Jeers Fuel Cardinals’ Martinez

Tino Martinez loved hearing the boos at Shea Stadium.

“I know the Mets fans respect what we’ve done,” he said.

While he still thinks of the Yankees as “we,” on Wednesday night Martinez sparked his new team, the St. Louis Cardinals, to a 4-2 victory over the Mets at New York that ended a five-game losing streak.

Martinez, batting only .161 with seven runs batted in before the game, had three hits. He drove in St. Louis’ first run with a double and had a single ahead of pinch-hitter Eduardo Perez’s tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth.

Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa wasn’t sure about starting the left-handed-hitting Martinez against Al Leiter (2-1). Martinez was three for 20 against the left-hander with one extra-base hit.

“When a guy is working really hard to get hits, Leiter is not a guy to get well against,” La Russa said.

Martinez spoke with La Russa, then asked Cardinal starter Darryl Kile (1-0) whether he wanted him in the lineup. Kile said sure, and Martinez gave the go-ahead.

Martinez shortened his swing, doubling to left in the second on a slider he flicked into short left.

With the score tied, 1-1, in the eighth, Martinez sent a 1-and-1 curveball into short center, ending Leiter’s streak of 16 consecutive batters retired. Booed even more loudly in the ninth by the crowd of 22,938, Martinez singled against David Weathers.

“I’m enjoying it,” Martinez said. “I love playing here. It’s a great atmosphere. The fans are really intense.”

San Diego 7, Philadelphia 2--Tom Lampkin homered, doubled and drove in three runs at Philadelphia to end an 0-for-39 drought by San Diego catchers.

Lampkin, who was one for 33 before the game, homered in the second inning against Robert Person (0-3) and had a run-scoring double in the sixth inning.

Brian Lawrence (3-1) gave up two runs and six hits in 62/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. Lawrence had a three-hit shutout before giving up a home run to Tomas Perez with one out in the seventh.

Atlanta 4, Arizona 3--Catcher Henry Blanco didn’t start. John Foster didn’t even expect to be in Atlanta. Together, they helped the Braves finally beat the Diamondbacks at Turner Field.

Blanco, who came in after Javy Lopez was injured, drove in the tiebreaking run with a hit in the eighth inning and Foster (1-0), called up from triple-A earlier in the day, won in his major league debut. He pitched a hitless eighth.

“It’s awesome,” Foster said. “All of this in one day. First, getting called up. Then, getting the win.”

The Braves had lost seven in a row at home to the Diamondbacks, including three in last year’s NL championship series.

Houston 7, Florida 4--Roy Oswalt was coughing, sniffling, sneezing and struggling to breathe before his start. He may have felt ill, but he didn’t look it against the Marlins.

Oswalt (3-0) gave up five hits in seven solid innings, and Lance Berkman hit his major league-leading 10th home run to lead the Astros at Miami.

Oswalt won for the first time in three starts. He gave up two runs, one earned, struck out eight and walked four.

He lowered his earned-run average to 1.91 in 33 innings and extended his scoreless streak to 18 innings, until Charles Johnson ended it with a run-scoring double in the seventh.

Chicago 10, San Francisco 4--Fred McGriff drove in a season-high four runs at Chicago and Joe Borowski got his first victory since 1998.

Mark Bellhorn had a two-run homer for the Cubs, who won for only the second time in seven games.

David Bell hit a solo homer and Tsuyoshi Shinjo drove in two runs for the Giants, who were without Barry Bonds

With the temperature dropping, a wet field and a day game today, Bonds got the night off to rest his sore hamstring.

Cincinnati 4, Colorado 3--Juan Encarnacion’s two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Reds in a rain-delayed game that ended at 12:45 a.m. EDT.

Only about 100 fans were huddled in the stands--most of them plopped back in their plastic chairs--when the Reds scored against Jose Jimenez (0-2), the fifth Rocky pitcher.

Austin Kearns had a broken-bat single, was bunted to second and moved to third on Brady Clark’s groundout. After Barry Larkin was intentionally walked, Encarnacion lined a single to center.

Scott Williamson (1-0) escaped threats in the eighth and ninth for his first victory since Aug. 12, 2000. Williamson, the NL’s rookie of the year in 2000, sat out most of last season because of elbow surgery.