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Rusch keeps Mets in NL East race
Updated: Thursday September 27, 2001 9:36 AM
MONTREAL (AP) -- The New York Mets got a big scare -- an injury to Mike Piazza -- before sealing an important win. Glendon Rusch pitched 7 2/3 strong innings after Piazza suffered a bruised right thumb as the Mets beat the Montreal Expos 5-2 on Wednesday night. Piazza was taken to hospital for X-rays -- which proved negative -- after he was struck directly on his thumb by Mike Mordecai's foul tip leading off the bottom of the first. "That was a scary moment," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. Piazza had a black sleeve on his thumb to keep the swelling down as he talked to reporters following the game. "I'm going to treat it throughout the night and tomorrow morning, and see how it feels," Piazza said. "If it feels better, then it might be good enough to play. If not, I don't see it going past maybe one more day." Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 42nd save, topping the team record for saves he set last season. The Mets remained four games behind division-leading Atlanta, which won 4-1 in Florida. New York has won seven of its last eight games, and 24 of 30. Rusch (8-10) allowed one run in the first and held Montreal scoreless before leaving with two outs in the eighth after Orlando Cabrera's double put runners at second and third. Rick White relieved and Geoff Blum hit an RBI single to make it 5-2, but Cabrera was cut down at the plate by left fielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo's perfect throw to Vance Wilson, who replaced Piazza. It was Shinjo's 12th assist of the season. "It was a strike, right down the middle," Valentine said. "He's a very good player. If it wasn't for division play, if all the teams saw him equally, I think he'd get a Gold Glove this year. But I don't know if the other teams have seen him enough to see just how good he's been day in and day out." Rusch allowed eight hits and two runs. He struck out four and walked one. "It's do or die right now, and there's nothing better than to have chances to pitch in these situations and help," Rusch said. Piazza, who struck out in the first, was examined by assistant trainer Scott Lawrenson behind home plate while Valentine stood waiting nearby. He attempted to grip a ball before making his way off the field. "It just kind of went numb," Piazza said. "It might have hit in a sensitive spot. Bobby asked me if I wanted to throw the ball and I told him I couldn't really feel the ball." New York scored two in the first off Tony Armas Jr. (9-13), who walked the bases loaded before Shinjo drew the Mets' fourth walk of the inning to make it 1-0. Jay Payton's two-out RBI single put the Mets up by two. "He had good stuff but he lost his rhythm and his timing a little bit in that first inning," Expos manager Jeff Torborg said. "He had a great warmup. He just couldn't locate the ball in that first inning." Montreal drew within one in the bottom half on Mordecai's double, Jose Vidro's single, and Vladimir Guerrero's RBI grounder which got past second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo for an error. The Mets added a run in the third on Todd Zeile's RBI double. Rusch got an RBI in the sixth, squeezing home Zeile from third with one out as Rey Ordonez advanced to second. Ordonez scored New York's fifth run on Matt Lawton's two-out run-scoring single. Armas allowed seven hits and five runs in six innings. Notes: Rusch is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts against Montreal this season, and 5-0 with a 2.93 ERA in nine career starts against the Expos. ... Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Lee Stevens, who didn't start, each have 88 RBIs -- career bests. Guerrero leads the team with 101 RBIs. The Expos have had three players drive in at least 90 runs only once in team history. Al Oliver led the NL with 109 RBIs in 1982, while Gary Carter and Tim Wallach each had 97.
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