The Mets sweep the Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Mets swept the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon with a 9-6 victory. The game took place in Tampa, Florida. The Mets have now won three straight after losing three straight to the Yankees over the weekend. Johan Santana started for the Mets and struggled again. David Wright and Lucas Duda led their offense. Hideki Matsui, Ben Zobrist and Elliott Johnson all had good days for the Rays offensively. Jeremy Hellickson started for the Rays and did not pitch well.
Santana pitched five innings giving up six hits and four runs with four walks and six strikeouts. Santana earned his fourth win of the season. Jon Rauch pitched an inning with two strikeouts, Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Tim Byrdak pitched a perfect inning. Miguel Batista pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a walk and Frank Francisco earned his 16^th save of the season. Francisco pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a walk and striking out two. Hellickson lost his third game of the season. Hellickson pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up nine hits and eight runs with a walk. The Rays used four relievers to pitch 5 1/3 innings giving up three hits and a run. He walked three and struck out six batters.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis had two hits and three RBI, Jordany Valdespin had a hit and Wright had three hits and drew a walk. Duda had a hit and three RBI, Ike Davis had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk and Jason Bay had a hit, RBI and drew a walk. Josh Thole had a hit and Omar Quintanilla had a hit and drew a walk. Wright, Duda and Thole each had a double. Nieuwenhuis hit two homeruns and Bay hit a homerun. The Mets were 3-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Valdespin and Bay each had a stolen base. Nieuwenhuis committed an error.

Desmond Jennings had a hit and an RBI, Carlos Pena had a hit an RBI and drew a walk and B.J. Upton drew a walk. Matsui had two hits and drew a walk, Ben Zobrist had two hits an RBI and drew a walk and Matt Joyce had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk. Lobaton drew a walk and Johnson had two hits and an RBI. Joyce, Zobrist and Santana each hit a double. The Rays were 4-13 with runners in scoring position and they left eight men on base. Upton had a stolen base.

Nieuwenhuis hit a solo homerun in the first to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Bay hit a solo homerun in the second to extend the Mets lead to 2-0. Joyce hit a two run double and Johnson hit an RBI single to make it 3-2 Rays. In the third Duda hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three and Davis had an RBI single. Zobrist hit an RBI double in the third. The score was 4-4 Rays. Nieuwenhuis hit a two run homerun in the fourth and Duda hit two run double to make it 8-4 Mets. In the ninth Davis hit an RBI single to make it 9-4. In the bottom of the ninth Jennings hit an RBI single and Pena reached on a fielders choice which scored a run and made it a 9-6 game.

The Mets record is now improved to 35-29 and the Rays are 35-28. The Mets will begin a nine game homestand on Friday night against the Cincinatti Reds.