Extended Box

NY METS (7) VS CHICAGO CUBS (4) - FINAL

NY METS                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
J Reyes ss              5  0  1  0   0  1   1  .259
M Cameron rf            5  1  2  0   0  2   0  .526
C Beltran cf            4  2  2  0   1  1   2  .316
C Floyd lf              5  1  2  0   0  1   4  .356
M Piazza c              5  1  2  4   0  1   2  .238
 B Looper p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
D Mientkiewicz 1b       5  1  2  2   0  2   2  .238
D Wright 3b             4  0  0  0   0  1   2  .255
K Matsui 2b             3  1  1  1   0  2   1  .241
 D Koo p                0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 M DeJean p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 a-M Anderson ph        1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .414
 H Bell p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 R Castro c             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .192
A Heilman p             1  0  0  0   1  1   0  .000
 M Cairo 2b             2  0  0  0   0  0   1  .263

Totals                 40  7 13  7   2 12  15

a-singled to right for M Dejean in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - M Cameron (3, C Bartosh). HR - M Piazza (6, 1st inning off J
Leicester 2 on, 2 Out), K Matsui (2, 2nd inning off J Leicester 0 on, 1 Out), D
Mientkiewicz (6, 8th inning off L Hawkins 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - M Piazza 4 (22),
K Matsui (9), D Mientkiewicz 2 (15). 2-out RBI - M Piazza 4, D Mientkiewicz.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Floyd 2, D Mientkiewicz 1, D Wright
1. Team LOB - 9.

FIELDING: E - D Wright (5, throw). Outfield assists - C Floyd (A Ramirez at
2nd base). DP: 1 (D Mientkiewicz-J Reyes-D Mientkiewicz).


CHICAGO CUBS           ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Patterson cf          5  0  2  0   0  0   1  .256
N Perez ss-2b           4  1  1  0   1  1   3  .295
D Lee 1b                3  1  1  0   2  2   3  .393
A Ramirez 3b            4  0  1  0   0  0   4  .259
J Burnitz rf            4  1  2  1   0  1   0  .288
M Barrett c             4  1  1  3   0  2   1  .253
T Hollandsworth lf      4  0  0  0   0  2   1  .211
J Hairston Jr 2b        3  0  1  0   0  0   0  .247
 M Remlinger p          0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 L Hawkins p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 b-B Grieve ph          1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .300
 R Dempster p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .077
J Leicester p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 T Wellemeyer p         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 a-J Dubois ph          1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .290
 C Bartosh p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0 1.000
 R Cedeno ss            1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .250
 c-J Macias ph          1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .241

Totals                 35  4 10  4   3  8  15

a-flied out to right for T Wellemeyer in the 5th;  b-flied out to left for L
Hawkins in the 8th;  c-doubled to left for R Cedeno in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - N Perez (3, A Heilman); J Macias (2, B Looper). HR - M Barrett
(4, 6th inning off D Koo 2 on, 1 Out). S - J Leicester. RBI - J Burnitz (19), M
Barrett 3 (15). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Lee 2, A Ramirez 2,
C Patterson 1. GIDP - N Perez. Team LOB - 8.

BASERUNNING: SB - D Lee (7, 2nd base off A Heilman/M Piazza), C Patterson (2,
2nd base off M DeJean/M Piazza).


----------------------------------------------------
    NY METS         - 310 000 012   --   7
    CHICAGO CUBS    - 000 004 000   --   4
----------------------------------------------------

NY METS                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
A Heilman                     5 1/3   5   2   2   2   4   0   4.08
D Koo (B, 1)                  1 1/3   3   2   2   0   2   1   5.00
M DeJean (W, 2-1)               1/3   0   0   0   1   0   0   6.00
H Bell (H, 2)                 1       1   0   0   0   1   0   3.37
B Looper (S, 8)               1       1   0   0   0   1   0   4.61

CHICAGO CUBS                 ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
J Leicester                   3       5   4   4   1   3   2   9.00
T Wellemeyer                  2       0   0   0   1   3   0   2.70
C Bartosh                     1 1/3   2   0   0   0   3   0   2.45
M Remlinger                     2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   4.50
L Hawkins (L, 1-4)            1       2   1   1   0   0   1   4.26
R Dempster                    1       4   2   2   0   2   0   5.71

IBB - D Lee (by M DeJean). HBP - D Wright (by C Bartosh). Pitches-strikes: A
Heilman 96-59; D Koo 21-17; M DeJean 11-4; H Bell 13-9; B Looper 14-10; J
Leicester 59-37; T Wellemeyer 26-17; C Bartosh 33-20; M Remlinger 5-5; L
Hawkins 17-9; R Dempster 27-19. Ground balls-fly balls: A Heilman 8-3; D Koo
2-0; M DeJean 1-0; H Bell 0-2; B Looper 1-1; J Leicester 2-4; T Wellemeyer 2-1;
C Bartosh 0-1; M Remlinger 0-1; L Hawkins 3-0; R Dempster 1-0. Batters faced: A
Heilman 22; D Koo 7; M DeJean 2; H Bell 4; B Looper 4; J Leicester 15; T
Wellemeyer 7; C Bartosh 7; M Remlinger 2; L Hawkins 5; R Dempster 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Sam Holbrook. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Randy Marsh. 3B--Larry Vanover.

