Wright, Santana help Mets beat Marlins 7-1

[April 20, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- David Wright, Johan Santana, Jason Bay. Each of them delivered.

This was exactly what the New York Mets were looking for on opening day.

Wright hit a two-run homer, Santana pitched six effective innings and the Mets finally solved Josh Johnson, beating the Florida Marlins 7-1 on Monday.

Newcomers Bay, Rod Barajas and Gary Matthews Jr. each got two hits for New York, which improved to a major league-best 32-17 (.653) on opening day. Manager Jerry Manuel also got three scoreless innings from his beleaguered bullpen, which he said was his biggest concern entering the season.

For one game, at least, the Mets looked ready to bounce back after they stumbled to a fourth-place finish in the NL East last year.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez and the Marlins think they can surprise the experts again this season and contend for a playoff spot, but this sloppy performance wasn't a very good beginning.

Johnson allowed four runs and five hits over five-plus innings in his first opening-day start, dropping to 7-1 with a 2.69 ERA in 10 career starts against New York. Cameron Maybin struck out swinging three times and Florida committed three errors during the Mets' four-run sixth.

Santana looked healthy after finishing last season on disabled list, allowing just four hits while improving to 4-1 with a 3.56 ERA in five career opening-day starts.

Jorge Cantu hit an RBI double in the sixth to cut New York's lead to 2-1, but Santana got Ronny Paulino to fly out to center with runners on first and second to end the inning.

Fernando Nieve replaced Santana and got six outs before Francisco Rodriguez finished just one day after returning from Venezuela, where two of his brothers were injured in a car accident.

The Mets desperately need a fast start to wash away the bad taste from last season's 70-92 finish, when they were ravaged by injuries and made a handful of embarrassing mistakes while stumbling to their worst finish since they went 66-95 in 2003.

The crowd of 41,245 for Citi Field's first opening day made it clear it hadn't forgotten what happened in 2009, booing erratic left-hander Oliver Perez and the training staff during pregame introductions. Manuel, second baseman Luis Castillo and reliever Sean Green also got mixed receptions.

Wright sent a charge through the crowd when he sliced a 1-0 pitch from Johnson over the wall in right to give New York a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The All-Star third baseman hit a career-low 10 homers last season, including five at home during the Mets' first season at their spacious ballpark.

Jeff Francoeur also drove in two runs for New York, which opened the year with shortstop Jose Reyes, All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran and first baseman Daniel Murphy on the disabled list. Pinch-hitter Angel Pagan added an RBI single in the sixth.

Defending NL batting champion Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez had two hits each for the Marlins.

NOTES: INF Ruben Tejada and RHP Jenrry Mejia of the Mets are the youngest players in the majors at 20 years old. Mejia, who is 16 days older than Tejada, is the youngest pitcher to make New York's opening-day roster since Dwight Gooden in 1984. Tejada is the Mets' youngest position player on their opening-day roster since Tim Foli in 1971. ... The bridge beyond the right-center field wall at Citi Field was renamed "Shea Bridge" during a pregame ceremony honoring Bill Shea, an attorney who played a key role in the creation of the franchise.

[Associated Press; By JAY COHEN]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.