MIAMI (Ticker) -- Al Leiter provided another bounce-back effort and Armando Benitez rebounded as well.
For the second time in a week, Leiter picked up his team after a rough loss and Benitez put a disastrous outing behind him by polishing off a seven-hitter as the New York Mets edged the Florida Marlins, 4-2.
Leiter (2-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings against his former team. After New York was hammered in its season opener on March 31, Leiter came on to earn the victory in the Mets' very next game.
"It was a good ballgame for us," Leiter said. "The Marlins have been tough on us. I pitched well here as Marlin and when I first got to the Mets but lately, they've been tough on us."
On Sunday, in the finale of a six-game homestand and with a chance to complete a sweep of the Montreal Expos, Benitez blew a ninth-inning lead, surrendering a three-run homer to Jeff Liefer.
After setup men David Weathers and Mike Stanton each got two outs on Tuesday, Benitez survived a rocky ninth to earn his third save.
"Armando's our closer, he's usually pitching in tough situations," Mets manager Art Howe said. "You're going (to struggle) every now and then. We know he's going to come through."
"It's a new day," Benitez said. "I'm very happy when (we) win."
Ty Wigginton, who has reached safely in all seven of New York's games this season, hit a three-run homer in the third to stake the Mets to a 4-0 lead. He has seven career homers and three have come against Florida.
"When it was hit, I looked up and all I saw was the lights," Wigginton said. "I had no idea where it was. I'm just glad I got it. (Mark Redman) threw the ball well ... he made a mistake, I was lucky enough to get part of it."
"He didn't waste anytime hitting that ball out," Howe added. "That was the big blow of the game. I think you'll hear an awful lot about him before the season's up. I certainly know he can swing the bat and the rest of the league's going to find that out. That's the one I thing I was told when I came over, that he did have power. He stays on the ball real well and has power -- that's a good combination."
Redman (1-1) surrendered four runs and six hits in seven innings.
Marlins' catcher Ivan Rodriguez drew a National League record-tying five walks but did not score. The last time a player drew five walks in a National League game was Vince Coleman, who accomplished the feat for the New York Mets on August 10, 1992.
"Obviously, they know what kind of threat he is," Marlins manager Jeff Torborg said. "Pudge was very selective. Some of those pitches were close."
Wigginton got the Mets going in the second, opening the inning with a single, taking third on an error by first baseman Derrek Lee and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
Shinjo, making his first start of the season, went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly.
Redman got Rey Sanchez to open the third inning but walked former Marlin Cliff Floyd on a 3-2 pitch. Mike Piazza singled and, after Mo Vaughn fouled out, Wigginton crushed a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall.
A throwing error by Piazza led to a Florida run in the third and Lee had a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Florida had two aboard in the seventh when Weathers replaced Leiter and got Lee to bounce into a forceout. The Marlins had a runner at second with two outs in the eighth, but Stanton retired red-hot Alex Gonzalez on a flyout.
Benitez entered in the ninth and struck out Gerald Williams before allowing a single to Luis Castillo. A groundout moved Castillo to second and Rodriguez walked to put the tying run aboard. But the hard-throwing righthander got Lee to fly out to the warning track for the final out.
Juan Pierre had a bunt single in the third and has hits in each of the Marlins' eight games this season.
