Home Runs By Tabata, Milledge Sink Mets

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Jose Tabata hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 2-1 win over the New York Mets in the finale of a three-game series at PNC Park.

Lastings Milledge added a solo shot for Pittsburgh, which snapped a five-game slide and won for only the second time in its last 14 games overall.

Zach Duke (6-12) won for the first time since beating Colorado on July 27th. The left-hander went seven innings, surrendering one run on five hits with two walks and fanned five. Joel Hanrahan notched his second save.

Carlos Beltran knocked in the lone run with a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who had won four of six entering the series finale.

Johan Santana (10-8) was the hard-luck loser despite throwing his fourth complete game of the season and 13th of his career. The lefty gave up two runs on four hits, struck out nine and walked a batter over eight innings.

“It was a tough one. I made a couple of mistakes and it changed the whole ball game,” Santana said.

Tied at 1-1, Tabata clubbed a 1-0 changeup into the left field seats with two outs in the sixth to give the Pirates a 2-1 edge.

Duke worked a scoreless seventh and Evan Meek followed suit by working a scoreless eighth inning before Hanrahan took over for the top of the ninth. The right-hander allowed Ike Davis to reach with a leadoff single, but recovered to set down the final three hitters and preserve the victory.

“I’m proud of the way we battled to beat one of the best pitchers in the game,” Pittsburgh manager John Russell said.

New York plated a first-inning run to grab the early lead. Jose Reyes reached with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Doumit, then stole third with one out before scoring on Beltran’s sac fly.

Meanwhile, Santana had not allowed a hit until giving up a leadoff single to Pedro Alvarez to start the fifth. After Doumit bounced into a double play Milledge cracked a solo homer to center that tied the game at 1-1.

Prior to the game, New York assigned catcher Rod Barajas to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a waiver claim and recalled outfielder Jesus Feliciano from Triple- A Buffalo. Feliciano grounded out to second to end the game in a pinch-hitting appearance…The Mets won four of their seven meetings with the Bucs a year ago…Duke improved to 4-1 in seven career starts against the Mets.

Mets Deal Barajas To Los Angeles Dodgers

It can’t exactly be described as the beginning of a ‘dismantling,’ but the New York Mets have dealt veteran catcher Rod Barajas to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Barajas, 34, was hitting .225 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI for the Mets.

Mets Go For Sweep Of Pirates Today

(Sports Network) - Left-handed ace Johan Santana can pitch the New York Mets to a road sweep today when they visit PNC Park for the third and final game of a weekend series with the host Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Mets won Saturday's second game, 5-1, when David Wright hit a three-run homer to back five strong innings by Jon Niese.

Niese (8-5) gave up one run on five hits and a walk, and struck out five. The game was delayed by rain in the top of the sixth before being called final.

The win gave the Mets their first road series victory against a National League team this season.

James McDonald (2-3) allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in five innings to take the loss for the Pirates, who have dropped five in a row and 12 of 13.

Andrew McCutchen doubled twice and scored Pittsburgh's lone run.

Santana, in his third season with the Mets after eight campaigns with the Minnesota Twins, reached double-digit victories for the eighth time with a 4-0 blanking of the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 12 at Citi Field.

The win was the 132nd of his career against only 67 losses.

He's pitched once since and was beaten, 4-3, at Houston on Aug. 17 after allowing nine hits and four runs in eight innings.

Santana is 2-1 in five career matchups -- four starts -- against the Pirates, who've managed just 18 hits and six runs against him in 28 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old is 3-4 in 14 road starts in 2010 with a 2.88 earned run average.

Texas-born lefty Zach Duke goes for the Pirates with a chance to end a drought that's seen him go without a win since July 27.

The 27-year-old defeated Colorado, 4-2, at Coors Field to improve to 5-9 on the season, but is 0-3 in four starts since. Pittsburgh has lost all four of those games while scoring just four runs.

Duke last pitched Aug. 17 against Florida and took a 6-0 defeat after allowing nine hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

He is 3-1 in six career starts against New York.

The Mets won four of their seven meetings with the Bucs a year ago.