


Rodrigo Lopez walked off the mound to a standing ovation from a sellout crowd in the home of the defending World Series champions. Not bad for a guy who hadn't pitched in the majors in two years. Lopez took a three-hitter into the seventh inning, helping the Philadelphia Phillies snap a six-game home losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
Fernando Tatis' body was laden with ice bags, Francisco Rodriguez's right arm was wrapped with towels. The weary New York Mets went through a lot to gain an improbable victory in an unwanted game. Two days after appearing to be in a freefall, the Mets pulled off the kind of victory that can turn a season around.
Instead of the parade of taxis that usually delivers visiting players to the loading dock entrance at Milwaukee's Miller Park, the New York Mets rode in together on a bus from their hotel. If they haven't been playing as a team lately, they at least could arrive as one. Ryan Church couldn't recall ever riding to a game on a team bus in his career.
Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers are still in first place despite a rough month. The Mets haven't been so lucky. Braun hit a three-run double and scored on Johan Santana's throwing error, sending the Brewers to a 6-3 victory on Tuesday night that extended New York's losing streak to a season-high five games.
Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum had recently told Casey McGehee that there's nothing like the emotional swings they face in baseball. McGehee faced it all in the same inning. "I experienced them both pretty quick," McGehee said. "It's ironic people start talking about stuff and it happens right away." McGehee hit his first career grand slam moments after committing a...