Smoltz Knocked Out, Mets Take Big Lead

Atlanta Braves righthander John Smoltz took the hill in the top of the eight inning with observers buzzing about his chances at setting a new single-game strikeout record. But after one bad pitch, a hanging, belt-high curve-ball to the Mets new free agent centerfielder Carlos Beltran, all the talk was an ancient memory, as was Smoltz. Beltran hit a two-run dinger. The next batter, leftfielder Cliff Floyd, hit a solo shot on the new pitcher’s first pitch, first baseman Doug Mientkewicz then missed a home-run to centerfield by just a few feet, and had to settle for a double, and the next batter, third basemen David Wright, hit a two-run shot. And so, by the time the bleeding had stopped, the 0-5 Mets had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead. Mets starter Pedro Martinez, who has nine strikeouts through eight full innings, has yet to reach 100 pitches, and may be sent out by skipper Willie Randolph to at least start the ninth inning. With one out in the top of the ninth, Beltran hit a run scoring single, to extend the Mets’ lead to five runs.