Acevedo holds Mets to three runs in spot start

DENVER (AP) -- A feel-good night for Jose Acevedo and the

Colorado Rockies took a wrong turn when Todd Helton limped off the

field.

Acevedo allowed three runs over six innings in a spot start

Monday, helping the Rockies to a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets

-- a win tempered by the possible loss of Colorado's best player.

Helton, who finished with three hits after a long rain delay,

pulled up lame while running from first to third in the seventh

inning. He limped off the field with a strained left calf, an

injury he said wasn't major but one he predicted would keep him out

at least a game or two.

"It's strained a little bit. No big deal," Helton said.

Before the injury, Acevedo (2-0) was the story of the night. The

third-year veteran, who started for the Reds last year and was

traded to Colorado this spring, made his first start of the season,

allowing five hits and striking out one without a walk.

It was the kind of effort the Rockies need more of and, though

they have other options, it might have put Acevedo in the mix as a

permanent replacement for Jason Jennings, who was lost for the

season last week when he broke his finger sliding into second base.

"I think so," Acevedo said when asked if he earned another

start. "I have experience as a starter. I know how to deal with

it."

Brian Fuentes pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances,

retiring Mike Piazza with a runner on to end it. The Colorado

bullpen threw three scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.

Danny Ardoin had a career-high three hits for Colorado.

Anderson Machado, just called up from Triple-A this week, had

his first two RBI for the Rockies, a fielder's choice and a

sacrifice fly against Tom Glavine (7-8), who allowed five runs over

six innings and lost for just the second time in seven starts.

Glavine said he didn't adjust to pitching at Coors Field.

"There is a different feel on the ball, and you have to work a

little harder, and at the same time you have to find a way to keep

that under control," he said.

The Mets only got to Acevedo once -- in the fourth -- when Jose

Reyes, Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd combined for two triples and a

double to help the Mets take a 3-2 lead.

Reyes hit his major league-leading 11th triple, Cameron had an

RBI double and Floyd knocked in a run with his first triple since

2003. David Wright added a sacrifice fly.

Colorado answered in the bottom half with Machado's fielder's

choice and an RBI single by Luis Gonzalez to regain the lead, then

Acevedo regained control.

"They made him pay in that inning," Rockies manager Clint

Hurdle said. "But he didn't get rattled. He went out and did what

he had to do and executed."

The Rockies, who have the worst record in the major leagues,

again showed what a different team they are at Coors Field compared

to when they're away from home. They improved to 25-23 at home.

Their 10-40 road record is the worst by any club at this point

since the 1979 Oakland A's.

And despite the troubles, this win was Colorado's 20th since

June 1 -- more than any team in the NL West has during that span.

Still, Helton's injury was a low note. If he misses a game, the

Rockies will have lost a player to injury at every position except

center field.

"I had a little pang," Hurdle said when asked how he felt when

he saw Helton pull up. "Maybe a big pang. Once I saw him limp off

and that he didn't have to be carried off, I felt a little better.

We'll see."

The Mets lost for just the second time in eight games and fell

four games behind idle Atlanta and Washington in the tight NL East.

Reyes had two of New York's six hits.

"We've been a little bit up and down offensively all year,

inconsistent," manager Willie Randolph said. "I'm sure players

lick their chops when they come here, but we talked about it before

the game."

Game notes
The start was delayed by rain for 1 hour, 42 minutes. ...

The win was Acevedo's first as a starter since Aug. 14, 2004, when

the Reds defeated San Diego. ... Glavine fell to 10-5 in his career

against the Rockies.