Pedro notches 200th victory
Pedro Martinez’s 200th win meant a lot to the New York Mets for another reason: It came against Atlanta.
Martinez became the seventh current major league pitcher with 200 victories, and New York edged the Braves 4-3 Monday night in the first of 18 meetings this season between the N.L. East rivals.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” the slender Martinez said in front of a large banner commemorating his milestone. “This is probably one of the biggest things that’s happened in my career, because of how far I’ve come from the first day and all the doubts about my body type.”
The Mets won without star center fielder Carlos Beltran, who sat out with a tight right hamstring. New York also lost left fielder Cliff Floyd to a strained muscle in his rib cage.
Andruw Jones hit his fifth homer and second in two days for the Braves, who were missing injured third baseman Chipper Jones and shortstop Edgar Renteria.
Jorge Sosa (0-3) lasted only four-plus innings and took the loss.
Xavier Nady and Paul Lo Duca finished with three hits apiece for the Mets, who have been chasing Atlanta for years. This season, they think they have the talent to finally end the Braves’ record run of 14 consecutive division titles.
“It’s a big win. This is a big series. For April, this is as big as it’s going to get,” Lo Duca said. “We’ve got to dethrone these guys.
“When somebody has your number, you’ve got to play extra hard,” he added. “We need to turn the tide.”
One game hardly proves much, but New York is playing some pretty crisp ball right now. The new-look Mets have a five-game lead in the division over Atlanta and Philadelphia, making them the first team in big league history to build a cushion that big after 12 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“Obviously, the Mets have been hungry for a while to put us in their rearview mirror,” Atlanta’s Marcus Giles said.
Martinez (3-0) struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He left to a loud ovation and waved his arms to the crowd of 36,867. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 200-84, the fewest losses for any of the 103 pitchers with 200 wins.
Pujols ties Major League record
Albert Pujols tied a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats when he connected in his first time up in Monday’s game.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman hit his ninth home run of the season off Pirates starter Paul Maholm to straight-away center field with So Taguchi on first base to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Pujols hit three home runs Sunday, including a game-winning, two-run shot to beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-7.
Homering in four consecutive at-bats has been done 35 times in major league history.
Griffey’s leg still problematic
A muscle behind Ken Griffey Jr.’s right knee was still tight Monday, forcing him out of Cincinnati’s starting lineup for the fifth straight game.
Griffey ran on a treadmill for 12 minutes. He said the leg felt better, but it still tended to tighten. Griffey has never had a problem like this one.
Manager Jerry Narron had hoped Griffey would be back in the lineup Monday. He was encouraged after Griffey’s workout on the treadmill.
“He’s getting close,” Narron said. “It feels much better. Before too long, he’ll be back in the starting lineup.”
Indians manager misses game
Indians manager Eric Wedge missed the game against the Detroit Tigers because he was in Cleveland for the birth of his first child earlier in the day.
Bench coach Joel Skinner managed the Indians as they ended a four-game series in Detroit, picking up where he left off the previous day when Wedge was ejected for a face-to-face argument with umpire Paul Emmel about a call in the fifth inning.