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Reyes Delivers Big As Mets Topple Brewers 2-1

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- New York Mets manager Terry Collins hasn't seen anything quite like the tear Jose Reyes is on right now.

Reyes hit a two-run triple to give New York the lead in the seventh inning and the Mets held on to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

"I've never had a player like that where he is so exciting to watch," Collins said. "I'll tell you what, when he hits a ball in the gap or down the line, he is right out of the batters box -- and he wants it, badly."

Reyes now has a major league-high 11 triples but Tuesday night's was his first on the road.

"I take them at any time," Reyes said. "It doesn't matter. A triple is a triple no matter where I play."

With a pair of hits Tuesday, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Reyes is 22-for-48 during the streak.

Reyes' triple came off reliever Marco Estrada and wasted an impressive start from Milwaukee's Shaun Marcum, who pitched six scoreless innings.

Prince Fielder hit his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot to give the Brewers the lead in the sixth. But that was the only big mistake of the night for Mets starter Chris Capuano (4-6), a longtime Brewers player making his return to Milwaukee.

Capuano downplayed his return to Milwaukee going into the game but acknowledged afterward that it was "a little strange" to be on the visiting side at Miller Park.

"Once you get on the mound and you lock in on that target, after you let that first pitch go, all that other stuff disappears," Capuano said. "It's just a matter of getting yourself to that point with the minimum amount of distraction possible."

Capuano was with the Brewers organization from 2004 to 2010 and made the All-Star team in 2006 before his career got off track because of injuries.

He received warm applause from the crowd when he took the mound at the beginning of Tuesday's game, as well as in his first plate appearance. And he nearly homered in the fifth, sending a deep fly ball to center that was caught at the wall by Carlos Gomez.

Collins said Capuano has pitched better than his record would indicate.

"He's really pitched good," Collins said. "He deserves three or four more wins than what he's got. He kept us in the game all night tonight. Really was very, very good. When you make only one bad pitch, that's a pretty good outing."

Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 17th save.

Estrada (1-3) took the loss.

Tuesday's game came as a heat wave hit Milwaukee, with 94-degree temperatures at first pitch. The Brewers were nearly as hot as a team, having won 20 of their past 26 games coming into Tuesday's game -- most recently a four-game road sweep of the Florida Marlins.

Marcum held the Mets scoreless, giving up two hits in six innings. But he threw 108 pitches and gave up four walks, and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he struggled with his command.

"He still finds a way to get people out and he still finds a way to keep the run total down to where you've got a real good chance to win," Roenicke said. "If he goes out there and battles like that and they only score one off him, almost every night, we're going to win."

Carlos Beltran was back in the lineup for the Mets after leaving Sunday's game against Atlanta with a right leg bruise. X-rays were negative, and Beltran said before the game that he still had some soreness after receiving treatment during the Mets' off day Monday.

"It didn't seem to affect him at all," Collins said.

Beltran got off to a rough start, struggling to field a first-inning line drive off the bat of Corey Hart, although the play was ruled a hit. But he recovered to make several good plays later in the game.

And Collins was happy his team got through a game without any more injuries.

"We didn't lose anybody tonight," Collins said.

NOTES: The Brewers drafted 3B Trent Boras in the 30th round of the first-year player draft on Tuesday. He is the son of agent Scott Boras, who represents Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder. ... One round earlier, the Brewers selected right-hander David Lucroy, the younger brother of Lucroy. ... Reyes singled in the fifth, extending his hitting streak.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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