MIAMI (AP) -- Ryan Dempster lost his no-hit bid, but kept his composure.

Dempster pitched a one-hitter, allowing only a sixth-inning double by Mike Piazza, for his first career shutout as the Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets 3-0 Sunday.

	Ryan Dempster had gone eight innings four times in his career until one-hitting the Mets on Sunday.

The right-hander, who turned 23 last Wednesday, struck out eight and walked four.

Dempster (3-2) had fanned five of the previous six hitters before Piazza's two-out double. Piazza hit a long liner past the outstretched glove of left fielder Cliff Floyd.

"If Cliff would have caught it, I would have run out and given him a big hug," Dempster said. "But the sixth inning is way too early to be thinking about a no-hitter.

"It was important I didn't let myself feel down about it. My next pitch to (Robin) Ventura was a changeup for a swing and a miss. I knew then I was going to stay on my game," he said.

Piazza was stranded when Ventura grounded out. Dempster finished with the fifth one-hitter in Marlins history and his first career complete game.

Dempster's previous high was eight innings, done four times. His prior low-hit game was four, accomplished in the Marlins' 2-1 victory over Colorado on Aug. 8, 1999.

"He just pitched fantastic," Marlins manager John Boles said. "He was awfully, awfully good today. We think that he's going to be around for a while. We're looking at a future 20-game winner. It's just a matter of experience."

The Marlins defense made several great plays to back Dempster.

In the fifth inning, second baseman Luis Castillo went deep in the hole to field a ground ball and throw out Jon Nunnally. Floyd made a diving catch of a fly ball by Derek Bell in the eighth inning.

Center fielder Preston Wilson scooped a fly ball by Edgardo Alfonzo for the first out of the ninth inning, then went on his knees to catch a fly by Piazza. Ventura popped out to end the game.

"Look at the great plays our defense made behind me," Dempster said. "I was throwing quick strikes. They probably don't make those kind of plays when you're behind in the count."

"Late in the game I felt like I was only throwing about five pitches per inning," he said. "I was confident before the start today. I feel like I can get anyone out when I make my pitches. This is the way we have to play against good teams if we're going to be winners."

The Marlins jumped on Glendon Rusch (1-3) with three consecutive hits to open the game. Castillo and Dave Berg singled and Floyd hit an RBI single to right. Florida added two runs in the eighth off relievers Dennis Cook and Pat Mahomes.

Floyd doubled with two outs, finishing Cook. Wilson and Mike Lowell hit doubles off Mahomes.

Rusch gave up six hits and struck out six in seven innings. He has a 3.28 ERA despite his losing record.

"Glendon pitched well today, too," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "But Dempster pitched very, very well. It seemed like every time I looked up he was ahead 0-2 in the count."

Game notes
The Mets dropped to 3-7 during their current road trip, which still has a stop left in Pittsburgh. New York is in the midst of a 13-game, four-city trip, its longest since 1995. ... Dempster was 7-8 in 25 starts last season.