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Hideo Nomo wins No. 9

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 2-1 Friday and Hideo Nomo won for the ninth time in his last 12 decisions and lowered his ERA to 2.70.

"I knew coming into this start, the way Hideo's been throwing this year, that our guys would have a tough time scoring," said losing pitcher Al Leiter, who allowed two runs and six hits over six innings.

"Nomo's record, his ERA and all the numbers reflect a guy who's executing a lot of good pitches. So I knew we had to play well-executed winning baseball. And we didn't."

Nomo (15-9), who needs one more win to equal his career high, allowed a run and six hits in seven innings and struck out seven. The Dodgers scored both runs in the fourth, as Ron Coomer opened the scoring with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field and Cesar Izturis hit an RBI single for his second game-winning hit in two games.

"We had a lot more opportunities than they did," Mets manager Art Howe said. "But the one opportunity they did get, they cashed in two runs out of it and got a two-out knock. That was the difference in the game."

Mike Piazza, booed every time up by the fans who used to cheer his every move with the Dodgers, struck out his first two times up -- each time with two men on base. He faced Paul Quantrill in the eighth with the tying run on base and grounded into his second consecutive double play.

Eric Gagne tied the major league record for consecutive saves in one season with his 43rd.

None of the three batters in the Mets' ninth had ever faced Gagne, the two-time All-Star. But Phillips led off with a single, and Howe gave the bunt sign to rookie Ty Wigginton -- who had homered for the second straight game leading off the seventh.

"Gagne's pretty nasty and you're not going to get a whole lot of chances to score off of him," Howe said. "The pitches he threw to Wiggy, he couldn't even bunt it. So as far as hitting it, I don't know what the chances were there, either."

Pinch-runner Vance Wilson didn't see the bunt sign and took off for second as Wigginton squared and drew the bat back. Paul Lo Duca threw out Wilson, and Gagne ended it by striking out Wigginton and Jeff Duncan for his 51st consecutive save -- three shy of the major league record set by Tom Gordon, who saved 43 straight during the 1998 season with Boston.

The play characterized the Mets' season. They are 55-72 and 26 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East. But Leiter (12-7) knows it could be worse.

"I still think last year there was more turmoil and more internal things going on," Leiter said. "I mean, it was frustrating and upsetting enough to have a poor season, but we also to have to deal with non-baseball issues that were always coming up.
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