Pelfrey beats Lincecum to win 5th straight start

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NEW YORK — Mike Pelfrey outpitched All-Star Tim Lincecum to win his fifth straight start, Carlos Beltran drove in four runs and the surging New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants 7-0 on Tuesday night.

Beltran hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Carlos Delgado also connected off Lincecum (10-2) to help the Mets win their fourth in a row. After taking the final three contests of a four-game series in Philadelphia last weekend, New York is suddenly only 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East.

Two of the three hits Pelfrey (7-6) allowed over seven sharp innings were infield singles. He struck out five and walked none in a dominant performance, pushing the Mets (46-44) two games above .500 for the first time since May 20.

Fernando Tatis added a 450-foot solo homer in the eighth off Kevin Correia. Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Smith each worked a perfect inning to complete New York's third shutout this season.

Blanked for the sixth time, the Giants were outhit 14-3.

Lincecum, selected to his first All-Star team Sunday, allowed a season-high nine hits in six innings. He struck out four, increasing his NL-high total to 126.

The 24-year-old right-hander was 6-0 in 12 starts since his other loss, 3-2 against Colorado on April 29.

Pelfrey is also 24. He hasn't emerged as quickly as Lincecum, but the 6-foot-7 right-hander appears to be coming into his own this summer.

Pelfrey hasn't lost in eight outings since dropping his sixth start in a row May 26 against Florida. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first and threw 73 of his 113 pitches for strikes.

Lincecum gave up a one-out single to Endy Chavez in a 32-pitch first inning, then walked David Wright. Beltran lofted a 2-2 delivery to right that carried over the fence for his 250th career home run.

Delgado added a 435-foot drive to right-center with two outs in the sixth for his 16th of the season and fifth in the past 13 games.

Argenis Reyes opened the seventh with a pinch-hit single off Jack Taschner for his first major league hit. Jose Reyes reached on a bunt single, and the Mets made it 6-0 on two-out RBI singles by Beltran and Damion Easley.

Notes:@ The Giants recalled INF Eugenio Velez from Triple-A Fresno. ... Lincecum has given up only seven home runs all season. ... The Mets put RF Ryan Church on the 15-day disabled list again with post-concussion syndrome and recalled OF-1B Nick Evans from Double-A Binghamton. ... New York LF Moises Alou (strained left calf) went 1-for-3 in a rehab game for Binghamton. He played five innings in left field during the opener of a doubleheader. ... Easley extended his hitting streak to 10 games. ... It was New York Jets night at Shea Stadium as the Mets saluted their former housemates from the NFL.

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