Braves 3 Mets 2
ATLANTA – It felt like October again here last night. This time, though, the Braves reminded the Mets who owns Turner Field.
They took down the Mets with a run in the ninth 3-2 when a squibber off Keith Lockhart’s bat scored Brian Jordan from third with the winning run. The season series is tied at 1-1 and there are 17 more classics to go.
In the top of the ninth and the Braves up 2-1, it was first a John Rocker fall classic. Leading off, Robin Ventura fell behind 1-2 on the count, but fought back to draw a walk. Rocker counter-punched, striking out Mike Piazza on a 1-2 off-speed pitch.
Next up was Todd Zeile. On a 1-1 count, Zeile knocked a ball deep enough to left to take the lead, but got a little out in front of it and knew it was just foul. Zeile would walk on an outside fastball to end the seven-pitch at-bat. Jay Payton followed by lining a game-tying single to left, which scored pinch-runner Joe McEwing.
In the bottom half of the ninth, though, the Braves answered. Donne Wall, in the second inning of his Met debut, walked Brian Jordan to start the inning. Manager Bobby Valentine then pulled Wall, who took the loss, for Turk Wendell. After recording an out, ex-Met Rico Brogna rocketed a double into the right field corner. Jordan was held at third, which was fortunate for the Mets, because Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s relay to Edgardo Alfonzo went under the second baseman’s glove.
The Mets’ good fortune ran out, though, as Lockhart hit a squibber to the left of Wendell, who bounced off the mound and tried to flip the ball home. He had no chance, throwing over Piazza’s head as the Braves came away with a one-run win.
In the sixth inning down 2-1 with two away and Ventura on second, Piazza smoked a line drive that one-bounced to center fielder Andruw Jones. With Ventura running his hardest toward third, coach John Stearns quickly needed to decided if sending Ventura would be the right decision.
Do you run on Jones’ right arm, which is as accurate and strong as they come? Do you do it with Ventura, who is as slow as they come? Do two outs override all these questions?
Stearns showed his aggressive nature and sent Ventura; Jones threw with velocity and accuracy. The laser to Braves catcher Javy Lopez beat Ventura, but he slid to the outside of home plate.
After Lopez attempted to place the tag on Ventura, the ump, Bill O’Nora, hesitated for a moment before pumping his fist in the out signal. Meanwhile, Ventura dove for home as Lopez tried to tag him.
The normally stoic Ventura popped up and said, “What?” and continued arguing as manager Bobby Valentine came out to take up the debate. It didn’t matter. The game remained 2-1, Braves.
In the third inning, Jones laced a liner that searched for turf in right. Timo Perez sprinted in and dove, desperately trying to save runs from scoring. The top of Perez’ oversized mitt touched the ball, but it dribbled out and under his body. As Perez scrambled to pick up the ball that rolled just under him, Millwood and Rafael Furcal scored and the Braves led 2-0.
Before Ventura was cut down at the plate in the sixth, the Mets sliced the lead in half. Against Millwood, Perez knocked a one-out single and moved to second on Edgardo Alfonzo’s walk.
Ventura appeared to have ended the inning when he bounced a grounder to Rico Brogna, who threw on to Furcal, who, affected by Alfonzo’s slide, threw the ball in the dirt to Millwood covering. The ball ricocheted off Millwood’s glove and then Ventura’s body before landing in short right field as Perez scored.
Not that many in these parts seemed to care, last night, there again was a plethora of empty seats and in the house of the Tomahawk Chop, there was an audible chant of, “Let’s go Mets.”
After retiring his first four hitters a a Met, starter Kevin Appier faced his first familiar face from the AL, B.J. Surhoff, who entered as .273 lifetime hitter against Appier. Surhoff smoked a double that jumped over the first base bag and past Zeile’s outstretched lunge.
Appier ducked big trouble by inducing fly outs from Jordan and Lopez to end the second inning.
