Boos Don’t Bother Mota

NEW YORK â€”  Guillermo Mota received a rude reception when he came in to pitch the ninth inning of Thursday’s 6-1 victory over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

“It was good to see the reaction of the fans,� said the right-hander, who pitched a perfect inning in his first appearance in five games. “The fans just booed me. Everything is over.�

New Yorkers apparently still hold a grudge over Mota’s stormy history with Met All-Star catcher Mike Piazza, who was out of the starting lineup the entire series after undergoing surgery Monday to have a benign mole removed from his right lower abdomen. Piazza walked while pinch-hitting in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Manager Jim Tracy said he was not reluctant to use Mota.

“My intent was to use him as to the dictation of the game,� he said.

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Left fielder Brian Jordan jammed his left knee while making a leaping catch in the sixth and won’t play today against the Montreal Expos.... Darren Dreifort said he plans to start Saturday against the Expos after testing his sore right knee in a bullpen session.... All-Star closer Eric Gagne is scheduled to receive an award today from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.... Reliever Paul Shuey (sprained right knee) can be activated from the disabled list Saturday, but he said he probably “needs a few more days.�

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ON DECK

Opponent -- Montreal Expos, three games.

Site -- Olympic Stadium.

TV -- Fox Sports Net 2 tonight and Saturday, Channel 13 on Sunday.

Radio -- KFWB (980), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Dodgers 18-17, Expos 21-13.

2002 record vs. Expos -- 5-2.

Tonight, 4 PDT -- Kevin Brown (3-1, 2.84 ERA) vs. Claudio Vargas (0-1, 3.00).

Saturday, 10 a.m. -- Darren Dreifort (2-3, 3.41) vs. Javier Vazquez (3-2, 3.15).

Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Odalis Perez (1-2, 3.07) vs. Livan Hernandez (3-1, 4.14).