Werth’s Homer Not Enough, Mets Edge Phillies in 12
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The rains came in the Phillies eighth inning with 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd base and 1st baseman Ryan Howard facing lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano with the Mets holding a 1-0 lead. 2 1/2 hours later, Howard fanned, Aaron Heilman walked leftfielder Pat Burrell to load the bases but 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz grounded weakly to the pitcher to end the inning. So it goes with a slumbering Phillies offense in losing 4-2 in twelve innings.
In losing, the NL East leading Phillies lead over 2nd place Florida shrunk to 2 1/2 games ahead of who pounded the Colorado Rockies. The 3rd place Mets picked up another game with the win and now trail the Phils by 3 1/2 games. 4th place Atlanta, who beat the Houston Astros in 17 innings, now trail by 6 games.
Living in a different timezone, I went to sleep as the rains came with Howard at the plate, hoping to awaken to a drastic change in score after the delay. It was not to be. Sure, the Mets added a rare run against closer Brad Lidge in the ninth and sure, outfielder Jayson Werth, who played all 3 positions, hit a dramatic ninth inning 2 out, 2 run homer off of closer Billy Wagner to tie the game. But veteran outfielder Fernando Tatis, who was out of baseball for 2 seasons and is 9 years removed from the 31 homer season (the only full and consistent season of his career). solved reliever Chad Durbin for the to end the marathon of nearly seven hours (including the rain delay) with 1 out and 1 on in the twelfth after Durbin walked the lead-off hitter. The blow which made Durbin the losing pitcher was in his second inning of work and marked only the 2nd dinger that he’s given up this season in 50 innings of pitching. He struck out the next 2 hitters to end the inning.
The Mets got on the board in the third inning on centerfielder Carlos Beltran’s 2 out solo shot off of starter Kyle Kendrick to rightfield. The lead held as Kendrick and lefthander Oliver Perez dueled.
Perez left after 7 innings having thrown 110 pitches giving up 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 6. Kendrick tossed 112 pitches giving up 1 run on 8 hits walking 3 and striking out 2.
Then came the marathon of relievers and the rain delay in the Phillies’ eighth.
Afterwards, Feliciano got Howard on strikes but the Phils still had life. Heilman walked Burrell but all Feliz could manage was a grounder which Heilman gladly swallowed up for the final out.
Beltran added the Mets 2nd run on an RBI single driving in shortstop Jose Reyes who led off against Lidge with a single, stole 2nd and was sacrificed to 3rd.
Centerfielder Shane Victorino opened the Phillies’ ninth by singlingt to center. There he sat for 2 outs until Werth’s blast off of Wagner to tie the game and give Phillies fans a moment to cheer.
Madson and Durbin had little trouble getting through the tenth and eleventh innings while the Phillies threatened with two 2 out singles in the 10th but the runner sat stranded as catcher Carlos Ruiz grounded out to end the inning.
Then came the fateful twelfth inning Tatis’ game winner off of Durbin.
The Phils showed some life in their half as shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off the Phils’ twelfth by singling to left and stealing 2nd base.
Reliever Joe Smith, who pitched the last 2 1/3 innings for the Mets allowing only Rollin’s single, got Howard to fly out and got 2 ground outs to be credited with the win.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Sunday’s games, click here.
In Monday’s final, Adam Eaton, who possesses a fine lifetime record against the opposes Pedro Martinez as the Phils hope to wake up the offense to at least salvage a split for the series.
There’s no rest for the weary as the potent St. Louis Cardinals follow the Mets into Citizen’s Bank Park on Tuesday for a 3 game series.
For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.
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