Maddux, Braves Shutout Mets

Greg Maddux once again is showing why he's been the best pitcher in the National League this decade.

Maddux allowed only two hits in eight innings Sunday in his best outing of the season to help the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 1-0.

"I think I located the ball better and they hit some balls right at some people. That helped," Maddux said.

Atlanta has won nine of 12 games. The Mets, who had won five in a row, before losing two straight to the Braves, have won 15 of their last 20 games.

Maddux (7-5) walked two and struck out six before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning after throwing 93 pitches. He lowered his ERA to 3.87 and has given up only two earned runs in his last 21 2-3 innings (0.83).

The four-time Cy Young award winner started the season 4-0 but did not win a game during May.

"The difference today? Not a whole lot," said Maddux, who has given up a league-high 134 hits in 107 innings.

"I don't think when I was going bad that I was that bad and when I'm pitching good, I don't think I'm that good," he said.

It was good enough for Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.

"He's been throwing well for a long time," he said.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine agreed.

"His breaking ball was his big pitch. He threw hard. He has lots of confidence he can throw (the curve) for strikes," said Valentine.

John Rocker allowed two baserunners in the ninth inning before striking out Robin Ventura for his 16th save in 19 opportunities.

Maddux only threw 93 pitches, but Cox felt eight innings were enough in the muggy weather.

"He ran out of gas and Rocker came in and blew them away," Cox said.

New York's Masto Yoshii (6-6) was nearly as good as Maddux, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out four in seven innings.

Yoshii gave up Atlanta's only run in the third when Eddie Perez singled with one out, reached second on a sacrifice by Maddux and scored on an RBI double by Ozzie Guillen.

Yoshii, who twisted his knee warming up, said initially the pain was intense and he thought he might not be able to start.

"But after the first pitch in the bullpen, it was OK. But I did feel the pain throughout the game," he said through an interpreter.

It was the second consecutive strong outing by an Atlanta starter who had been struggling. Tom Glavine (6-7) allowed four hits in the Braves' 7-2 win over the Mets on Saturday night.

"That's the Glavine and Maddux of old. Ain't that nice," said Braves general manager John Schuerholz.

Both hits off Maddux came in the fifth inning when Brian McRae and Roger Cedeno singled with two outs. Maddux, however, got Rey Ordonez to ground out to second.

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