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NEW YORK -- Daisuke Matsuzaka pinched his eyelids, clenched his teeth and thought back. He couldnt remember all the details of the first save of his professional career. After 123 starts during seven seasons in Major League Baseball, the 33-year-old right-hander was turned into a reliever by the New York Mets when they brought him up from the minor leagues on April 16. Eight days later, manager Terry Collins took a chance -- a roll of the Dice-K? -- and Matsuzaka responded with a perfect ninth inning Thursday to cap a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He hadnt saved a game since May 2000, his second season with the Seibu Lions of Japans Pacific League, when he struck out four during the final three innings of a 9-0 win at the Chiba Lotte Marines. "Its definitely different," he said through a translator, "but I think Im starting to get used to going from the bullpen." Chris Young homered to start New Yorks comeback from a 1-0, fifth-inning deficit, slumping Curtis Granderson singled in a run as a pinch hitter and Daniel Murphy drove in two runs. Bartolo Colon (2-3) allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked none, sending Lance Lynn to his first career loss in April. Matsuzaka, who completed a four-pitcher, four-hitter, was a rookie of the year in Japan in 1999, MVP as his national team won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and was given a $52 million, six-year contract by the Boston Red Sox after they paid Seibu $51,111,111.11 for his rights. Matsuzaka went 15-12 in his first season with the Red Sox and 18-3 in his second, but he injured a hip during the 2009 WBC and was never the same, hurting his arm and eventually needing elbow ligament-replacement surgery. He was just 50-37 for the Red Sox and signed a minor league contract in February 2013 with Cleveland, which released him in August. Then he joined the Mets, started seven games and signed a minor league deal with New York, which initially sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas this spring. But when Bobby Parnells season ended with a torn elbow ligament on opening day, the Mets had to scramble to restock their bullpen. Jose Valverde struggled as the closer and Kyle Farnsworth took over the role. Manager Terry Collins wanted to give the 38-year-old Farnsworth a rest after three appearances in four days. "I just said this is a good opportunity to see how Dice handles it," Collins explained, "and he did well." In a 15-pitch outing, Matsuzaka retired Allen Craig on a lineout to right after falling behind 3-1, struck out Daniel Descalso in an eight-pitch at-bat and got Peter Bourjos on a game-ending foulout to the catcher. "Before, I never really thought I would be able to pitch out of the bullpen because I just take so long to prepare," Matsuzaka said. "I think I just have to keep pitching well to gain full confidence from the team, but I think having had a few opportunities in tight situations definitely is encouraging." Collins said Farnsworth, who has two saves, remains his first-choice closer but Matsuzuka may receive more ninth-inning opportunities. His preparation, which includes lengthy stretching, will have to change. "If hes going to pitch the back end of the game, be it the eighth, the ninth, somewhere in there," the manager said, "I dont want him to wear himself out in the fifth inning, at 8:15. I want him to kind of save something." Dice-K said its as much mental as physical. "Just to comfort myself, I think I throw more than I probably have to," he said. New York also gave 40-year-old right fielder Bobby Abreu hit first big league start since July 25, 2012. Abreu went 1 for 3 with an opposite-field double to left in the fifth -- his first hit with the Mets. "Its been a long time," he said. "It was kind of exciting. At first I had to calm down my emotions and just go out there and play the game." New York took three of four from the defending NL champions and has won four of five overall. St. Louis lost for the sixth time in nine games and has gone 291 at-bats without a home run since Allen Craig connected at Milwaukee off Wily Peralta on April 16. Lynn (4-1) had been 12-0 through April in his big league career, including one March victory. But given a fifth-inning lead, he allowed the Mets to tie the score in the bottom half and go ahead 2-1 on Murphys RBI double in the sixth, a ball that dropped just in front of diving centerfielder Jon Jay. Lynn was chased in a two-run seventh after Eric Young Jr. bunted and reached on a two-base error when the pitcher threw off first baseman Matt Adams glove and into right field. Granderson had been 2 for 20 against left-handers this year before he greeted Kevin Siegrist with an RBI single, and Murphy singled in the final run. "Weve been home six days in the past 2 1/2 months," Lynn said. "I think a lot of people are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds." NOTES: With hitters on both teams complaining about plate umpire Alan Porters wide strike zone on a blustery afternoon, New York batters struck out 10 times, raising their total to 213 and passing Miami (203) for the major league lead. ... Zack Wheeler (1-2) starts Fridays series opener at home against Miamis Henderson Alvarez (1-2). Cheap Custom Baseball Jerseys . The three Calgary natives will compete after the sport was skipped by the Vancouver Games in 2010 but later included on the program for Sochi, Russia. The fight to include womens ski jumping prior to Vancouver went to the courts only to have the Supreme Court of Canada rule against the athletes appeal in 2009. Custom Miami Marlins Nike Jerseys . