By Howie Rumberg
NEW YORK -- Melky Cabrera and Omar Infante hit back-to-back homers with two outs in the seventh inning off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, and the Atlanta Braves increased their National League East lead by beating the New York Mets 4-2 Friday night.
Infante wasn't fooled by Dickey's fluttering pitch. The All-Star utility player had four hits and scored twice to help the Braves open a four-game lead over New York, their biggest margin of the season.
Billy Wagner made his first appearance at Citi Field against his former team and received mostly boos when he was announced. He pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save in 23 opportunities.
Troy Glaus had a two-out RBI single and Cabrera scored on shortstop Jose Reyes' two-out error in the first as Atlanta improved to 21-25 on the road. The Braves took two of three from the Phillies before coming to New York, where they were swept in a three-game set April 23-25.
Dickey (6-2) had two hits and scored twice for the Mets, who have lost consecutive games at home for the first time since May 9-10. They dropped two of three to the NL Central-leading Reds before an off day Thursday.
Playing without Chipper Jones, who was a late scratch because of back spasms, the Braves put runners on base in every inning except the sixth against Dickey but couldn't provide Tommy Hanson with much run support.
Hanson made the Mets look silly on occasion, too. He mixed a low-90s (mph) fastball with a sharp curve and slider to strike out six in his second straight solid start. He was lifted with runners on second and third and two outs in the sixth.
Eric O'Flaherty (3-1) got pinch-hitter Jesus Feliciano to ground out, ending the threat.
Dickey got the first two outs of the seventh before Cabrera hit the first pitch he saw off the second deck in right for a 3-2 lead. Infante made it a two-run cushion with a drive to left.
Dickey gave up nine hits and four runs -- three earned -- in 6 2/3 innings and has lost his last two decisions.
The Braves scored in the first when Reyes, limited to batting right-handed because of a sore left side, couldn't handle Glaus' two-out grounder behind second base.
Glaus gave the Braves a 2-1 lead in the fifth with an RBI single.
Dickey scored the Mets' first run on David Wright's sacrifice fly in the third. He scored again in the fifth to make it 2-all on Reyes' double that froze left fielder Eric Hinske.
Braves rookie OF Jason Heyward, on the 15-day disabled list with a deep bone bruise in his left thumb, was not with the team and will be examined by doctors in Atlanta today. If all goes well, he will take batting practice with Triple-A Gwinnett for two days before deciding if he is well enough to play in the All-Star game Tuesday night.