Phillies Rally Falls Short, Mets Hold On for Win
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Trailing the Mets 10-1 going into the home sixth, the Phillies scored 8 runs over the final four innings, including 3 homers. But they saw their 2 out, 2 run ninth inning rally against closer Billy Wagner fall short as rightfielder Jayson Werth flied out as the Mets held on by a thread to win by a 10-9 score.
In losing, the NL East leading Phillies saw their lead over 2nd place Florida shrink to 1 1/2 games over the Marlins who edged the San Diego Padres. The 3rd place Mets picked up another game with the win and now trail the Phils by 2 1/2 games. 4th place Atlanta, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Hiroki Kuroda’s complete game 1 hit sut out, remained 6 games off of the pace.
The Mets pounded starter and losing pitcher Adam Eaton for 8 runs on 10 hits through 2 2/3 innings, his earliest exit of 2008 and reminiscent of Eaton at his 6.27 ERA 2007 worst. For the play-by-play coverage of the game, click here.
Reliever Clay Condrey took over for Eaton retiring the side in third and holding the Mets scoreless on 2 hits in the fourth and fifth innings.
Recently called up lefthanded reliever R.J. Swindle replaced Condrey and pitched the sixth through the eighth innings. He was greeted in the sixth by 3rd baseman David Wright’s lead-off leftfield homer and coughed up Pedro Martinez’s RBI single to center later in the inning for the Mets’ 10th run. Swindle retired the next 6 Mets in a row in the seventh and eighth innings. Wright had 2 hits and 4 RBIs for the game.
Meanwhile, Mets starter Pedro Martinez labored while holding the Phillies to 1 run, a fourth inning solo shot by 2nd baseman Chase Utley (his 25th), through 5 innings before being chased with 1 out in the sixth on leftfielder Pat Burrell’s solo homer (his 22nd) followed by a double to right center by 3rd baseman Greg Dobbs. Tony Armas replaced Martinez and struck out rightfielder Werth and catcher Chris Coste to end the inning. Carrying a big 10-1 lead into the sixth inning, Martinez, who threw 105 pitches through 5 1/3 innings and helped his own cause with a sixth inning RBI single, was credited with his 3rd win vs 2 losses.
Armas would then be pounded for 3 runs in the seventh inning as shortstop Jimmy Rollins singled with 1 out, took second on Armas’ wild pitch and scored on centerfielder Shane Victorino’s RBI double to rightfield. With two out, Ryan Howard pounded a 2 run shot, his 24th HR, to rightfield chasing Armas. 10-5 Mets. Howard’s shot was originally called a ground-rule double when a fan reached over the rightfield fence and touched the ball. However, the umpires reversed their call noting that ”the ball would have left the park had the fan not interfered.”
Reliever Aaron Heilman entered to strike out Burrell to end the seventh. But Heilman would not get away unscathed in the eighth inning as pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins pounded a 2 out, 2 run homer to draw the Phils closer at 10-7. Heilman finished off the eighth by striking out Rollins.
Lefthanded reliever http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6363 J.C. Romero made short work of the Mets in the ninth and the Phils, hoping for a series split, came to bat trying hard to produce bottom of the ninth heroics against closer Wagner.
The AP report for Yahoo sports describes the Phillies ninth;
The Mets had a 10-7 lead heading into the ninth, but Wagner, who blew a save in the Mets’ win Sunday, gave up a two-out RBI single to Pedro Feliz, scoring Shane Victorino. [late game 2nd base replacement] Eric Bruntlett, who had walked, also came around to score on a throwing error by center fielder Carlos Beltran. Jayson Werth hit a soft liner to right, ending the comeback and giving Wagner his 20th save in 26 opportunities.
“You can never let down with this team,” Wagner said. “They make you earn it.”
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.
On Tuesday, St. Louis follows the Mets into Citizen’s Bank Park for a 3 game series.
In Tuesday’s opener, ace lefthander Cole Hamels is opposed by soon-to-be 30 year old Joel Pineiro. On Wednesday, 26 year old recently called-up lefthander J.A. Happ faces another lefthander, soon-to-be 31 year old Mark Mulder. In Thursday’s final, yet another Phillies lefthander, veteran 45 year old Jamie Moyer faces Braden Looper.
The Arizona Diamondbacks follow the Cards in to play a weekend series before the All Star break.
For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Tuesday’s games, click here.
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