Orel, Mets Sting Brown

Orel Hershiser pitched two-hit ball over eight innings and Mike Piazza, another former Dodger, hit a two-run homer to lead the New York Mets over Los Angeles 3-1 Thursday night.

Hershiser outdueled Kevin Brown as the Mets trimmed Atlanta's NL East lead to three games and maintained a 3 1/2-game lead over Cincinnati in the wild-card race.

Piazza, who was Hershiser's batterymate on the Dodgers from 1992-94, hit his 34th homer of the season in the sixth inning to put the Mets ahead 2-1.

The only hits off Hershiser (13-10) were a homer by Gary Sheffield in the first inning and an infield single by Mark Grudzielanek in the fourth. The 40-year-old right-hander retired the last 15 batters he faced, then Armando Benitez pitched the ninth.

Benitez walked two, but struck out the side to pick up his 19th save.

It was the second-longest outing of the year for Hershiser, who pitched 8 1-3 innings against Florida on June 29. He struck out one and didn't walk a batter.

Brown (16-7) allowed only two runs one earned and five hits over eight innings but had his seven-game winning streak snapped. He struck out seven and walked one.

After hitting his 24th homer in the first, Sheffield was robbed of another homer in the seventh when right fielder Roger Cedeno leaped above the all to make the grab.

Piazza homered into the left-field pavilion after John Olerud reached on an error at shortstop by Grudzielanek.

Piazza, traded by the Dodgers to Florida last season in a multiplayer deal that brought Sheffield to Los Angeles, is 15-for-46 against Los Angeles with three homers and 10 RBIs.

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