John Maine became the first New York Mets starter this year to reach the eighth inning, taking a shutout into the ninth Wednesday during a 12-1 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Brad Penny. Maine (4-2) hit a two-run single and was two outs from his third shutout and complete game in the majors when Matt Kemp hit an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 12 games.
A day before his 27th birthday, Maine allowed four hits in 8 1-3 innings and won his third straight start _ all following Mets' losses. Penny (5-3) allowed 10 runs in 4 2-3 innings, the most off him in 236 career big league starts. He gave up 10 hits for the third time in eight starts this season. (More baseball stories.)