NEW YORK - Mike Piazza looked as if he'd never left.
The All-Star catcher homered and drove in five in his long-awaited return to the lineup, propelling the Mets to a 9-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.
"I'm glad I kind of downplayed everything and told them not to expect too much," Piazza said. "It feels like spring training. I'm excited to be back."
Steve Trachsel shut down Barry Bonds and the Giants, but Piazza was the star.
Playing his first major-league game since severely straining his right groin May 16 in San Francisco, he grounded out his first time up, then connected for a two-run shot off rookie Jerome Williams in the third.
After Timo Perez popped out of the dugout, drawing laughs from the crowd, Piazza emerged for a curtain call. It was a welcome sight for 31,759 fans, who have endured the past three months of an awful season without a chance to watch the Mets' main attraction.
"Doesn't he do that all the time? I've seen him do it a million times on TV," Mets rookie Jason Phillips said. "I just got to see it from the dugout this time. He's Mike Piazza. He puts people in the seats. That's who they come to see and he delivered tonight."
Piazza, who was in a groove before the injury, chased Williams with a run-scoring single in the fourth. He added a two-run single in the seventh off Matt Herges and left for a pinch-runner to a standing ovation.
The Mets beat the West-leading Giants for the second night in a row and fourth time in six games this season.
MARLINS 2, DODGERS 1 (11): Utility infielder Mike Mordecai hit the second game-winning homer by a reserve for host Florida in as many nights.
Third-string catcher Ramon Castro beat Los Angeles with a two-out homer in the 13th Tuesday.
Mordecai's two-out homer was his second of the season, and both have been game-winners. He pinch-ran for Mike Lowell on July 23, then homered in the 12th to beat Atlanta.
The Marlins' Carl Pavano pitched seven scoreless innings and left leading 1-0, but the Dodgers tied it in the ninth against Ugueth Urbina. It was their first run after 162/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
Jeromy Burnitz singled off Urbina with one out, then scored when pinch-hitter Paul Lo Duca doubled into the corner.
PIRATES 6, CARDINALS 5: Randall Simon's pinch-hit single with the bases loaded in the ninth lifted host Pittsburgh and prevented St. Louis from gaining a first-place tie in the Central.
The Cardinals, who lost for the first time in five games, went ahead 4-2 with a four-run sixth keyed by Albert Pujols' second three-run homer in as many nights. Consecutive homers by Craig Wilson and Reggie Sanders to start the eighth put the Pirates up 5-4, but Edgar Renteria's run-single in the ninth tied it at 5 against reliever Julian Tavarez.
Pujols' homer ran his hitting streak to 27 games, the longest in the majors this season.
EXPOS 6, ROCKIES 5: After an electrical failure briefly plunged the ballpark into darkness, Brian Schneider and pitcher Javier Vazquez provided the power for host Montreal.
Schneider hit a three-run homer in the sixth and Vazquez had a run-scoring triple and a single after a delay of 1 hour, 16 minutes.
The power went out at Olympic Stadium in the second inning while Vazquez was in the middle of his windup. Emergency lighting came on quickly and crew chief Bruce Froemming briefly met with the other umpires as both teams left the field.
CUBS 6, ASTROS 4: Moises Alou hit a three-run homer against his former team and the Chicago bullpen blanked visiting Houston over the final 42/3 innings as the Cubs moved within 11/2 games of the Astros in the Central.
BRAVES 7, PADRES 1: Former Crystal River standout Mike Hampton extended his winning streak to seven, Chipper Jones and Vinny Castilla homered and host Atlanta got some payback after losing 14-4 the previous night.
PHILLIES 11, BREWERS 4: Jim Thome homered twice and Kevin Millwood pitched seven solid innings, leading host Philadelphia. Keith Ginter hit a three-run homer for Milwaukee.
D'BACKS 3, REDS 1: Former Jefferson High standout Luis Gonzalez hit a two-run homer, capping an eighth-inning rally that sent visiting Arizona to its 16th consecutive win over Cincinnati.
