PNC PARK Bay's 24th home run helps Bucs sweep DH

Pittsburgh won 1-0 and 6-1 over the Mets.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pirates are running an aggressive campaign to push for Jason Bay as the NL Rookie of the Year. The outfielder's numbers might speak for themselves.
Bay hit a two-run homer -- his 24th -- to set a team rookie record and Dave Williams pitched six shutout innings to help the Pirates complete a doubleheader sweep of the New York Mets with a 6-1 victory Sunday.
The Pirates won the first game 1-0 on backup catcher Humberto Cota's home run and a combined three-hitter by Ryan Vogelsong, Salomon Torres and Jose Mesa.
Despite missing the first month of the season while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, Bay is hitting .294 with 75 RBIs.
"He has my vote," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's been phenomenal, especially with the number of at-bats he's done this in."
Club record
With his 24th homer, Bay passed the club mark he shared with Ralph Kiner (1948) and Johnny Rizzo (1936).
"I'm really proud of what I've done. I can't explain it," Bay said. "Things have just gone really well for me. I just wanted to get settled in here and prove that I belonged. I think I've done that and now I just need to continue to get better."
Williams (2-1) held the Mets to three hits over the first six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
Former Pirate Kris Benson (12-12) had a streak of 18 shutout innings until the fourth. Jack Wilson led off with a double and Bay hit a 2-2 pitch over the left-center wall.
"Kris pitched really well until the seventh inning," Mets manager Art Howe said. "He made that one mistake to Bay, but that was all it took the way we swung the bats."
Benson shelled
Benson, who won his previous two starts, made his first career appearance against the Pirates, who traded him to New York on July 30. He allowed with six runs and six hits in six-plus innings.
"It was a little strange, but it was no different than any other game," Benson said. "Execute your pitches and you can get hitters out."
Todd Zeile, who got his 2,000th hit in the first game, hit an RBI double in the ninth to prevent the shutout. It would've marked the first time the Mets were blanked in both games of a doubleheader since Aug. 5, 1975, against Montreal and the first time the Pirates posted two shutout wins since winning a pair of 1-0 games against St. Louis on Oct. 3, 1976.
Ty Wigginton, acquired by the Pirates for Benson, hit a two-run double in the seventh.
In the first game, Cota homered off Aaron Heilman (1-2) to lead off the third. It was the fifth homer for Cota, who has started 13 games this season and is playing while Jason Kendall serves a three-game suspension. He had both of the Pirates' hits.
Vogelsong (6-12) held the Mets to three hits -- all singles -- over seven innings while walking three, hitting a batter and striking out three.