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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Glendon Rusch made his pitch to see some
postseason time.
Todd Zeile and Timo Perez homered to back the rookie
left-hander, and the New York Mets clinched no worse than a tie for
the NL wild card berth, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2
Sunday.
"I just stayed aggressive," said Rusch, who hasn't walked a
batter in 10 of 29 starts. "I got ahead of most of the hitters.
That's how you win."
New York, trying to make the playoffs for the second straight
year, began the day six games ahead of Arizona and Los Angeles in
the loss column and needs just one more win -- or a Diamondbacks and
Dodgers defeat -- to ensure it will be in the postseason.
Rusch (11-11) gave up one run and five hits -- including two
infield singles on comebackers -- in eight innings. He struck out
struck out seven and walked none, retiring 14 of his final 15
batters.
In his previous start, Atlanta chased him Wednesday with six
runs in 1 2/3 innings.
"It shows you how tough Glendon is," Mets manager Bobby
Valentine said. "He probably pitched his best game of the year
coming off one of his worst.
"He gets hit by a line drive in the first inning that bends his
glove and his fingernail back. Then, in the third, he gets hit on
the left arm with another line drive. He just kept going right at
them."
Valentine wouldn't project Rusch's postseason role.
"That's too far ahead," he said. "He's penciled in for his
next start. That's as far as I've looked at it."
Rusch wasn't about to jump to any conclusions.
"Last year, I watched every pitch of the playoffs on the
television and that was tough," he said. "I wanted to be there,
even sitting on the bench. I'm sure it's going to depend on the
situation if I pitch in the playoffs. He is going to go with who he
feels, and we'll back him. It doesn't matter to me at all. I'll be
there."
The Mets, who lost 13 of 20 at the start of September, have won
three straight for the first time since Sept. 12-14 and just the
second time since winning five in a row from Aug. 9-13.
They return home for their final six games, against Atlanta and
Montreal, and trail the first-place Braves by 3½ games in the NL
East.
"This was big for us," Zeile said. "We needed to get back
into a groove again. Now, we have to take care of things when we
get back home."
Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 40th save in 45
chances.
Bruce Chen (7-3) lost for the first time in seven starts since
Arizona beat him on Aug. 16, giving up three runs and three hits in
eight innings.
Philadelphia finished its home schedule 34-47, drawing 1,612,769
to Veterans Stadium, down 212,568 from 1999.
Perez's first major league homer, an inside the park home run,
put New York ahead in the third. He looped the ball into short
center and Doug Glanville slipped on the wet artificial turf,
allowing the ball to go to the wall. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins
double-clutched on the relay, then threw high to the plate as Perez
slid home.
Todd Zeile hit a two-run homer in the fourth after Mike Piazza
walked.
Kevin Jordan hit an RBI grounder in the seventh that scored Pat
Burrell, who went 3-for-3. Jordan blooped a run-scoring single with
two outs in the ninth and took second when center field Jay Payton
threw home.
Doug Glanville, who was running on the pitch, scored but
pinch-runner Reggie Taylor, who wasn't stealing, held at third.
"If Reggie gets off clean, that would have been a highlight
film there," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "You know
(third-base coach John) Vukovich would have sent him. Reggie kind
of hesitated when he saw Doug go."
With runners on second and third, Marlon Anderson struck out.
Game notes
Perez became the 20th Mets player to hit an inside-the-park
home run. Edgardo Alfonzo was the previous to do it, at Cincinnati
on May 6, 1995. ... Perez began the season at Single-A Pittsfield
in the New York-Penn League. ... Phillies RF Bobby Abreu is the
only major leaguer to reach double figures in doubles (41), triples
(10), homers (25) and stolen bases (25).
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