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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Once again, Todd Helton came through with a
clutch hit for the Colorado Rockies. Only he got this one with his
right elbow, rather than his bat.
Helton was in the middle of two late bursts and Brian Bohanon
shut down his former team until the eighth inning as the Rockies
beat the New York Mets 7-5 Wednesday night.
Helton went 1-for-4, dropping his major league-leading average
one point to .395. He was hit by a pitch in the sixth, setting up a
three-run inning, and doubled during a three-run eighth.
"I was happy I got hit," Helton said. "I wasn't feeling
particularly good at the plate."
It was 1-all in the sixth when Neifi Perez singled with one out.
Helton, who had already struck out and flied out, batted with two
outs.
Left-handed Glendon Rusch dropped down on the lefty-hitting
Helton and plunked him.
"I tried to come sidearm on him and it got away," Rusch said.
"That got it started."
Jeffrey Hammonds followed with an RBI single for a 2-1 lead and
Larry Walker hit a two-run single. Hammonds, one of the few Rockies
ever to face Rusch, is 7-for-14 lifetime against him.
Hammonds drove in three runs and Perez homered as Colorado
bounced back a day after being swept in a doubleheader by the Mets.
"We needed this game in a big way after the outcome last
night," Rockies manager Buddy Bell said.
Edgardo Alfonzo and Kurt Abbott homered to finish Bohanon (7-8)
in the eighth, and Todd Zeile hit an RBI double off Mike DeJean to
pull the Mets within 7-5. Gabe White got four outs for his fourth
save.
Alfonzo drove in three runs as New York lost for the second time
in nine games.
Rockies third baseman Jeff Cirillo left in the sixth because of
a strained right forearm. He hurt himself on a check swing in the
first inning and was listed as day-to-day.
Bohanon, who pitched for the Mets from 1997-98, beat them for
the first time in four career decisions. He held the Mets to one
unearned run and four singles through seven innings, and also hit
an RBI single.
Bohanon struck out six and walked two.
"Right out of the bullpen, my control was impeccable," he
said. "When I'm that way, I'm able to control their bats."
Mets manager Bobby Valentine agreed with that assessment.
"He had us swinging at a lot of pitches that were not
strikes," he said. "Brian Bohanon knows how to pitch."
Rusch (8-10), like Bohanon, was crisp early. The first five
innings took only 61 minutes as both starters avoided too much
trouble.
Terry Shumpert, who took Cirillo's place, hit a leadoff single
in the eighth and Helton doubled just inside the left-field line.
Rick White relieved and gave up Hammonds' two-run single and
Bohanon's RBI single for a 7-1 lead.
Abbott homered to start the Mets eighth and Alfonzo hit a
two-run shot with two outs, bringing DeJean from the bullpen. Mike
Piazza singled and hustled home on Zeile's double, but Gabe White
struck out Robin Ventura to end the rally.
Benny Agbayani reached on second baseman Jeff Frye's two-base
fielding error to lead off the Mets first, Derek Bell walked and
Alfonzo hit an RBI single.
Game notes
Mets reserve Matt Franco cleared waivers and was sent
outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Franco, hitting .231 with seven RBI
in 80 games, was designated for assignment last week. ... Colorado
holds a 39-37 edge over the Mets in the all-time series. ... Walker
and Piazza both hit foul balls that broke off pieces of the
dome-shaped microphone on top of the backstop. ... Bohanon homered
and doubled in his last start against Montreal.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Colorado Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
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