Nady's homer leads Mets past Astros in Backe's return

NEW YORK (AP) -- One minute, Orlando Hernandez was in trouble. By

the second inning, he was in control.

Elias Says

Nady Many of you may have seen the Mets' 4-3 victory over the Astros on Saturday afternoon, in which Xavier Nady fought back from an 0-2 count to blast a three-run homer in the fourth inning to overcome an early 3-1 Houston lead. But even if you saw the game, you're unaware of this: Nady is the major leagues' leading hitter this season on at-bats (minimum 50) during which he has fallen behind in the count, 0-2. In those at-bats -- in which the overall big-league batting average hovers just above .180 -- Nady has collected 19 hits in 52 at-bats for a .365 batting average. But Saturday's homer marked the first time this season that the X-Man had battled back from a no-balls, two-strikes count to connect for a four-bagger. • For more Elias Says, Click here.

El Duque overcame a shaky start and Xavier Nady hit a three-run

homer to lead the New York Mets past the slumping Houston Astros

4-3 Saturday.

Carlos Delgado added a sacrifice fly, helping the NL

East-leading Mets to their third consecutive victory and 11th in 15

games. They improved to a season-best 21 games over .500, thanks to

Hernandez's quick recovery.

"He looked like the Duque that I know," New York manager

Willie Randolph said.

Houston starter Brandon Backe came off the disabled list and

lasted four innings in his first start in more than three months.

The Astros dropped their third straight and ninth in 12 games to

fall a season-worst six games below .500.

"Just pull out your notes from yesterday," manager Phil Garner

said. "I don't have any new answers."

A two-run homer by Lance Berkman and a solo shot by Preston Wilson off Hernandez (6-8) in the first gave Backe a 3-0 lead.

But after Delgado's sacrifice fly in the bottom half, Backe

(1-1) ran into trouble in the fourth. He issued a leadoff walk to

Delgado before Cliff Floyd singled. Nady then drove a 2-2 pitch

over the left-field fence for his career-best 14th homer and a 4-3

New York lead.

"I had it tonight. I just let it slip away with one pitch, a

slider," Backe said. "We had him set up perfectly for a

front-door slider. I just didn't execute the pitch. I dragged it

and it came back over the plate."

Hernandez made the lead hold up, striking out eight in seven

solid innings. He yielded only four hits and walked two, rebounding

from a poor performance at Wrigley Field in his previous outing.

The right-hander has gone at least seven innings in four of his

past six starts, allowing three runs or fewer in each of those four

outings.

In his other two starts during that stretch, he's lasted only 1

2/3 innings each time.

"I'm feeling good. That's more important than anything,"

Hernandez said.

El Duque followed John Maine's four-hitter in a 7-0 victory

Friday night, giving the Mets consecutive strong outings from the

unsettled back end of their rotation.

"What he did today was just about as impressive as what John

Maine did yesterday," New York closer Billy Wagner said. "It was

impressive to see him go out there and compete.

"That's what big-game pitchers are about."

Duaner Sanchez tossed a scoreless eighth and Wagner got three

outs in a steady rain for his 20th save in 24 chances. It also was

his first save against his former team.

"When you have to face those guys you just want to get it over

with and win the game," Wagner said.

Backe allowed four runs, four hits and four walks in his first

outing since April 13 in San Francisco. The right-hander left that

start after only two innings because of soreness in his pitching

elbow and wound up on the 60-day DL with a sprained right elbow.

Backe went 10-8 with a 4.76 ERA for the NL champion Astros last

year.

"I felt great. I was very excited out there. I was thrilled to

be back out there in a major league ballgame," he said. "No pain

in my arm today, 69 pitches today. It should be pretty good for my

next start. I really feel good."

Craig Biggio drew a leadoff walk in the first from Hernandez.

One out later, Berkman hit his 26th homer over the right-field

fence, giving him 87 RBI.

Wilson connected with two outs for his 22nd career homer against

the Mets, but Hernandez put up zeros from there on.

"After that, he was able to really bear down," Biggio said.

"I think we got one walk after that. His location was a little bit

better. He elevates really well, and it's tough, especially for

right-handers, to pick up the ball. He just seemed to settle

down."

The start was delayed 57 minutes by rain. Showers delayed the

start of Friday night's game for 54 minutes.Game notes
New York improved to 21-9 in one-run games, the most such

wins in the majors. ... Mets 3B David Wright got a day off. ... New

York RHP Pedro Martinez, on the disabled list with a sore right

hip, threw 80 pitches in a simulated game and said he felt strong.

He threw all his pitches and said he'd like to start next weekend

in Atlanta, as long as he keeps feeling good. ... Berkman made a

nice running catch of Carlos Beltran's drive to deep right-center,

ending the third. ... Attendance was 46,574.