Mets take advantage of three Baltimore errors, defeat Orioles 6-4 behind Pelfrey

Mets, Pelfrey beat error-prone Orioles 6-4

BALTIMORE — This time, the New York Mets were the ones to benefit from a dropped popup.

Baltimore first baseman Aubrey Huff muffed a seventh-inning pop down the right-field line that produced two unearned runs, and the Mets beat the bumbling Orioles 6-4 Tuesday night.

Three Baltimore errors led to three tainted Mets runs, helping Mike Pelfrey (5-2) earn his first win in more than five weeks.

New York had lost eight of 12, including two of three to the hated Yankees over the weekend. In the first game, Mets second baseman Luis Castillo dropped a popup that enabled the Yankees to score two ninth-inning runs in a 9-8 victory.

The Mets also lost the finale, 15-0. But after a day off, they enjoyed a reversal of fortune against the last-place Orioles.

New York led 4-2 in the seventh before loading the bases with two outs. David Wright lifted a fly that Huff tried to snare with an over-the-shoulder catch. The ball bounded out of his glove, enabling the Mets to break open a close game.

Pelfrey allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander had gone 0-2 in six starts since defeating Philadelphia on May 7.

Francisco Rodriguez gave up a bases-loaded walk to Ty Wigginton and a run-scoring groundout to Brian Roberts in the ninth, then struck out Adam Jones with two runners in scoring position for his 17th save in 18 opportunities.

Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie (4-7) permitted five runs in 6 1-3 innings. Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles, who have lost nine of 12.

The Mets took advantage of two Baltimore errors in a four-run fourth inning. The trouble began for the Orioles when Roberts fumbled Carlos Beltran’s potential double-play grounder to second. Wright followed with an RBI single, and Beltran took third on a poor throw by left fielder Nolan Reimold. Gary Sheffield then singled in a run, Daniel Murphy hit a sacrifice fly and Brian Schneider capped the uprising with a run-scoring single.

Baltimore got its first baserunner when Markakis singled with two outs in the fourth. In the fifth, Pelfrey struck out Roberts with the bases loaded and two outs.

Markakis homered in the sixth following a leadoff single by Adam Jones. It was his eighth homer, the first in 22 games since May 21.

It was a rare mistake by Pelfrey, who had allowed only 24 home runs in 365 innings since entering the league in 2006.

NOTES: The game marked the one-year anniversary of the hiring of manager Jerry Manuel, who improved to 88-67 since Willie Randolph was fired after a June 16 game in Anaheim. … Roberts went 0 for 5, ending a six-game run in which he was 11 for 22. … Wright has hit in 11 straight games, going (24 for 42, .571) in that span … The Mets improved to 13-7 against the Orioles in interleague play, including 8-4 in Baltimore.