New York-- The Mets can't get any baseball luck---especially Tracy Stallard.
For the second straight start, Stallard pitched well enough to win. And for the second straight start, Stallard went home with a tough loss.
Thursday, it was the Cubs' Dick Ellsworth who outdueled Stallard, tossing a complete-game, five-hit shutout at the Mets, who fell to the Cubs 1-0 at Shea Stadium.
It was the fifth straight loss for the Mets (1-5) and fourth straight in their new ballpark.
Ellsworth was masterful, squirming out of a first inning jam then pretty much having his way with the Mets the rest of the way.
The Cubs scored the game's only run in the very first inning, when Ernie Banks's sacrifice fly scored Jimmy Stewart, who singled to start the game, stole second, and went to third thanks to a throwing error by Mets catcher Hawk Taylor.
Stallard (0-2) was brilliant as well, throwing eight innings of four-hit ball before being lifted in the ninth after a leadoff double by Billy Williams.
Ellsworth struck out four, walked none in his complete game masterpiece
"There's not much you can say," Stallard said of his tough loss. "You just take a right turn and go home."
Mets manager Casey Stengel was more vocal.
"That kid (Stallard) pitched his heart out," Stengel said. "And we couldn't get a dadgum run for him. It just makes you sick.
"We must be leading the league in different ways to lose," Stengel added.
"Tracy was great," Taylor said. "But Ellsworth was a little better, I guess. Tracy couldn't do more than he did."
Yesterday's game was the only one of the three scheduled with the Cubs that was played, due to rainy weather in New York this week. Next up for the Mets are four games in Pittsburgh, meaning the Cubs will have played seven of eight games against the Pirates, who swept the Mets in New York last weekend.
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Mets record: 1-5, .167 (Last 10: 1-5; streak: L-5); Actual: 1-5
Home: 0-4; Away: 1-1
Runs scored: 18
Runs against: 36
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