Hiroki Kuroda was all but perfect in lifting the under 500 Dodgers into a first-area tie in the NL West.
Hiroki Kuroda was just about perfect in lifting the under 500 Dodgers into a first-spot tie in the NL West.
Pedro Martinez was sharp, too. The Mets , though, almost denied New York its first winning record in a month.
Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth and steady for a one-hitter, principal Los Angeles to a 3-0 triumph over the Atlanta Braves on Monday nocturnal.
The respectable-hander aged the first 21 before Mark Teixeira wrinkled his 70th note into the exact-topic locality for a double.
“My main concern was that he was the leadoff in that inning. It was a 2-2 number crunching and I didn’t want to walk him because I didn’t have that big of a lead,” Kuroda said through a interpreter. “I was concentrating more on not allowing any runs. I wasn’t really tense, but I felt the pressure from the fans because they were expecting something big.”
The win the Dodgers in a tie for first in the West with idle Arizona, although they are 44-45.
“It’s very strange,” said Dodgers director Joe Torre. “But every year there’s for ever and a day a category where the are with .500. I mean, the National League Central was that way for a long time. Our boundary as we started spring training was accepted to be one of the strongest because of all the pitching up and down the discord. And it’s been a miniature bit of a shock, clearly, that we’re all sitting here under .500.”
Martinez pitched to all intents and purposes into the then watched the Mets give back virtually all of a nine-run lead before holding on for a 10-9 victory over the host Phillies.
Martinez sanctioned only five hits and two earned runs in 5 1-3 batting, and the Mets a 10-1 lead free into the bottommost of the sixth. But three , including Billy Wagner, combined to near blow it.
“I was successful, ‘Wow, what’s valid on,”‘ Mets executive Jerry Manuel said.
In fresh NL knockout, it was: Pittsburgh 10, Houston 7; Colorado 4, Milwaukee 3; and Florida 3, San Diego 1.
Teixeira was the only for the Braves, who had flown across the nation state after a 7-6, 17- success over Houston on Sunday - the longest game ever at Turner Field.
“We don’t want to have a perfect game against us, but Kuroda was momentous - most likely the best pitching performance we’ve seen all year,” Teixeira said. “His stuff was noble - a mid-90s fastball, putting it exactly where he required it, sinking his fastball at 90 to get you to powdered out or miss. He doubtless made one mistake all evening, and I just got blessed enough to put a good punch on it. It positively was the most ground I saw all nightly.”
Kuroda (5-6) 91 pitches and struck out six in a game that lasted just 2 hours, 3 resume.
Jose Campillo (3-4) took a one- into the fifth before the Dodgers their runs.
Nomar Garciaparra hit his following of the time, a two-run shot, and Matt Kemp had an RBI single.
With only five tournament left before the All-Star vacation, the Braves (42-48) are assured of open into the coffee break under .500 for only the third time in the last 18 seasons. It also happened in 1991 (39-40) and 2006 (40-49).
In Philadelphia, David Wright homered and multitude in four runs for the Mets (45-44), who last had a winning record on June 5 (30-29). New York tied its time of year high with 17 hits and twisted up delightful of the last four sports from the Phillies to move within 2 1/2 competition of the NL East leaders. The Mets haven’t been 2 1/2 knockout out of first whereabouts since May 20.
“We’re back in the race,” Manuel said.
The Mets had a 10-7 lead heading into the ninth, but Wagner, who blew a save in the Mets’ win Sunday, gave up a two-out RBI single to Pedro Feliz, Shane Victorino. Eric Bruntlett, who had walked, also came around to groove on a throwing mistake by center fielder Carlos Beltran. Jayson Werth hit a soft insert to appropriate, closing stages the comeback and giving Wagner his 20th save in 26 opportunities.
“You can never let down with this team,” Wagner said. “They make you earn it.”
Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins homered for the Phillies. Howard’s homer was initially called a pounded-rule paired because a fan over the moral-meadow wall and touched the ball. The four convened and the ball have left the park had the fan not interfered. Television were questionable.
Manuel disputed the about-turn and was ejected.
“It was not a home run,” Manuel said. “It like nonentity really knew what it was.”