Mets maul Johnson to snap four-game skid

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Steve Trachsel pitched six strong
innings for his fifth straight victory and the New York Mets
roughed up Randy Johnson for the second time as the Mets beat
the New York Yankees 8-3 in interleague play on Saturday at
Yankee Stadium.

Trachsel (7-4) allowed two runs on seven hits while
striking out three and walking four as the Mets evened the
Subway Series after being held to just one hit in the
rain-delayed series opener Friday night.

Mets manager Willie Randolph was relieved his team’s
four-game losing streak was over.

“You want to stop the bleeding, the avalanche, whatever you
want to call it,” Randolph told reporters.

While Trachsel was controlling the Yankees until he left
the game in the bottom of the seventh with tightness in his
right groin, the Mets were battering around Johnson, who had
made three strong starts in a row for the Yankees.

But as they did in their previous outing against Johnson
earlier this season, the Mets again pounded The Big Unit for
eight runs on eight hits in six innings.

Johnson (9-7) struck out seven and walked three and is 0-1
with an 11.45 ERA in his two starts against the Mets this
season.

WALKED TWICE

“I felt like my stuff was there,” Johnson told reporters.

“I know I pitched bad and I gave up eight runs, but I felt
better than what the linescore indicates.”

Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner finished up on the mound for
the Mets, with the three pitchers combining on a nine-hitter.

The Mets snapped a 2-2 tie by scoring five runs off Johnson
in the fourth inning, with Ramon Castro and Paul Lo Duca both
contributing two-run singles in the inning to put the Mets
ahead for good.

Lo Duca wound up with three of the Mets 10 hits and scored
a run while Castro had two hits to go with his two RBI. Jose
Reyes also had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run and
Eli Marrero hit a solo homer in the sixth for the winners.

David Wright had a two-run double for the Mets in the first
inning to open the scoring and also walked twice.

Alex Rodriguez, who has been booed mercilessly by Yankee
fans recently, had two hits and drove in a pair of runs for the
Yankees, while hitting his 17th home run of the season, a solo
blast, in the eighth.

Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter and Miguel Cabrera all also had
two hits for the Yankees.

In Chicago, A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-out, three-run homer
in the top of the ninth inning to rally the White Sox past the
Cubs 8-6 at Wrigley Field.

Pierzynski’s blast off Cubs closer Ryan Dempster gave the
White Sox their 13th win in their last 15 games and angered
Cubs fans, who pelted the field with debris resulting in a
five-minute delay after the homer.

The sinking Cubs have lost eight of their past nine and
have the third worst record in the major leagues.

Pierzynski and Joe Crede both had three hits for the White
Sox, who had 15 hits, and Crede, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome all
also hit home runs for the defending World Series champions.

Neal Cotts (1-2) got one out in the eighth to get credit
for the win and Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth for his
25th save.

Dempster (1-5) took the loss, charged with three runs on
two hits in the ninth and suffered his fifth blown save of the
season.

Aramis Ramirez homered, had three hits and drove in five
runs for the Cubs, while Jacque Jones also homered.