Fri May 4, 2:47 AM
(CP) - The New York Mets feel so comfortable in Chase Field, they might as well call it home.
The Mets have won 11 straight games in the hitter-friendly home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Thursday night's 9-4 victory topped them all. Damion Easley and David Wright each hit three-run homers in the ninth inning as the Mets extended their domination in the desert.
Aaron Heilman (2-2) earned the victory with a scoreless eighth inning.
"Nice comeback, huh?" Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "I'll tell you what, we like it here. It's comfortable. It's a great hitting ballpark."
Especially when the Mets are doing the hitting.
Elsewhere in the NL Thursday, it was: Pirates 4, Brewers 2; Astros 7, Reds 5; and Phillies 9, Giants 7.
At Phoenix, the Diamondback's last victory over the Mets in Phoenix came on May 11, 2004. In sweeping two four-game series in 2005 and 2006, New York outscored Arizona by a combined 76-16.
When Stephen Drew singled home Eric Byrnes in the second inning, it gave the Diamondbacks their first lead over the Mets in 81 innings at Chase Field, going back to May 13, 2004.
It looked like Arizona would break the streak when Orlando Hudson hit a tiebreaking homer off Tom Glavine in the sixth, giving the Diamondbacks a 4-3 lead.
But disaster struck the Diamondbacks and closer Jose Valverde (0-2) in the ninth.
And a pair of former Diamondbacks - Easley and Shawn Green - helped make it happen.
The rally began with one out and the Mets trailing 4-3. Green reached on Tony Clark's one-out fielding error. Then Valverde walked Paul LoDuca after getting ahead 0-2.
The emotional Valverde seemed to lose his poise after the walk.
"To have a guy 0-2 and it turns out where he ends up walking, that can be a little unnerving," Easley said.
On April 24, Easley hit a pinch-hit homer against Colorado in the 10th inning of a 2-1 Mets win in 12 innings.
Over in the dugout, Randolph sensed that Easley was about to come through for him again.
"I had a good feeling about that 'AB,"' Randolph said. "The pitcher was struggling a little bit, and usually when you do that, you try to get a ball over the plate, and Damion made him pay for it."
Easley took two balls, then drove a fastball from Valverde into the left-centre-field bleachers. It was Valverde's second blown save in 12 opportunities and his first since April 3 in Colorado.
"I try to make sure I'm real relaxed, and not make the moment any bigger than it is, because the bottom line is I've still got a pitch to hit and not try to do too much with it," said Easley, who lives in nearby Glendale and spent last season with the Diamondbacks.
Valverde did not speak to reporters before leaving the park.
"He seemed fine," said catcher Chris Snyder, who hit a two-run homer. "His fastball was live. He had his good stuff. But he walked some guys and got behind some hitters.
"You get behind a veteran guy like Easley, he's looking for one thing, and one thing only," Snyder said. "He got it and did what he's supposed to do with it."
Valverde's meltdown cost Micah Owings his second career victory. Owings allowed three runs on five hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out five.
Owings, making his fourth major-league start, pitched on even terms with Glavine, who started his 642nd game. Glavine gave up four runs and five hits in six innings, walking none and striking out four.
After Easley's homer, Valverde walked pinch-hitter Julio Franco and gave up a single to Jose Reyes before manager Bob Melvin lifted him.
"He's been as good as any closer in the league," Melvin said. "He just didn't finish one out."
Wright greeted Dustin Nippert with a three-run homer, his second.
"When good teams smell it like that, we go for it," Randolph said.
Pirates 4, Brewers 2
At Milwaukee, Jose Bautista and Ronny Paulino hit consecutive home runs in a four-run seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to stop the Milwaukee Brewers' four-game winning streak.
Astros 7, Reds 5
At Houston, Luke Scott hit a go-ahead, two-run double in a three-run eighth off Mike Stanton (1-1) and Craig Biggio followed with an RBI double as Cincinnati overcame a 5-4 deficit.
Phillies 9, Giants 7
At San Francisco, Jimmy Rollins had two triples and drove in two runs and Philadelphia starter Adam Eaton beat San Francisco for the first time in nearly six years.
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The Toronto Blue Jays can't to get out of Cleveland fast enough.
