Mets complete sweep with 4-3 victory over Braves

May 6, 1:06 AMNew York Mets ExaminerAndrew Mees

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Rodriguez earned his seventh save in seven chances. 

No victory at Turner Field would be complete without that sickening feeling in your stomach, the one you've felt so many times as the Braves ripped a victory away from the Amazin's in the game's final innings.

But the Mets bullpen overcame two errors in the game's final two frames to preserve the team's first sweep in their personal house of horrors since 2007, securing a 4-3 victory Tuesday night over the rival Braves. 

Starter Livan Hernandez turned in his best effort since his first start of the season, going 6 and 1/3 innings and surrendering  a single run on six hits in only 75 pitches.  He used his arsenal of offspeed pitches to enduce three double plays, which ended the third, fourth, and sixth innings, each killing an Atlanta rally and keeping the Mets in front 2-0. 

New York broke through in the third with a pair of doubles by David Wright and Ramon Castro, each plating a run.  Carlos Beltran continued his scorching pace with two more hits, pushing his hitting streak to 16 games.

The Mets tacked on two extremely important insurance runs in the ninth, when Carlos Delgado slapped a bases-loaded single through a drawn-in infield, scoring two and pushing the lead to 4-1. 

Closer Francisco Rodriguez entered looking to lock down the sweep, and quickly retired the first two hitters.  After a single by Kelly Johnson, Clint Sammons drew a walk, bringing the tieing run to the plate. 

Rodriguez got Omar Infante to pop up on the infield behind first base, seemingly securing the victory.  But Delgado dropped the routine fly ball in what has to be considered the worst defensive play of the New York's season an error that would have certainly spelled doom a season ago.  Things looked even bleaker after Yunel Escobar singled to center, bringing the Braves within one, and sending Met Killer Chipper Jones to the plate with a chance to win the game.

But K-Rod showed why he's one of the elite closers in the game, getting him to line out to Ryan Church in right, sending the Mets home to New York with a two-game sweep heading into their series with the Phillies.

First pitch for tomorrow night's matchup against Philadelphia is scheduled for 7:10 PM.  Johan Santana toes the bump for the Amazin's, while Chan Ho Park will go for the Phillies.