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Diamondbacks beat Mets, remain atop NL West

Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona Diamondbacks' Jay Bell, left, tags out New York Mets' Roger Cedeno during the third inning yesterday at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Cedeno attempted to steal against Diamondbacks catcher Kelly Stinnett.

Associated Press

PHOENIX - Luis Gonzalez drove in four runs with a home run, two doubles and a single as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat New York 8-4 last night to take two of three from the Mets.

The Diamondbacks, winners of 12 of their last 14, stayed 8 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Francisco in the NL West.

The Mets dropped to 3 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. The Braves beat St. Louis 4-3 in 12 innings last night.

Matt Williams had a two-run double in Arizona's four-run first inning.

Gonzalez has hit safely in his last 13 games, his fourth double-digit hitting streak of the season. He doubled in runs in the first and second innings, then hit a solo homer in the seventh, all off Al Leiter (10-9).

Gonzalez also singled in a run in the eighth off Billy Taylor.

The home run was Gonzalez's 23rd, tying the career best he set last year with Detroit.

The Mets' Mike Piazza didn't play because of a sore left shoulder. Manager Bobby Valentine said the injury wasn't serious and he expected Piazza to be back in the lineup when New York opens a three-game series in Houston on Monday.

Leiter, who hadn't given up more than four runs in his last 17 outings, allowed four in the first inning and one in the second.

He gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits while walking six and hitting a batter in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out three.

Brian Anderson (6-2), recently sent to the bullpen when Todd Stottlemyre returned to the rotation, got the victory in relief of Andy Benes, who left after allowing four runs and nine hits in four innings.

Three Arizona relievers shut out the Mets on one hit over the last five innings and retired the last 12 batters.

Rickey Henderson was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases for New York.

Leiter walked the first two batters in the first and Gonzalez lofted a fly ball to deep left-center. Henderson, the left fielder, and center fielder Darryl Hamilton each thought the other was going to catch it, and it dropped between them and bounced into the stands for an RBI ground-rule double.

New York scored three in the second on RBI singles by Rey Ordonez and Henderson and a run-scoring double by Alfonzo. The Mets cut the lead to 5-4 in the fourth on Roger Cedeno's RBI single.