants' Hernandez notches first career shutout at Braves' expense
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