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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- When Al Leiter gave up a two-run homer to Ken
Griffey Jr. in the first inning, he knew the New York Mets were in
trouble.
Griffey's 37th homer -- a rare left-handed shot off Leiter -- got
the Cincinnati Reds rolling to a 6-2 victory Monday that left the
Mets with a four-game losing streak.
|  | | Ken Griffey Jr.'s home rum was only the third this season by a left-handed hitter off Al Leiter. |
Leiter (14-7) picked a bad time to give up his first homer to a
left-hander since May 29. The last thing the Mets needed was
another afternoon of trying to come back with a slumping offense.
"I knew it wasn't a good position to be in, down 2-0 in the
first," Leiter said. "It makes their pitcher a little more
comfortable and a lineup that's pressing is going to press a little
more. It happens to every team and you hope it doesn't linger much
longer."
Since catching Atlanta atop the NL East, the Mets have dropped
five of six, costing them a chance to open a lead while the Braves
struggled. They could have moved into a first-place tie with a
victory Monday, but fell a game behind the idle Braves.
"There still isn't anybody feeling sorry for themselves like
this is some catastrophic thing," manager Bobby Valentine said.
"This is baseball."
The Mets were swept in St. Louis, losing three one-run games in
the last at-bat, before extending the slump in Cincinnati.
Mike Piazza went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, his 34th, but the
rest of the Mets lineup managed only four hits off Elmer Dessens
(7-5) and two relievers.
"It's obvious we're pressing as a team," said Piazza, who
turned 32 Monday. "We're really just trying too hard. We're
taking bad swings and helping the pitchers out and that's it."
The Reds have gotten hot when it no longer matters, winning nine
of 12 since falling out of contention in the NL Central. The St.
Louis Cardinals beat Montreal 4-2 Monday, maintaining their
nine-game lead over the Reds.
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Woeful bats
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How the Mets have performed offensively over their last 10 games:
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8/25/00
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9 gms. since
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runs
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13
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20
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team BA
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.457
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.196
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Leiter, who pitched the Mets to their wild-card playoff win in
Cincinnati last October, couldn't end their September slump.
Leiter's two-hit, 5-0 shutout last Oct. 4 at Cinergy Field stands
as the only time Cincinnati has been blanked in its last 280 games.
The Mets couldn't catch up after he gave up Griffey's two-run
homer in the first inning. The only other left-handers to homer off Leiter this
season were Tony Gwynn (May 23) and Shawn Green (May 29).
The homer came on a 2-2 slider that was up and over the outside
part of the plate. Leiter second-guessed his decision to throw
Griffey the third slider in that at-bat instead of a fastball.
"It was a ball he shouldn't have even swung at," Leiter said.
"It didn't have as much down-and-away movement as the two previous
sliders."
Griffey, who missed Sunday's game because of a sore hip, went
1-for-3 with a walk, raising his average to a season-high .265. He
was in a hurry to leave the clubhouse afterward.
"We were due," manager Jack McKeon said. "(Leiter) has done a
great job containing us the last two years. You figure the law of
averages has to catch up with him. He left one out over the plate
to Junior and he took advantage."
Dmitri Young singled home a run in the third, giving him a
streak of six consecutive games with an RBI, and Chris Sexton had a
two-out, run-scoring double off Leiter in the sixth with the
pitcher's spot due up next.
The Reds added a pair of runs in the eighth on Sexton's squeeze
bunt and Pokey Reese's run-scoring single off Pat Mahomes.
Dessens gave up one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings for only
his second victory since the end of July. Timoniel Perez doubled
twice off Dessens and had a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
The Mets wasted their best opportunity of the game in the sixth.
Dessens started the inning with a pair of walks, but got Robin
Ventura and Todd Zeile on fly balls and Jay Payton on a comeback
grounder.
Piazza hit a solo homer off Scott Sullivan in the eighth, and
Danny Graves pitched the ninth.
Dessens was moved into the rotation after the Reds traded
left-hander Denny Neagle to the Yankees on July 12. He's gone 6-5
in 11 starts as the fill-in with a 4.73 ERA.
Game notes
The Mets called up LHP Bobby M. Jones, RPH Grant Roberts
and INF Jorge Velandia from Triple-A Norfolk. INF David Lamb was
designated for assignment to open a spot for Velandia on the 40-man
roster. ... Piazza got hit on the left elbow by Reese's bat as he
followed through on a swing in the eighth. Piazza stayed in the
game and said afterward he was fine. ... Griffey has 435 homers,
26th on the career list. Andre Dawson is next at 438. ... Griffey
is three homers shy of becoming the fourth player to hit 40 homers
seven times (Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Harmon Killebrew are the
others). ... Dessens is 2-5 in his seven starts since the end of
July.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Mets Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
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