Furcal, DeWitt and Kemp homer against Perez, Dodgers down Mets 5-1
Associated Press | May 5, 08 11:58 PM CDT in
Sports
Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff homer against beleaguered Oliver Perez, Blake DeWitt connected for his first home run in the major leagues and the surging Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 5-1 on Monday night.
Matt Kemp also homered after being named NL player of the week for the first time earlier in the day, helping the Dodgers win for the ninth time in 10 games.
Chad Billingsley (2-4) allowed a run and five hits in six-plus innings, striking out four and walking four in his first career start against the Mets. The right-hander worked with men on base in every inning except the first, and stranded four runners in scoring position.
Perez (2-3) lost his third straight start, allowing five runs and six hits over six innings. It was his first start since Mets closer Billy Wagner's public criticism of the left-hander, who gave up a combined total of 12 runs, eight hits and nine walks against Washington and Pittsburgh in his previous two outings.
Perez's woes continued in the opener of this three-game series, as the switch-hitting Furcal drove an 0-2 pitch to left-center for the 23rd leadoff homer of his career and 11th with the Dodgers. Furcal came in 4-for-19 lifetime against Perez.
Juan Pierre followed with a single, then stole second with one out and Jeff Kent batting. The former Met hit a vicious line drive that struck Perez right in the bread basket, but the pitcher recovered in time to throw him out as Pierre took third. Russell Martin drove in Pierre with a single, and Perez retired 10 of his next 11 batters before giving up three more runs in the fifth.
DeWitt, in his second stint with the Dodgers this season because of Nomar Garciaparra's strained left calf, drove a 1-0 pitch over the center-field fence leading off the fifth. Pierre drew a two-out walk and Kemp followed with his third homer, a drive into the pavilion seats in right-center that gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.
Perez had allowed only one home run over 29 innings in his previous six starts this season.
Moises Alou, playing in his third game since coming off the disabled list, drove in the Mets' run with a sixth-inning single after a leadoff triple by Carlos Beltran.
Carlos Delgado, who hit his 435th home run Saturday to eclipse Juan Gonzalez as the career leader among Puerto Rican-born major leaguers, doubled his first time up to give the Mets two runners in scoring position with one out in the second. But Billingsley struck out Brian Schneider and retired Luis Castillo on a groundout.
New York stranded a runner at second in the third inning when Ryan Church grounded out and David Wright struck out. Castillo, the Mets' No. 8 hitter, squandered yet another threat in the fourth by grounding out with runners at first and second.
Notes:@ The Dodgers, who were on the road when Buzzie Bavasi died last Thursday at age 93, held a poignant pregame tribute to their former general manager (1951-68) and the architect of four championship clubs in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully spoke glowingly from the TV booth of Bavasi's accomplishments, while the video screen displayed a slide show depicting one of the people most responsible for giving Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella a chance to break the color barrier in the major leagues. Newcombe, flanked at home plate by Tommy Davis and Lou Johnson, told the crowd of 44,181: "I'll never forget Buzzie Bavasi and what he did for me. I always thought of Buzzie Bavasi as my father." ... Dodgers manager Joe Torre had a 286-420 record as Mets manager from 1977-81. The Mets are 74-92 in the regular season against teams that Torre has piloted. They also lost the 2000 World Series to Torre's Yankees in five games.
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