Martinez, Expos Weather It Out Against the Mets : Baseball: Pitching in rain and cold, right-hander allows three hits in seven innings in Montreal’s 9-2 victory.

No one likes to play when it’s rainy and cold. At least Dennis Martinez knows how to do it.

“Today’s weather was very tough. I couldn’t even stay warm in the dugout. As a younger pitcher, I probably would have lasted only one inning,” Martinez said after leading the Montreal Expos past the New York Mets 9-2 Saturday.

Martinez (1-1) gave up one run on three hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked four.

“When I couldn’t get loose, I used my experience and my mental toughness to stay focused,” he said. “I used the breaking ball most of the game and pitched in and out.”

The game was played in 40-degree temperatures, and a light rain fell throughout the afternoon. The only run Martinez allowed came on Howard Johnson’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, ending the Mets’ 18-inning scoreless streak.

“Martinez kept us off-balance,” Mets manager Jeff Torborg said. “He located the ball well and changed speeds very effectively. Give him credit. He did it to us.”

Martinez, 35, is coming off a season in which he led the majors with a 2.39 ERA. His 14-11 record included a perfect game in Los Angeles.

“Every year, I try to do better than the previous season,” Martinez said. “My main goal is always to have a better won-lost record. I always prepare myself very well and try to be consistent every fifth day.

“I’m the one in command ... in control when I’m on the mound. That’s why I’m physically and mentally ready every time I go out there.”

David Cone (0-1) allowed four runs in the fourth inning, and left after the seventh with the Expos ahead 4-1. Cone, who tied Roger Clemens for the major league lead in strikeouts last season, fanned 11.

“This was very frustrating,” Cone said. “I felt in a groove until I hit that fourth inning. That was enough to do me in.”

Tim Wallach and Marquis Grissom each drove in two runs. Wallach had three hits, including two doubles, and Grissom had two hits and two of Montreal’s five stolen bases.

The Expos scored four times in the fourth. In the seventh, Montreal loaded the bases with two outs, and Cianfrocco hit a pinch-single on a 3-2 pitch, scoring all three runners. Wallach added an RBI double in the ninth and Grissom hit a run-scoring single.

Bret Barberie and John VanderWal hit consecutive singles to start the fourth and Larry Walker followed with an RBI double. Wallach’s run-scoring groundout and Grissom’s single made it 3-0. Cone’s wild pitch on a double steal enabled another run to score.

Notes

The Expos have not allowed more than seven hits in any game this year. . . . Montreal has won two straight at Shea Stadium. The Expos were only 3-8 in the same park last year. Montreal’s last winning record against the Mets was 11-7 in 1982. . . . Cone struck out at least 10 for the 26th time. . . . Mets outfielder Vince Coleman, who strained a left hamstring in Thursday’s game at St. Louis, was examined by Dr. David Altchek and told to rest the leg for a few more days.