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-atlanta-braves-nike-jerseys . In this space, I will be writing new and unique pieces about the team that you wont be able to find anywhere else. So naturally, in an attempt to come up with a fresh topic about the Ottawa Senators, I am going to start with a piece about their goaltending. Custom New York Mets Nike Jerseys . Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys . LOUIS -- Julius Randle had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Aaron Harrison finished with 18 points and No.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus struggling at the plate, Texas manager Ron Washington enjoyed watching a couple of home runs from two of the few players in his lineup who were hitting .300 or better. Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rios homered in the sixth inning against winless Hector Santiago, and the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 Friday night to end a four-game losing streak. The only other time this season that the Rangers had two home runs in one inning was April 15, when Fielder and Kevin Kouzmanoff went back-to-back to start the second against Seattles Blake Beavan in a 5-0 win at Arlington. "It was certainly something that we needed. We were able to string some offence together and put some runs on the board," Washington said. "I dont think you can play this game relying on home runs. But I think the more at-bats the guys (have) that are supposed to hit it out of the ballpark, the more theyll get." Choo added an RBI single in the seventh and Colby Lewis (2-1) pitched 5 2-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out six. The right-hander, making his fourth start after missing 1 1/2 seasons because of operations on his elbow and hip, was lifted after issuing his only walk. "I was able to throw the fastball where I needed to, my changeup was really good and I was able to command my pitches," Lewis said. "But I ran into that dumb walk in the sixth. The bullpen came in and stepped up and was huge tonight to solidify the win for me, so hats off to them. Theyve been taxed, and I was hoping to go deep into the game and give them a little bit of a break." It was the fourth straight game in which a Rangers starter failed to get through the sixth. Lewis was working on an extra day of rest after the rotation was set up to have him avoid next weeks interleague series in Colorado, where he would have to bat. Joakim Soria, the sixth Rangers pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save. Choo left in the seventh because of soreness on the outside of his left ankle. Santiago (0-5) was charged with five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. The left-hander, who has a 5.01 ERA in six starts, was replaced by Kevin Jepsen with a 3-2 deficit. Choo then singled home Leonys Martin, and Michael Choice crossed the plate with the Rangers fifth run as third baseman Ian Stewart fielded Andrus grounder and hit Choice with his throw home.dddddddddddd. "I think hes going to be fine," catcher Hank Conger said of Santiago. "Physically, it wont take much. Mentally, it does start to creep into pitchers minds. But hes been throwing good bullpens and hes been upbeat. "He knows he wants to get that first win off his back. But I think this experience is going to be a good test for him, and a good challenge for him to try to harness what he took out of this start and take it into the next one." Angels third baseman David Freese left with what was described as a bruise on the middle finger of his right hand after he was hit by an 0-2 pitch in the third. Postgame X-rays revealed a small, non-displaced fracture. The 2011 World Series MVP, acquired in a November trade with St. Louis, is batting .202 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 84 at-bats. Texas was trailing 2-0 when Choo drove Santiagos first pitch of the sixth just beyond the reach of centre fielder Mike Trout to end a six-game home run drought by the Rangers -- who hit 26 against the Angels last year while winning the season series 15-4 over their NL West rivals. "They have a good lineup, with a good mix of power guys and a couple of guys that can set the table for them," Conger said. "Tonight it was just two pitches that really turned the game around." Two outs later, Fielder reached on an infield single and Rios sent a 2-1 pitch into the rock pile in left-centre for his second of the season. Angels No. 9 hitter J.B. Shuck, fighting a 2-for-30 slump, drove in the games first run with a two-out bunt single that hugged the third base line all the way to the bag. Howie Kendrick made it 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI single after Shuck singled with two outs and stole second. NOTES: Kouzmanoff, who hasnt played since April 22 because of a herniated disk in his lower back, is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday. ... Texas C Robinson Chirinos was scratched about 90 minutes before the game because of a stomach virus. ... Greg Maddux, a special assistant to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, is with the club for this series after making the trip from his Las Vegas home. ' ' '