Dodgers use longball to beat slumping Mets

Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and winning pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo homered off John Maine on three consecutive pitches, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the visiting New York Mets, 4-1, last night to hand the slumping NL East leaders their eighth loss in nine games.

After Russell Martin grounded out to start the second, Betemit hit an 0-1 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for his sixth homer. Kemp drove Maine's next pitch just inside the leftfield foul pole for his first, and Kuo followed by hitting the first homer of his career into the rightfield pavilion to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

The last time a team hit three homers on as many pitches occurred last Sept. 18 on the last three of the four straight hit by the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning in an 11-10, 10-inning victory over San Diego.

In interleague games:

* At New York, Chien-Ming Wang outpitched Brandon Webb in a marquee matchup of exceptional sinkerballers, and Bobby Abreu hit an early three-run homer to help the Yankees beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-1, last night for their seventh consecutive victory.

* At San Francisco, Ryan Klesko drove in two runs as the Giants edged Toronto, 3-2.

* At Boston, Tim Wakefield (6-7) allowed four hits in a season-high eight innings, and David Ortiz went 3-for-3 with a double as the Red Sox beat Colorado, 2-1.

* At Minneapolis, Luis Castillo had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Twins to a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

* At Houston, Brad Ausmus drove in four runs, including the game-winner with an 11th-inning single as the Astros beat Oakland, 5-4.

* At Miami, Scott Olsen (5-5) allowed three hits in seven innings and Miguel Olivo hit a three-run double to lead the Florida Marlins over the Cleveland Indians, 3-0.

* At Chicago, Willie Bloomquist singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the 13th inning, and the Mariners beat the Cubs, 5-3.

* At Pittsburgh, Jose Bautista homered and had three hits as the Pirates beat the Texas Rangers, 7-5.

* At Baltimore, Ryan Church, Ryan Zimmerman and Brian Schneider homered off Daniel Cabrera, and the Washington Nationals beat the Orioles, 7-4.

* At St. Petersburg, Fla., Carlos Pena hit an eighth-inning grand slam and Delmon Young delivered a pair of run-scoring singles as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the San Diego Padres, 11-4.

* At Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr.'s tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the seventh helped the Reds beat the Angels, 5-3, despite 14 strikeouts by Kelvim Escobar.

* At Kansas City, Brian Bannister (3-3) won his third consecutive start with seven scoreless innings, and Esteban German had three hits and three RBI, leading the Royals past the Cardinals, 8-1.

* Fired by ESPN last year, former major leaguer Harold Reynolds was hired as a broadcaster by MLB.com.

* Fired by ESPN last year, former major leaguer Harold Reynolds was hired as a broadcaster by MLB.com.

Reynolds sued ESPN in October, contending he was wrongly fired from a $6 million, 6-year contract after a female intern complained about what he called a "brief and innocuous" hug. He had been with the network since 1996.

* The Houston Astros signed righthander Chan Ho Park to a minor league contract.

* Former Montreal Expos outfielder Warren Cromartie, who became a fan favorite in Japan, will participate in a pro wrestling event in Tokyo.

* The Reds recalled reliever Todd Coffey from Triple A Louisville, placed reliever Jared Burton on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms, and activated righthander Elizardo Ramirez (shoulder) from the disabled list and optioned him to Louisville.

* Former Brewers All-Star closer Dan Kolb was added to the Pirates' roster and utility infielder Don Kelly was designated for assignment. *