Weeks' homer lifts Brewers to 9-6 win over Mets

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Rickie Weeks continued his torrid hitting and kept the Brewers in the hunt for an NL wild card spot.

Weeks hit a two-run homer to cap a five-run fourth inning and lift the Brewers to a 9-6 win over the New York Mets on Saturday night.

Trailing 4-1 in the fourth the Brewers rallied for five runs to win for the 19th time in 25 games. Milwaukee leaped ahead of Philadelphia in the race for the second NL Wild Card spot but remained behind St. Louis, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

"It's just one of those things where we need some help, obviously," Weeks said. "But at the same time we want to get this thing done."

Weeks struggled the first three months of the season, and didn't get his batting average permanently over .200 until July 25. He's been hot lately, batting .343 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in his last 16 games to raise his average to .230.

"I've been swinging the bat pretty well for more than a couple of weeks," Weeks said. "I just keep coming back to the ballpark and working hard. That's all you can do."

The Mets lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

Weeks' homer capped the inning and was his 20th of the season. He also had a double, scored two runs and drove in three. Reliever Brandon Kintzler (2-0) pitched a scoreless fifth to get credit for the victory.

Jenrry Mejia (0-1) pitched three innings in his first major-league start exactly two years after making his last start. He underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery in May 2011.

"His command was off," New York manager Terry Collins said of Mejia. "That's going to be something we certainly have to make sure is first and foremost. It's tough to pitch up here behind in the count."

Mejia, who made his major-league debut in 2010 at the age of 20, had control problems, walking five batters and throwing strikes in just 32 of his 68 pitches. He gave up five runs on six hits and five walks and was removed by manager Terry Collins after the first four Brewers reached base in the fourth inning.

Daniel Murphy had a double and two singles for New York. Ike Davis hit a two-run homer, his 27th, in the ninth for the Mets.

With the Mets leading 4-1, Mejia walked Nyjer Morgan to open the fourth and Jean Segura reached on a bunt single. Pinch-hitter Logan Schafer lined a triple down the right field line to score both runners and bring the Brewers within 4-3.

Mejia then walked Aoki and was removed for Jeremy Hefner . The right-hander's second pitch to Weeks bounced in front of the plate and got past catcher Kelly Shoppach for a wild pitch, scoring Schafer from third to tie the score at 4-4.

Weeks then hit a 1-2 pitch that landed in the netting above the Brewers bullpen, giving Milwaukee a 6-4 lead.

Pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa hit an RBI triple in the fifth to make it 7-4. Aoki followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 8-4.

Weeks' two-out double scored Segura to make it 9-4 in the seventh.

Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum had another ineffective outing, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three in just four innings. In five starts after missing 10 weeks with right elbow soreness, Marcum is 0-1 with a 5.70 ERA.

"He's just missing on his location," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "I don't know if it's a rhythm thing with his delivery, or I don't know what it is."

The Mets scored three runs in the fourth on a squeeze bunt by Mejia to score Jordany Valdespin from third, an RBI single by Ruben Tejada and an RBI double by Murphy.

Notes: Mejia's last major-league start was on Sept. 15, 2010 against Pittsburgh. He underwent surgery on May 16, 2011 and had pitched in relief one other game this year. ... Milwaukee 1B Corey Hart missed his fifth consecutive game with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, but did some running and took swings in the batting cages on Saturday. Roenicke said Hart could return on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. ... Aramis Ramirez dropped a foul popup in the sixth for an error, snapping a streak of 42 errorless games. ... The Mets used eight pitchers and the Brewers used six.

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