New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey throws against the...

[object Object] Credit: AP starting pitcher R.A. Dickey throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning. (June 11, 2011)

ATLANTA -- R.A. Dickey lowered his ERA before even throwing a pitch in Thursday night's start against the Braves at Turner Field. That's because Dickey was the beneficiary of a scoring change by Major League Baseball, which ruled that Andrew McCutchen's two-run double Saturday actually was an error by third baseman Daniel Murphy.

That decision wiped away two earned runs for Dickey, whose ERA dropped from 3.98 to 3.76 with the adjustment. The Mets filed the official complaint after Saturday's game, and Murphy said he deserved an error for his awkward attempt to backhand the ground ball off his leg. 

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ATLANTA -- R.A. Dickey lowered his ERA before even throwing a pitch in Thursday night's start against the Braves at Turner Field. That's because Dickey was the beneficiary of a scoring change by Major League Baseball, which ruled that Andrew McCutchen's two-run double Saturday actually was an error by third baseman Daniel Murphy.

That decision wiped away two earned runs for Dickey, whose ERA dropped from 3.98 to 3.76 with the adjustment. The Mets filed the official complaint after Saturday's game, and Murphy said he deserved an error for his awkward attempt to backhand the ground ball off his leg.