Ryan Church couldn't recall ever riding to a game on a team bus in his career. Francisco Rodriguez said it was "a little weird."

"A little bonding time with everybody," starter Mike Pelfrey said.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but the Mets went on to break a season-worst five-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory yesterday despite a career-high 12 strikeouts from Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo.

Pelfrey (6-3) gave up six hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings, and Church came through with an RBI single in the sixth as the Mets stopped a five-game losing streak.

In other games:

* At San Diego, Brian Moehler (5-4) held the Padres to one run in six innings and combined with two relievers on a five-hitter in Houston's 7-1 victory. The Astros scored six runs in the fourth inning.

* At Los Angeles, Rafael Furcal had a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning, helping the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies, 1-0.

The Dodgers were 29-21 during Manny Ramirez' 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. The 12-time All-Star, who needs three home runs to tie Mickey Mantle for 15th place on the career list at 536, will return to the lineup tonight for the start of a three-game series at San Diego.

* At St. Louis, Colby Rasmus, given new life when third baseman Pablo Sandoval dropped a foul ball, hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning to lift the Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants, 2-1.

* At Cincinnati, righthander Johnny Cueto settled in after two wild innings and Joey Votto singled home a sixth-inning run that sent the Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have lost nine of 11.

* At Pittsburgh, Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome homered to support Randy Wells' seven effective innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pirates, 4-1. Wells (3-3) limited the Pirates to one run and six hits.

* At Miami, Hanley Ramirez extended his RBI streak to 10 games and Cody Ross homered and hit an RBI single as the Florida Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals, 5-3. Ramirez hit a two-run double to become the first shortstop in NL history with an RBI streak of double-digit games.

Noteworthy

 

* Pittsburgh shortstop Jack Wilson apologized to the team for criticizing this week's trades of outfielders Nyjer Morgan and Eric Hinske and reliever Sean Burnett, in the wake of last month's trade of All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth to Atlanta. *

 

* Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb, the 2006 NL Cy Young winner who has been sidelined since Opening Day, will not have surgery on his ailing pitching shoulder, hoping he can play again this season.