New York Mets sneak past Houston Astros 6-4 – MLB Recap
Bud Norris had an impressive start fall apart and Jeff Fulchino allowed the go-ahead home-run as the Houston Astros' bullpen blew another save in a 6-4 loss to the New York Mets, at Minute Maid Park, Houston on Friday, May 13.
Carlos Lee took Houston to a 1-0 edge with a sacrifice fly that scored Norris in the third.
"I'm not going to lie and say it's not frustrating because it is frustrating to not win a game," said Chris Johnson, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI. "But that's baseball, and we have another one tomorrow."
Dillon Gee allowed five hits and four earned runs, three in the sixth inning, in the no-decision.
Gee struck out a career-high six through five-plus innings but also knotted his career high for walks with four. He was done after giving up Johnson an RBI double that gave Houston a 2-0 edge.
Pat Misch threw one hitless inning for New York in the winning effort.
In the sixth, Bill Hall followed Johnson's double with a run-scoring single off Ryota Igarashi and then Johnson took advantage for a 4-0 lead when Humberto Quintero reached on an error by first baseman Daniel Murphy.
The Mets were not done with the homers. Fulchino then came in after Norris walked Jose Reyes with one out in the eighth and Jeff got Josh Thole to fly-out, then served up a slider on a 2-1 count. Reyes walked and with two outs, David Wright homered off reliever Fulchino
into the Crawford Boxes in left-field for a two-run homer that provided New York their first advantage of the game.
The Mets did not trail after that, as Jason Bay got the Mets going with a solo shot in the seventh and pinch-hitter Fernando Martinez cut the margin to 4-3 with a long, two-run drive in the eighth.
Lee and Chris Johnson each had two hits and drove in a run for Houston, which had runners at the corners with two outs in the eighth. Francisco Rodriguez struck out pinch-hitter Jason Michaels to end the inning.
Jason Pridie added an RBI double in the ninth, preserving the Mets’ third consecutive victory and sixth in eight games.
"I should've gotten out of that inning," Norris said. "I should have made some better pitches. The guy came off the bench and hit a home run. I have to tip my cap to him. A (heck) of a swing. Not the best pitch but not the worst pitch. I had him where I
wanted him. I'm (upset) that I let this one get away."
Norris gave up five hits and four runs with eight strike-outs in seven innings but did not figure in the decision.
Fulchino dropped to 0-1 while also being tagged for the blown save.
Houston could look back at all the scoring opportunities they wasted that came back to haunt them.
A three-run sixth inning that could have been an advantage had Michael Bourn not grounded into a double play that had Hall out at home plate to end the inning.
An eighth inning that saw pinch-hitter Jason Michaels strike-out to end the inning with the tying run at third.
The second inning saw Lee thrown out at home-plate with no outs and runners safe at first and second. A groundout and a pop-out later, New York had escaped unscathed.
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