NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Finally, a ‘Two-Peat’ for Last-Place Mets

The last time the New York Mets won two games in a row prior to Wednesday night, Jeff Torborg was the manager and Al Harazin was running the front office.

A lot has changed since then, but not the Mets’ last-place standing in the National League East.

New York won two in a row for the first time since mid-April, a span of 65 games, and Bret Saberhagen pitched an eight-hitter as the Mets defeated the Florida Marlins, 7-1, at Miami. The Mets (23-52) finished 6-21 in June.

The 65-game stretch tied the Seattle Mariners for fourth place on the all-time list. The major league record is 80 consecutive games by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1915.

“Two-peat, first time in history of ’93 Mets,” Manager Dallas Green joked. “I get excited about all wins. I like to win. Sabes kicked it in for us.”

Saberhagen improved to 4-7, with all of his victories this season coming against Florida and Colorado. He struck out eight and walked none en route to his first victory since May 10, when he defeated the Marlins, 1-0.

“The biggest thing is we got that monkey off our back and won two in a row,” Saberhagen said. “You’ve got to start somewhere.”

St. Louis 9, Philadelphia 3--Mark Whiten made up for some early fielding mistakes with a home run and four runs batted in to lead the Cardinals at St. Louis.

The Phillies’ lead over the Cardinals in the National League East was trimmed to 6 1/2 games. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five, scoring a total of nine runs in the losses and 13 in the victory.

The Cardinals have won nine of 11 and finished June with a 20-7 record, the best winning percentage in the league.

Whiten misplayed two balls in right field in the first inning as the Phillies took a 2-0 lead and stranded three runners in scoring position in his first two at-bats.

But he doubled off the wall in left-center in the Cardinals’ five-run fifth and hit a three-run homer--his 10th--in the sixth against reliever Mark Davis.

Cincinnati 5, Houston 4--Brian Williams walked Gary Varsho with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game for the Reds at Cincinnati.

After tying the game in the eighth, the Reds loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the ninth.

Williams walked Varsho on a 3-1 pitch to give the Reds their fifth win in six games.

Kevin Mitchell extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a leadoff single in the eighth.

Montreal 9, Pittsburgh 1--Larry Walker homered and drove in three runs at Montreal as the Expos routed the Pirates.

Montreal outscored Pittsburgh, 18-3, in the last two games of the series as Walker was seven for 11 with two home runs, three doubles and four RBIs.

Mike Gardiner (1-2), making his first start of the season for the Expos, gave up one run and three hits in five innings.

Atlanta 3, Colorado 2--Greg Olson’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted the Braves at Atlanta.

Ron Gant opened the ninth with a double against reliever Keith Shepherd (1-2) and Sid Bream sacrificed the runner to third. Olson hit a fly ball to medium center field and Gant, who had three hits including a home run, easily beat the throw home from Chris Jones.

Chicago 4, San Diego 1--Sammy Sosa had his fourth two-homer game this season, and Rick Wilkins and Mark Grace also hit home runs to lead the Cubs to a three-game sweep at San Diego.

Wally Whitehurst (2-5), who had given up only two homers in 53 previous innings, gave up Wilkins’ leadoff drive in the second and Sosa’s shot into the left-field seats leading off the fourth that put the Cubs ahead, 2-1.