Nationals' Bats Heat Up On a Chilly Night at Shea

Baseball

By Associated Press
May 13, 2008

Odalis Perez used his hitting to help him earn his first win of the season.

Making his ninth start without a victory, Perez had three hits and two RBIs and pitched into the seventh inning to lead the Washington Nationals over the Mets 10-4 last night.

On an unusually chilly night with winds gusting to more than 20 mph, Jesus Flores and Lastings Milledge each had two-run doubles and Washington ended a three-game slide by first taking advantage of Nelson Figueroa's wildness then doing something they haven't been able to all season: get hits with runners on base.

The Nationals came in hitting a major league-worst .237 with men on base and scored their first six runs on just five hits — and five walks, two hit batters, and two errors. They scored their first three runs on a sacrifice fly, bases-loaded walk and a throwing error by Figueroa (2-3), who was attempting to make a play at the plate on Felipe Lopez's tapper to the mound in the fourth.

In the fifth and sixth innings, the Nationals got five run-scoring hits when they scored seven runs to open a 10-3 lead.

Making his 200th career start, Perez (1-3) gave up a season-high 11 hits and four runs — more than two runs for just the third time — but Washington scored at least four runs in one of his starts for just the second time this year.

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RAYS 7, YANKEES 1 Matt Garza pitched seven scoreless innings and the surging Tampa Bay Rays beat nemesis Andy Pettitte and the Yankees 7-1 for their fifth consecutive victory last night.

Garza (2-1) allowed five hits, walked one and struck out three while holding the Yankees in check with help from three double plays. Only one baserunner, Alberto Gonzalez in the sixth, reached as far as second base against the right-hander.

Jason Bartlett and Dioner Navarro each drove in two runs for the Rays (22-16), who climbed six games over .500 for the first time in franchise history and also extended their home winning streak 10 games.

They did it by beating Pettitte (3-4), who was 8-1 at Tropicana Field before giving up five runs and eight hits in four innings. He's still an impressive 14-4 lifetime against Tampa Bay, however the Rays have won two of three matchups against him this season.

Gonzalez had two of the hits off Garza, who has won two of three starts since returning from a two-week stay on the disabled list with radial nerve irritation in his pitching arm. Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera had the other hits off the Rays starter.