PORT SAINT LUCIE, Fla. - Al Leiter pitched four innings in his first game in ten days and declared himself ready for opening day after the New York Mets' six-to-five loss to the Atlanta Braves Sunday. Leiter wobbled through the first inning before settling down and throwing three shutout frames. Leiter pulled his right hip flexor since his last start and hadn't thrown in a game for ten days. Leiter walked Rafael Furcal and then hit Ryan Langerhans to start the game. <br>
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Julio Franco followed with a three-run homer before Leiter settled down. Leiter wound up with no decision after Mike Piazza hit a three-run home run in the third inning to tie it at three. Mo Vaughn added a solo homer in the fifth to give the Mets a five-to-four lead. The Braves pulled the game out in the top of the ninth after Furcal doubled, went to third on an error and scored on Damon Hollins' double. Pat Corrales, managing the Braves with Bobby Cox in Kissimmee, was ejected in the fourth inning by home plate umpire Matt Hollowell for arguing balls and strikes. <br>
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KISSIMMEE, Fla.- Wilson Betemit went four-of-five, including a two-run triple in the eleventh inning that gave an Atlanta Braves split squad an eight-to-six victory Sunday over the Houston Astros. The Astros scored four unearned runs in the first against Greg Maddux, but the Braves rallied. Betemit -- the Braves' top prospect -- also had an R-B-I single in the seventh, when Atlanta scored three runs to tie the game at six. <br>
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Chipper Jones drove in the tying run with a double. John Foster (1-Oh) escaped a jam in the tenth, then Atlanta won it the next inning. Tony Pena Junior and Matt Franco led off with singles against Scott Linebrink (Oh-1). Betemit followed with a liner that rolled all the way to the wall in left, bringing home both runners. Kevin Gryboski got the final three outs for his first save. Betemit -- who likely will begin the season at Triple-A Richmond -- started the spring two-of-17 but has six hits in his last eight at-bats, raising his average to .267. Pena's father -- Astros coach Tony Pena -- also was in the crowd. <br>
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