Mets, Dotel Down Marlins

Wildness by Florida's pitchers helped force Octavio Dotel out of the game early. But not before the Mets' rookie earned his first major league win.

Dotel won in his second career start as the New York Mets took advantage of 11 walks, including five by Ryan Dempster in six-run third inning, to beat the Marlins 12-8 Thursday night.

Â"My mom is happy, I'm happy,Â" said Dotel, who is from the Dominican Republic. Â"I'm keeping the game ball for my first major league win. It's not the only one coming.Â"

Dotel also was hit in the helmet by a fastball from Brian Edmondson fastball in the fifth inning. He then allowed three runs in the bottom half, cutting New York's lead to 10-5, before leaving the game.

Â"I was dizzy,Â" Dotel said. Â"I tried to be too quick because of the rain to make the game official. I wanted to go some more innings.Â"

New York, which matched its season high for runs, has won eight of 11 and is 19-6 following an eight-game losing streak. The Mets have won 10 of 13 against the Marlins, going 6-1 in the past 10 days.

Â"That's the best team we played all season,Â" Marlins manager John Boles said. Â"They've got everything.Â"

Todd Pratt was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Rickey Henderson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Every New York starter scored.

Â"It's good to be on the winning side of a game like this,Â" said Mets manager Bobby Valentine. Â"I think it must be torturous on the other side.Â"

Dempster (4-4) allowed six runs, four hits and six walks in 2 2-3 innings as Florida lost for the 13th time in 16 games overall. Kevin Millar and Danny Bautista each went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

With the game scoreless, Edgardo Alfonzo doubled with one out in the third, and Dempster forced in a run by walking Robin Ventura, Benny Agbayani and Roger Cedeno with two outs.

Â"Anytime you give up 12 runs and 11 walks youre asking for trouble,Â" Boles said. Â"We didn't pitch well, no excuses.Â"

Pratt's single made it 3-0, Rey Ordonez was intentionally walked and Dempster walked Dotel, giving the rookie his first career RBI. Henderson greeted Edmonson with a two-run single to make it 6-0.

Â"This team showed a lot of heart after the disappointing loss last night,Â" Pratt said. Â"especially with Atlanta winning this afternoon, and knowing we had to keep pace.Â"

Robin Ventura, who has 20 RBIs against the Marlins this season, had a run-scoring double in the fourth and Pratt followed with a run-scoring single.

Â"I'm trying to figure out a positive for this game,Â" Dempster said. Â"But I just can't. Awful was a pretty good way to describe it.Â"'

Florida closed to 8-2 in the bottom half on Millar's RBI triple and Preston Wilson's run-scoring groundout. Alfonzo and John Olerud hit sacrifice flies in the fifth.

Bautista hit a two-run double in the bottom half and Millar singled in a run. Archie Corbin issued three consecutive walks starting the sixth, and Ordonez hit a two-run double for a 12-5 lead.

Florida scored three times in the ninth off Greg McMichael on a run-scoring wild pitch, Bautista's RBI grounder and Millar's run-scoring single.

Â"We're tired of the Mets,Â" Millar said. Â"It feels good to get a new series going.Â"

Notes: The 11 walks allowed by the Marlins ties a club record, accomplished nine times. ... Todd Pratt got three hits for the fifth time of his career. The Mets beat the Marlins 12-3 on April 6. ... Marlins third baseman Kevin Orie didn't play due to a sore left thigh muscle. ... Ventura's 62 RBIs through June tied Dave Kingman (1976) for the most RBIs through June 30 in Mets history. ... Dempster was struck on his right shin by a Pratt liner in the second inning. ... Olerud has reached base in 74 of 76 starts this year. ... Kevin Millar's triple was the Marlins 26th this season, most in the NL and tied with Kansas City for the ML lead.

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