Mets Rally In 8th To Top Cubs

Come to Wrigley Field and confront the elements. That's what the New York Mets did Friday. The wind was raging, the temperatures were football-like and the sun was making every ball hit to right field an adventure.

But after they'd lost two fly balls in the glare and turned them into extra base hits and fallen behind 5-2, the Mets found something they could handle very easily the struggling Chicago Cubs' bullpen.

Todd Pratt hit a two-run single to tie the game in a three-run eighth and Rey Ordonez delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth as the Mets rallied for a 6-5 victory.

"I wish I had a word or a group of words to describe that game," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "I don't have the vocabulary. Everything happened."

Jermaine Allensworth, who'd been put in the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth one inning after Bobby Bonilla lost a fly by Benito Santiago in the sun for a double didn't do much better. He lost another fly by Santiago, this one for a two-run triple.

It looked like it wasn't the Mets' day.

"That's mother nature. I saw the ball well off the bat," Allensworth said. "And I almost got three teeth knocked out. That tells you what I know. The crowd was tough on me, yelling `Triple-A' or `Port St. Lucie' or `tee ball.' That's part of the game."

Part of Steve Trachsel's game this season has been to suffer tough losses when the Cubs' bullpen falters.

Trachsel, who failed for the fourth time to get his first win, took a shutout into the ninth of his previous start against Milwaukee before the Brewers pounded Cubs' relievers and scored five times. He led 5-2 headed into the eighth Friday.

"I'm not breaking things like I used to. I guess it's maturity or ignorance. I've been here six years. It's not the first time it's happened. It happened five days ago," Trachsel said.

Roger Cedeno led off the ninth off Rod Beck (1-2) with a single, stole second and raced to third on catcher Tyler Houston's overthrow. After John Olerud was walked intentionally with one out, pinch-hitter Matt Franco walked to load the bases before Ordonez hit a fly to right.

"It's a damn shame. A horrible game to lose," said Beck, whose last three appearances have featured a loss and two blown saves. "It's getting way too familiar."

Dennis Cook (3-0), who allowed one hit and a run in 1 2-3 innings of relief, got the victory on a shivering day. John Franco pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save. The game-time temperature was 44 with a wind gusting to 36 mph.

In the eighth, Edgardo Alfonzo opened with a single and Allensworth also singled to finish Trachsel. Robin Ventura greeted Felix Heredia with an RBI double before Brian McRae walked to load the bases off Matt Karchner.

Pratt, playing for the injured Mike Piazza, then hit a two-run single that caromed off the pitching rubber into center to tie the game.

Chicago trailed 1-0 in the sixth when Lance Johnson singled, stole second, moved to third when Sammy Sosa's hard hop grounder eluded shortstop Luis Lopez for a single and scored on Mark Grace's sacrifice fly.

Henry Rodriguez followed with a single, sending Sosa to third before Santiago lifted another fly to right. And when Allensworth missed it, both runners scored for a 3-1 lead.

"When the sun is in right field and the ball doesn't go high, it stays on the sun's plane and you're going to miss it," Valentine said.

Lopez's RBI single in the fifth, after singles by Brian McRae and Pratt and a wild pitch by Trachsel, gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Lopez hit another RBI single in the seventh to make it 3-2.

Once again the Mets had trouble in the field. After a seventh-inning single by Gary Gaetti, reliever Josias Manzanillo and first baseman John Olerud collided on Trachsel's popup. Olerud made the catch but elbowed Manzanillo in the head.

Cook then relieved and gave up an RBI triple to Johnson and a run-scoring sacrifice bunt to Mickey Morandini that made it 5-2. Notes: The Cubs announced after the game they had released Hideo Nomo, who had made three starts for their Triple-A Iowa farm club. Cubs general manager Ed Lynch asked Nomo's agent if his client if he would make two more minor league starts and he declined. ... Mike Piazza, on the disabled list since April 12 with a sprained knee, is expected to be activated for Sunday's game against the Cubs. ... ESPN's Dan Patrick sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." ... Pratt has 11 RBIs in his last 12 games.

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