Phillies Stop 3-Game Skid

Amaury Telemaco gave his manager`s nerves a rest Wednesday night. Telemaco pitched his first career complete game, shutting out the Mets until the ninth inning and helped the Phillies end their three-game losing streak with a 6-1 win over New York.

"I guess he knew I needed it," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "He did what he had to do tonight. We needed him to keep us close and he did that." Telemaco (5-1) pitched a six-hitter and won for the first time in five starts. Philadelphia has won four of five against the Mets this season.

He was left in to get his first career shutout, but New York got a run in the ninth.

"Shutouts are nice but the win was better," said Telemaco, who earned the fifth spot in the Phillies rotation in the spring. "It`s more important that we won and got back on a winning track."

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but Telemaco got pitcher Glendon Rusch to ground into a double play.

Telemaco did not permit another runner past first base until the ninth.

"We couldn`t get anything going; that was obvious," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.

Darryl Hamilton drew a leadoff walk in the ninth and moved to second on a single by Mike Piazza. The Mets` run scored when second baseman Kevin Jordan made a throwing error while trying to complete a double play.

Rusch (3-5) went 4 2-3 innings, giving up five runs and six hits. It was the second time in his last three starts that he has been unable to make it past the fifth inning, and he lost for the fourth time in five decisions.

"He didn`t pitch as bad as five runs," Valentine said. "Overall, I thought he pitched pretty good."

The Phillies scored three times in the fourth after Jimmy Rollins led off with a double and Bobby Abreu hit an RBI single.

Another run scored on a two-base throwing error by second baseman Desi Relaford, and Jordan hit an RBI single.

Pat Burrell drove in two runs in the fifth with a broken-bat double down the left-field line that scored Doug Glanville and Scott Rolen.

"I tried to minimize the damage," Rusch said. "It wasn`t too bad. It could have been a lot worse. The next inning I wanted to come back and shut them down and I didn`t do that. I think I really pushed myself too much in that inning."

The Phillies added a run in the seventh on an RBI single by Rolen.

Notes:
Glanville was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. He has a 10-game hitting streak. ... Philadelphia`s Travis Lee was 0-for-4 and has just one hit in his last 19 at-bats. Since his average reached .302 on May 13, Lee is 14-for-79. ... New York`s Mark Johnson was called up from Triple-A Norfolk of the International League and walked in a pinch-hitting appearance.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)