Schmidt Ends Mets' Hot Streak

June 2, 1998 / 3:50 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Nobody in baseball is hotter these days than the New York Mets. Nobody except Jason Schmidt.

Schmidt became the NL's first eight-game winner, halting the Mets' nine-game winning streak by keeping them scoreless until two outs in the eighth as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on to win 4-3 Monday night.

The Mets' streak was the longest in the majors and covered Mike Piazza's first seven games in New York. But even though Piazza hit his first homer with the Mets, they couldn't beat Schmidt (8-1), who hasn't lost since April 7 during his own seven-game winning streak.

Schmidt once was the No. 5 starter in Atlanta's rotation, but he beat all four of the Braves' seven-game winners to No. 8 a victory he didn't achieve last season until Aug. 20. Greg Maddux joined him as an eight-game winner less than an hour later by beating Milwaukee 5-2.

"It's very satisfying to beat a team as good as they are," Schmidt said. "It gives you more confidence in yourself, and it makes you say, `Maybe it's true what they say, maybe I can stay up here.' "

Schmidt (8-1), who gave up six hits, had a shutout going until Piazza homered. The right-hander left after Carlos Baerga singled and Edgar Alfonzo doubled to start the ninth, and both scored before Ricardo Rincon got the final three outs for his fourth save.

It was exactly the kind of pitching the Pirates envisioned when they traded Denny Neagle to Atlanta to get Schmidt in August 1996, but he was only 12-11 in Pittsburgh until this season.

"Stuff-wise he's been the same since he came over here and he has great stuff, the kind you want in a pitcher on your team but now he's got that confidence, and confidence is a lot of the game," catcher Jason Kendall.

So is defense, and Kendall helped Schmidt out by making a sprawling, face-first catch of Brian McRae's foul popup in the fifth.

Almost always ahead in the count, Schmidt struck out eight while allowing only one runner as far as third base over the first seven innings Ordonez, who doubled to start the third.

Such a mistake might have caused Schmidt to unravel in past seasons, when he often was more of a thrower than a pitcher. But, after Mlicki bunted the runner up, Schmidt regrouped to strike out McRae and get Piazza to bounce into a forceout.

"Back in spring training when he wasn't throwing well at all, I know it would have been farfetched to say he'd be 8-1 on a team that's three games under .500," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "But we always knew he had good stuff, and when he goes out now, you've always got a good feeling you've got a chance to win."

The Mets, denied their first 10-game winning streak since July 1-13, 1990, threatened again when Baerga singled and Alfonzo walked with one out in the fourth. Oncagain, Schmidt toughened up by getting Rich Becker to fly out to center and striking out Ordonez.

"It was the kind of performance that makes you look real dull and flat," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "He's a good pitcher. He's leading the league in wins, isn't he?"

Still, the Mets threatened to tie it in the ninth.

After Rincon came on to retire pinch-hitter Butch Huskey on a popup, Ordonez grounded to shortstop Kevin Polcovich, whose wild throw to first allowed Baerga to score. Ordonez was credited with an RBI.

Jim Tatum then hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 before Rincon got Brian McRae on a forceout.

The Pirates, winning their third in a row, took a 1-0 lead on Tony Womack's leadoff homer in the first, his first of the season.

They added two more runs in the second after Dave Mlicki (1-4) walked the first two hitters rookie Aramis Ramirez, who is 0-for-22, and Polcovich, who was hitting .175. Womack followed with a sacrifice fly and Al Martin had an RBI single.

Mlicki (1-4), who has won only once in 10 starts, left after giving up three earned runs on six hits and striking out six over six innings.

"Probably the thing that haunted him most were the walks, one of them to a guy who has never gotten a hit," Valentine said. .

Pittsburgh added a run in the fifth on Jose Guillen's sacrifice fly after Mark Smith reached on third baseman Alfonzo's error.

Schmidt is the first Pirates pitcher to win seven in a row since John Smiley in 1991 and the first to start 8-1 since Tim Wakefield in 1992.

Notes: The Pirates have won eight of their last 10 home games. ... Smith is 6-for-11 since starting the season 0-for-31. ... New York's John Olerud went 0-for-4 to end a nine-game hitting streak. ... Baerga went 3-for-4, and is 21-for-43 in his last 11 games. ... The Mets are 8-2 against Pittsburgh in Shea Stadium the last two seasons but are 2-4 in Three Rivers Stadium.