T--3:11. (Plus 2 rain delays totaling 94 minutes in the 1st, 2nd).
Att--37,562.
Weather: 64 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, out to left.
 

How They Scored

NY METS 1ST:   J Reyes flied out to left.  M Cameron struck out swinging.
C Beltran reached on infield single to shortstop.  C Floyd singled to right,
C Beltran to third.  M Piazza homered to left center, C Beltran and C Floyd
scored.  D Mientkiewicz struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
NY METS 3, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

NY METS 2ND:   D Wright flied out to right.  K Matsui homered to left.
A Heilman struck out looking.  J Reyes grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors)  NY METS 4, CHICAGO CUBS 0.

CHICAGO CUBS 6TH:   N Perez doubled to deep right.  D Lee walked.  A Ramirez
flied out to right, N Perez to third.  D Koo relieved A Heilman. M Cairo at
second base. J Burnitz singled to center, N Perez scored, D Lee to second.
M Barrett homered to left center, D Lee and J Burnitz scored.  T Hollandsworth
struck out swinging.  J Hairston Jr grounded out to second. (4 Runs, 3 Hits,
0 Errors)  NY METS 4, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

NY METS 8TH:   L Hawkins relieved M Remlinger. M Piazza grounded out to
pitcher.  D Mientkiewicz homered to right.  D Wright grounded out to shortstop.
 M Anderson hit for M DeJean. M Anderson singled to right.  M Cairo grounded
out to third. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)  NY METS 5, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

NY METS 9TH:   R Dempster relieved L Hawkins. J Reyes struck out looking.
M Cameron singled to left.  C Beltran singled to center, M Cameron to third.
C Floyd struck out looking.  M Piazza singled to center, M Cameron scored,
C Beltran to third.  D Mientkiewicz singled to left, C Beltran scored, M Piazza
to second.  D Wright grounded out to pitcher. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors)
NY METS 7, CHICAGO CUBS 4.

Game Story

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- A move out of the closer's role has not
changed the fortunes of LaTroy Hawkins.

Hawkins surrendered a go-ahead home run to former teammate Doug
Mientkiewicz in the eighth inning as the New York Mets posted a
7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

After blowing his third save in seven opportunities Friday,
Hawkins had his closer's job handed to Ryan Dempster.  That left
Hawkins a setup man - a role he thrived in while with the
Minnesota Twins.

"We put him in the setup role," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said.
"He just made a bad pitch to his former teammate Mientkiewicz,
which was probably in the wrong location."

"I didn't always have success," said Hawkins, who has taken the
loss in his last three appearances. "I've been there before, but
the fans will be clapping for me again. I guarantee that.  I
know there are better days ahead."

Hawkins (1-4) entered this one with the score tied, 4-4, in the
eighth inning.  After Mike Piazza grounded out, Mientkiewicz
sent the first pitch he saw from Hawkins over the right-center
field wall to give the Mets the lead.

"I was trying to get strike one and he was swinging, that's it,"
Hawkins said.

Mientkiewicz, who played with Hawkins in Minnesota for six
seasons, added an RBI single in the ninth against Dempster as
New York scored two insurance runs.

"I am more impressed with the single in the ninth then I was
with the home run," Mientkiewicz said. "I felt almost bad for
LaTroy. He is one the best teammates I've ever had and I know he
is scuffling right now and getting a raw deal.  This is the
first time I hit a home run and felt guilty about it."

Staked to a 4-0 lead, Mets starter Aaron Heilman cruised through
the first five innings before Neifi Perez led off the sixth
with a double.

Heilman, who pitched through two rain delays, walked Derrek Lee
and got Aramis Ramirez to fly out to right field before giving
way to Dae-Sung Koo, who surrendered an RBI single to former Met
Jeromy Burnitz and a three-run homer to Michael Barrett that
tied the score.

"Aaron did a pretty good job of staying focused," Mets manager
Willie Randolph said. "It's always tough when you are up and
down like that, but you have to deal with it and stay mentally
focused and that is pretty much what he did."

Koo got the next four outs and Mike DeJean (2-1), who took the
loss Sunday, struck out Ramirez with two runners on to get out
of the seventh.  Heath Bell pitched a scoreless eighth and
Braden Looper worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for
his eighth save in 10 chances.

Piazza gave the Mets the lead with a three-run homer against
Cubs starter Jon Leicester in the first.

Kaz Matsui hit a solo blast in the second to push New York's
advantage to four before the game was delayed for over an hour
due to rain.

Piazza, who got off to a rocky start this season, has hit four
of his six home runs in the last five games.

"I'm just trying the best I can to get a good pitch to hit,"
Piazza said. "That way I'm able to stay out of bad swings. I
don't like where my average is but in certain situations I'm
driving in runs."

Matsui's homer was his first extra-base hit since the second
game of the season.