MLB
  Scores
  Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries: AL | NL
  Players
  Weekly Lineup
  Message Board
  Minor Leagues
  MLB Stat Search

Clubhouses

Sport Sections
  Friday, Aug. 18 10:10pm ET
Piazza making MVP bid again
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | 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
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.
 


ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard

NY Mets Clubhouse

Los Angeles Clubhouse


Giants' Hernandez notches first career shutout at Braves' expense


RECAPS
Boston 6
Texas 4

Cleveland 9
Seattle 8

Detroit 10
Oakland 1

Anaheim 9
NY Yankees 8

Toronto 3
Minnesota 2

Kansas City 4
Baltimore 1

Chi. White Sox 5
Tampa Bay 2

Pittsburgh 6
Cincinnati 3

Houston 5
Milwaukee 4

St. Louis 7
Philadelphia 6

Florida 9
Colorado 8

Arizona 11
Chicago Cubs 2

Montreal 6
San Diego 3

NY Mets 5
Los Angeles 3

San Francisco 2
Atlanta 0