Ambres' first hit since '05 lifts Mets past Dodgers

Mets 5, Dodgers 4 (10 innings)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Somewhere in front of a television set in Beaumont, Texas, Raymond Ambres Jr. was smiling broadly over his son's biggest hit in the major leagues -- so far.

Chip Ambres singled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning, and the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 Sunday to take three of four in a series between division leaders.

"That was awesome," manager Willie Randolph said. "I was talking to the kid before the series started about how excited he was about being up here and how proud his dad was of him.

"I said to Jerry [bench coach Jerry Manuel], 'He's going to get a hit here. He's going to come through and do it for his dad.' I get those feelings sometimes -- and sure enough, the next pitch he got a hit on. So I'm happy for him because he's been in Triple-A and he's been around a while."

Lastings Milledge singled with one out in the 10th against D.J. Houlton (0-1). Carlos Beltran singled and David Wright grounded sharply to third, just beating the relay throw to avoid a double play. Ambres then grounded a single past third baseman Nomar Garciaparra, who was playing in on the edge of the grass with two outs.

"I just wanted to put the ball in play and get that man in from third base," Ambres said. "I had faced Houlton in Triple-A, and Marlon Anderson reminded me of the pitches that he had. He said Houlton likes to get ahead with the fastball and then comes back with the curve ball."

It was Ambres' first hit since Oct. 2, 2005, for the Kansas City Royals at Toronto.

"Being able to come through in the clutch like that and help out the team, it's one that I'll always remember," Ambres said. "It's unbelievable. I'm on Cloud 9."

Jonathan Broxton, who saved Saturday's 8-6 Dodgers victory, was summoned again in the ninth because Takashi Saito was sitting out his fourth straight game because of tightness in his right shoulder blade. But the Mets tied it when Matt Kemp allowed Shawn Green's fly to short right to fall for an error as pinch-runner Anderson Hernandez came home from third.

"It's definitely not fun to play right field here during the day," said Green, who plays the same position for the Mets and also played right field for the Dodgers before they converted him into a first baseman. "It can be really tough. It's hard see the ball off the bat, and you also have to deal with the sun."

Kemp took the loss hard.

"I got a bad jump on the ball and just missed it," Kemp said. "Things happen. Everybody makes mistakes, and that was one mistake that I made. It was pretty costly. We lost the game because of it."

Pedro Feliciano (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win after two perfect innings by Aaron Heilman. Billy Wagner worked the 10th for his 22nd save in 23 attempts, striking out three after allowed the potential tying and winning run to get into scoring position on a wild pitch. He ended it by freezing Garciaparra with a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner.

"It's an outstanding win on the road, a great gutsy win by the club," Randolph said. "This is the kind of game that you might look back on at the end of the season and say this might have been a big turning point for us. We showed that 'sticktuitiveness' that we need to be a real good team. It's going to be a nice flight home."

Garciaparra and Rafael Furcal homered off Orlando Hernandez as Los Angeles built a 4-2 lead, but Beltran pulled the Mets within a run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly off Roberto Hernandez.

Dodgers rookie Eric Stults, making his third big league start and second against the Mets, allowed two runs, five hits and no walks over 5 1/3 innings and struck out five. El Duque gave up four runs and seven hits over six innings.

Furcal led off the bottom of the first by driving a 1-1 pitch into the right-field pavilion for his second leadoff homer this season and 20th of his career. Loney hit an RBI double in the fourth.

New York tied it in the sixth. Jose Reyes tripled and scored on a double by Milledge that chased Stults. Wright drove in the tying run with a broken-bat bloop single against Rudy Seanez.

Garciaparra, who entered 9-for-27 in regular-season play against El Duque, hit a two-run homer in the bottom half. It was Garciaparra's fourth homer this season and second in three days.

Game notes
Saito is scheduled for an MRI exam on Monday in Los Angeles, and will rejoin the team in Houston. ... The Mets have outscored opponents 45-10 in the ninth inning this year, and are 4-41 when trailing after eight. ... Derek Lowe, making only his second relief appearance since 2001 and his first since last Aug. 29, pitched a perfect seventh. ... Raymond Easley, the father of Mets INF Damion Easley, passed away Saturday night at age 63 in Riverside, Calif., after a lengthy illness. Damion has been on the bereavement list since July 17. ... Mets LF Moises Alou is expected to be activated on Tuesday for the opener of a six-game homestand. He has been sidelined since May 13 because of a strained left quadriceps.