Rockies, Carpenter Put the Wood to Mets

Most of the people at Shea Stadium didn’t know who Bubba Carpenter was when he stepped to the plate. They do now.

Carpenter connected in the 11th inning for his first major league home run and the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets, 4-3, Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.

“There was so much adrenaline going. There’s not one thing you can say to describe it. It’s a great feeling,” said Carpenter, who hit a 1-0 pitch from Turk Wendell (2-2) over the right-center field fence.

“If I had to play nine more years to get here, I would,” said Carpenter, a 31-year-old who spent nine years in the New York Yankees farm system without making it to the majors. He had 22 homers and 81 RBIs at triple-A Columbus last season.

“We had a report on him. [Wendell] came in with a fastball and he just hit it,” Met Manager Bobby Valentine said. “We had our opportunities to score, they got a one-swing rally.”

Carpenter, called up from triple-A Colorado Springs Saturday to replace injured Larry Walker, batted for winning pitcher Julian Tavarez (2-2) in the 11th.

Carpenter was hitting only .238 (10 for 42) in the minors this season, but batted .360 during spring training and singled in his first big league at-bat Saturday against San Francisco.

Jose Jimenez pitched the 11th for his fifth save, sending the Mets to their 10th loss in 14 games. Todd Zeile doubled with one out but was stranded out on third when Jimenez struck out pinch-hitter Matt Franco to end the game.

Former Met Brent Mayne, who was four for five with two RBIs, put the Rockies ahead with a two-out RBI double in the second. Robin Ventura’s ninth homer tied it in the bottom half against Masato Yoshii, another former Met.

Atlanta 9, San Francisco 7--Brian Jordan homered twice for the second time in less than a week and Terry Mulholland got the the final out for the Braves at Atlanta.

Jordan nearly had his third homer in the eighth, but a 380-foot drive was caught at the base of the wall for a sacrifice fly and his third RBI of the game.

Chipper Jones also homered and drove in two runs for the Braves, Andres Galarraga had three RBIs and Tom Glavine picked up his sixth win despite lasting only 5 1/33 innings in his shortest start this season.

San Diego 7, Florida 3--Phil Nevin hit a pair of two-run homers and matched his career high with five RBIs at Miami as the Padres won their second in a row after an eight-game losing streak.

Sterling Hitchcock (1-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings for his first win in nine starts this season.

San Diego’s Tony Gwynn, sidelined since April 29 because of an injured left knee, was two for four.

St. Louis 8, Philadelphia 2--Pitcher Andy Benes (3-2) hit his seventh home in 641 career at-bats, and struck out eight in seven innings and Jim Edmonds hit his 13th homer and drove in three runs for the Cardinals at Philadelphia.

Robert Person (3-2) allowed seven runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He also hit two batters and both scored. Philadelphia has lost four in a row.

Edmonds’ 442-foot homer in the first was only the 16th home run in the right-field upper deck in the 29-year history of Veterans Stadium.

Cincinnati 6, Pittsburgh 2--Michael Tucker hit a sacrifice fly and stole home on a pickoff attempt and Barry Larkin returned to the lineup for the first time since April 21 at Cincinnati as the Reds won for the eighth time in nine games.

Larkin, who tore tissue in the middle finger on his glove hand while diving for a ball, still can’t make a tight fist and has swelling in the hand. He persuaded the Reds to activate him from the disabled list and went 0 for 3 with a two walks and a stolen base.

Milwaukee 6, Houston 5--Right fielder Roger Cedeno’s error on a fly ball hit by Henry Blanco allowed Marquis Grissom to score in the 16th inning at Milwaukee.