Mets Slug Past Phillies

Rickey Henderson sees a little of himself in Roger Cedeno.

Cedeno, the Mets' leadoff hitter while Henderson is on the disabled list, tied the club record with four steals Friday night as New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3.

"He's interested in learning about running," said Henderson, baseball's career steals leader. "I was an idol of his, and he's just thrilled about going out there and learning about it. And he's doing a good job."

John Olerud became the 14th player to reach the right-field upper deck at Veterans Stadium with one of the Mets' three homers. Robin Ventura and Edgardo Alfonzo also homered, and Yoshii's fastball was consistently clocked in the low 90s.

"I didn't change anything," said Yoshii, who allowed three solo homers and five hits in six innings for his second straight victory. "Probably the radar gun was fast here in Veterans Stadium."

Not faster than Cedeno. Coming off a 4-for-4 game Tuesday in Colorado, Cedeno was 2-for-5, scored three runs and disrupted the Phillies all night with his blazing speed. After bunting for a single in the ninth, he stole second and third before scoring on Alfonzo's infield single for the Mets' last run.

Even though he tied Vince Coleman's club record for steals, it wasn't Cedeno's personal best. He once stole six bases in a winter ball game in his native Venezuela. He's never stolen home, but would like to.

"Give me an opportunity, I'll be trying for it," said Cedeno, who has 14 steals this season.

Phillies manager Terry Francona remembers noticing Cedeno's speed when the 24-year-old was a prospect with the Dodgers.

"The way he runs, he changes a game," Francona said.

New York scored four in the first on two-run homers by Olerud and Ventura off Chad Ogea, who has given up 11 homers in 44 innings. Ogea (2-3) lasted only 4 1-3 innings. He allowed six runs

five earned and five hits, walking two and striking outhree.

Any optimism generated by the Phillies 5-1 road trip was drowned out by boos in their return to the half-empty Vet. Of course, no one was sitting anywhere near the spot in the first row of the upper deck where Olerud's blast landed in the first.

"I didn't have much of anything," Ogea said. "It was just one of those nights; kind of embarrassing."

Yoshii (3-3) also allowed three homers, all solo, including Bobby Abreu's inside-the-park homer in the second. Pinch-hitter David Doster homered off the left-field foul pole in the fifth, and Scott Rolen hit his 10th two batters later.

Yoshii had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 13 on Abreu's inside-the-parker in the second. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.

Turk Wendell and Armando Benitez each pitched a scoreless inning, and John Franco pitched the ninth but Cedeno stole his save opportunity by scoring in the ninth. Rico Brogna just missed a two-run homer off Benitez in the eighth as Cedeno made a leaping catch in front of the wall.

"When I got back to the wall, I jumped and that's when I realized I had the ball," Cedeno said.

The game began strangely enough with Brogna kicking Cedeno's grounder to first for a rare error leading off the game. Cedeno was running on the pitch when Alfonzo grounded to short, so the Phillies couldn't force him at second. It would prove costly.

Olerud hit Ogea's 1-2 pitch 414 feet into the first row of the upper deck in right for a two-run homer, his seventh, to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. After Mike Piazza walked, Ventura hit another 1-2 pitch to dead center for his fifth homer to make it 4-0.

Abreu, back in the lineup after missing six games with a strained right arm, lofted a high blooper down the left-field line with one out in the second. Benny Agbayani, recently called up from the minors and unfamiliar with the Vet's rock-hard turf, misplayed the ball and let it bounce over his head into the corner. Abreu scored easily to cut it to 4-1.

Notes: Abreu was the most recent player to reach the right-field upper deck at the Vet, doing it on Sept. 13, 1998 against Pittsburgh's Francisco Cordova. Other to do it include Willie Stargell, Von Hayes, Fred McGriff, Barry Bonds and Brant Brown. ... The Mets purchased the contract of right-hander Pat Mahomes from Triple-A Norfolk and moved outfielder Jay Payton to the 60-day disabled list. Right-handed pitcher Josias Manzanillo accepted an assignment to Norfolk. ... Abreu's inside-the-parker was the Phillies' second this season. Ron Gant hit one against the Reds on April 28. ... Yoshii fell one shy of his career-best scoreless innings streak. He pitched 14 straight scoreless innings April 4-11 last season.

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