Blooming Ideas

Usually I'm in front of the TV ready to watch the Mets from the opening pitch. But today I didn't get home until 10:30 and was planning to rerun the game on DVR. I clicked on the bathroom radio first and heard Howie Rose still announcing. It was the 13th inning! How could that be? Then I heard the score: 0-0. That shouldn't have come as a big surprise, with Pedro Martinez and Brandon Webb facing off.

Martinez tossed 8 shutout innings (5 hits, 8 Ks, no walks) and Webb 7 (4 hits, 5 Ks, 1 BB). Webb has now pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.01.

Billy Wagner and Duaner Sanchez gave the Mets 5 more shutout innings, extending the game long enough for the Mets to walk-off with another victory (their 8th so far) - this time provided by Endy Chavez, who drove in Jose Valentin in the 13th. Sanchez (3-0) got the win, but Martinez will have to wait another start to notch his 6th. He hasn't won in his last 6 games. But knowing Martinez, he must have felt that he left the mound in the 8th inning a winner - just like he said last time out against the Marlins when he exited with a 2-1 deficit and lost his first game of the season.

Lastings Milledge, in his second game, showed off his powerful arm in the 6th, when he pegged out Craig Counsell en route to 3B on a single. He threw a perfect strike to David Wright. The one negative note was a possible injury suffered by Carlos Beltran, who had to leave the game.

The Mets (32-20) lead the Braves (28-25), who beat the Dodgers, 9-3, by 4.5 games and the Phillies (27-25), who lost to Nationals, 3-2, by 5. The Giants and Barry Bonds come to town Friday for a 3-game series. Tom Glavine will try to win his 9th game in the opener.

Around the horn
• The Yankees (31-20) won their third in a row in Detroit, 6-1, behind Mike Mussina (7-1), who tossed a complete game 6-hitter. The Red Sox (31-20) knocked off the Blue Jays, 8-6, and are now in a dead heat with the Yanks. The Yankees will attempt to sweep the Tigers tonight.

On the hardwood
• The Pistons forced a Game 6 in the Eastern Finals, defeating the Heat in Detroit last night, 91-78. The Heat can finish off the Pistons at home on Friday night. Phoenix heads to Dallas for Game 5 of the knotted Western Finals tonight.