Mets get stellar pitching in 3-0 win over Rockies

Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:55 PM EDT

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NEW YORK — Jose Reyes homered and the resilient New York bullpen shut down the Colorado Rockies after Pedro Martinez left with a sore shoulder, combining on a one-hitter in the Mets' 3-0 victory on Saturday.

Fernando Tatis and Brian Schneider also drove in runs for the Mets (50-44), who have won eight straight for the first time since June 7-15, 2006. They're a season-best six games over .500.

Martinez cruised through the first three innings without allowing a hit before walking Matt Holliday on five pitches and immediately motioning to the dugout. Manager Jerry Manuel and a trainer came out for a short visit, but Martinez stayed in the game.

Brad Hawpe singled for the Rockies' only hit, but Martinez escaped the fourth inning when Chris Iannetta grounded into a double play.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner was replaced by Carlos Muniz to start the fifth. The team said Martinez had tightness in his right shoulder — the same shoulder he had surgery on late in 2006 and forced him to miss much of last season.

Muniz (1-1) pitched two hitless innings, Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis went an inning each, and Billy Wagner worked a perfect ninth to wrap up the Mets' 17th win in 19 games against the Rockies at Shea Stadium. It was Wagner's 22nd save in 28 chances.

They'll go for a sweep with Mike Pelfrey on the mound against Mark Redman on Sunday.

The Mets bullpen has pitched 18 1-3 innings of shutout ball this homestand, again confounding a Colorado club that suddenly can't score. The Mets pitching staff hasn't allowed more than three hits in a franchise-best five straight games.

The Rockies have dropped five of seven since a season-best five-game winning streak. The defending NL champs managed only five base runners a day after blowing bases-loaded chances three straight innings in a 2-1 loss.

The offensive ineptitude squandered a second consecutive serviceable start by Ubaldo Jimenez (4-9), who constantly challenged the Mets with a 98-mph fastball.

Fresh off his first road win in 12 starts, Jimenez needed just seven pitches to get through the first inning and didn't allow a hit until Carlos Beltran doubled in the fourth. Beltran stole third and scored on a base hit by Tatis.

Reyes homered to deep right-center leading off the fifth, his 10th of the year, and the Mets made it 3-0 in the sixth when Carlos Delgado reached on a base hit and Schneider slipped a double past first baseman Jeff Baker and down the line.

After going career-high eight innings to beat Martinez the last time he faced the Mets, Jimenez gave up seven hits over six innings. He struck out eight, throwing 110 pitches.

Notes:@ Argenis Reyes stole his first career base in the fifth inning. The Mets were 4-for-4 stealing against Iannetta. ... Mets OF Angel Pagan (shoulder), rehabbing at Class A St. Lucie, could be back after the All-Star break, general manager Omar Minaya said. ... Mets 2B Damion Easley, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Friday night, was out of the lineup to rest a sore quad. ... Rockies OF Willy Taveras was out of the starting lineup to rest his ailing quad. He pinch hit in the eighth inning and flied out to center.