ROUNDUP : Mets Finally Receive Boost From Big Hitters

After struggling through the first five games of New York’s trip, Robin Ventura and Mike Piazza made up for it in the finale.

Ventura hit his 200th career home run and had four runs batted in and Piazza went four for five as the Mets defeated the Houston Astros, 9-5, at the Astrodome on Wednesday night.

Rookie right-hander Octavio Dotel (6-1) gave up four runs and five hits in five innings and is 6-0 in 11 starts since losing his major league debut.

Ventura hit a two-run homer, his 29th, after Piazza doubled in the first inning. Ventura, who went three for six, added an RBI single in the fifth and a run-scoring double in the sixth.

“John [Olerud] and Mike set it up,” Ventura said. “They seemed to get on every time they were up. They set up the innings, I just tried to keep it going. It’s easier to hit in those situations because that puts the pitcher in a hole.”

Piazza, who entered the game hitting .143 (two for 14) on the trip, had two doubles and two singles and scored twice. Counting Ventura’s four-for-18 string, the two were a combined six for 32 through the first five games of the trip. They were a combined seven for 10 Wednesday night.

“I’ve said it a million times before, this is a game of constant adjustments,” Piazza said. “Today in batting practice I kept my hands close to my body. I decided I would stay with it during the game and it worked out.”

The Mets remained 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East and moved four games in front of Cincinnati in the wild-card race.

St. Louis 9, Florida 3--Mark McGwire ended a home run drought and Garrett Stephenson posted another strong outing as the Cardinals defeated the Marlins at St. Louis.

McGwire had gone 25 at-bats without a homer when he hit his 52nd of the season in the fifth inning against Ryan Dempster. He passed Lou Gehrig to become the career leader for first basemen with 494.

McGwire’s 459-foot drive off the scoreboard in left field, his first homer in eight games, left him four back of major league leader Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs.

The drought was McGwire’s longest since a 32-at-bat stretch from June 9-19. He has homered in 10 of 19 career games against Florida. His longest stretch this season without a homer is 40 at-bats.

Stephenson (5-0) pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run and seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. He is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA since being recalled up from triple-A Memphis on Aug. 6.

Atlanta 8, Cincinnati 7--Bret Boone hit a two-run home run and Brian Hunter added a three-run shot as the Braves built a six-run lead before holding on at Cincinnati.

By taking two of three games in the series, the Braves added to the best record in baseball (85-50), picked up their 12th victory in 13 games, solidified their hold on the NL East and left the Reds once again wondering what in the world it will take to defeat them.

Cincinnati is 1-8 against Atlanta this season and 5-24 over the last three years. The Reds haven’t won a series from the Braves since September 1996, dropping their last eight.

Terry Mulholland (8-7) turned a 7-1 lead over to the bullpen in the seventh, when the Reds scored three times before adding two in the eighth and one in the ninth.

Scott Williamson’s bases-loaded wild pitch to Ryan Klesko gave the Braves their final run in the ninth.

Pittsburgh 9, Colorado 8--Brant Brown homered and drove in four runs and Warren Morris had three RBIs and the Pirates scored three runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Rockies and sweep the three-game series at Denver.

Brian Giles doubled with one out in the ninth against Dave Veres (3-6), who then walked the next two men. Morris singled to right, driving in Giles to bring the Pirates within 8-7 and Brown followed with a two-run single to right.

Scott Sauerbeck (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the victory and Brad Klontz got the final out for his first save of the year in his second opportunity.

Luther Hackman gave up five runs and six hits, walked five and struck out five in six innings in his major league debut for Colorado. Hackman, who was called up earlier in the day from triple-A Colorado Springs, also had his first hit.

San Francisco 5, Philadelphia 3--Jeff Kent’s two-run homer in the 11th inning at San Francisco gave the Giants a victory over the Phillies, who have lost a season-high six in a row.

It was the third consecutive victory by the Giants over the Phillies, and two came on extra-inning homers. Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning Monday night to defeat Philadelphia.

Bonds led off the 11th Wednesday with a double into the right-field corner off Wayne Gomes (4-4) and Kent followed with his 17th homer of the season. Rick Rodriguez (2-0), who also was the winner Monday night, pitched one inning for the victory.

Bonds, who hit two homers in each of the first two games in the series and began the day with 14 homers in his previous 16 games, was held to one hit in five at-bats.

Montreal 8, Arizona 1--Dustin Hermanson came within two outs of his second career shutout as the Expos defeated the Diamondbacks at Phoenix.

Hermanson (6-12), who lives in Phoenix, brought a five-hitter into the ninth inning before giving up Jay Bell’s 32nd homer with one out. Luis Gonzalez followed with a double to chase Hermanson, who struck out three and walked none.

After giving up Erubiel Durazo’s double in the second inning, Hermanson retired 15 in a row before Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a one-out single in the seventh.

Geoff Blum and Wilton Guerrero hit home runs off Arizona starter Omar Daal (13-8), who gave up five runs on six hits in four innings, his shortest outing of the season.

The Expos took the last two of the three-game series to slice Arizona’s lead over second-place San Francisco to 6 1/2 games. The Diamondbacks managed only one run against the Expos in the two losses.