Grady Sizemore hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning to help the Indians beat the Blue Jays 6-5 Thursday night, capping a three-game sweep.
It was a tough series for the Blue Jays. Toronto hit three home runs off Indians ace C.C. Sabathia in the first inning of the opener, but dropped a 12-4 decision. The Indians won Wednesday night's game 7-6 in 12 innings.
"It's good to get out of town, I'll tell you that," Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
Victor Martinez had four hits for the Indians, which fell behind in Cliff Lee's first start of the season but came back for its 10th win in 11 games following a 7-7 start.
Mike Rouse, who had been 1-for-19 this season, singled with two outs in the eighth against Jason Frasor (1-1). Josh Barfield singled Rouse to third and Sizemore hit a 3-2 pitch to right-centre.
"I got ahead in the count, which helped because he had to stay around the plate," Sizemore said. "I was looking for something I could drive and I hit it up the gap."
Sizemore's drive bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.
"I tried to sneak in a pitch and he got into it," Frasor said.
Elsewhere in the AL Thursday, it was: Yankees 4, Rangers 3, Game 1, Yankees 5, Rangers 2, Game 2; Royals 5, Angels 2; Devil Rays 6, Twins 4; and Red Sox 8, Mariners 7.
At Cleveland, Aaron Fultz (3-0) pitched the eighth, and Joe Borowski finished for his 10th save in 11 chances.
Barfield was thrown out at the plate in the fourth when he ran standing up into catcher Jason Phillips, triggering players from dugouts and bullpens to run onto the field. No punches were thrown and no one was ejected.
Lee, sidelined since early in spring training because of a pulled abdominal muscle, was activated before the game and allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings. He struck out four, walked one and threw 97 pitches.
"I don't think I'm ever happy giving up five runs in six innings, but we won," he said. "That's the main thing."
Toronto's Dustin McGowan, starting because Gustavo Chacin went on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, gave up five runs, six hits and five walks in five innings in his first start of the season.
Phillips' RBI double and Fredericton's Matt Stairs' run-scoring grounder put Toronto ahead in the second, and Troy Glaus' two-run homer made it 4-0 in the third.
Cleveland pulled within a run in the bottom half on RBI singles from Barfield and Martinez around a run-scoring wild pitch.
"We had a lot of big hits," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "A lot of guys stepped up and had good at-bats. That's been a big key for us."
Barfield tried to score from first base with two outs in the fourth when centre fielder Alex Rios dropped Sizemore's sinking line drive for an error. David Dellucci, the Indians' on-deck hitter, and players ran onto the field after that. A fan seated behind home plate also ran on the field and he raced toward centre field. He took his shirt off, attempted a back flip, went prone on the field and put his hands behind his back before being arrested.
"It was kind of an awkward play, but it wasn't a cheap shot," Barfield said. "I ran into him, but it was just a baseball play."
"I got excited," Phillips said. "I hadn't been run over in a while. Dellucci was sticking up for his teammate."
After Phillips doubled in the sixth, he and Barfield talked about the play.
"He was yelling after I ran into him, but he said he wasn't yelling at me," Barfield said. "It's over with. We'll put it behind us."
Martinez tied the game with another RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Garko put the Indians ahead 5-4 when he drove in a run with his first career triple. Phillips' RBI double retied it in the sixth.
Yankees 4, Rangers 3, 1st game; Yankees 5, Rangers 2, 2nd game
At Arlington, Texas, the bullpen didn't hold the lead for Andy Pettitte but held for Mike Mussina in his return from the disabled list. With Hideki Matsui hitting a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning of the opener and Doug Mientkiewicz supplying an early two-run homer in the second game, the Yankees beat Texas to sweep a three-game series from the Rangers.
Royals 5, Angels 2
At Kansas City, Mo., Gil Meche allowed two hits in seven innings, retiring 17 straight batters after Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer in the first and leading Kansas City.
Devil Rays 6, Twins 4
At St. Petersburg, Fla., James Shields gave up three runs over 7 1-3 innings and Rocco Baldelli had a two-run homer as Tampa Bay beat Minnesota.
Red Sox 8, Mariners 7
At Boston, Manny Ramirez stood and admired his second homer of the game as it flew into the right-centre field bleachers in the eighth inning to help Boston.
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