Mets Jump to Early Lead, Top Phillies in Opener
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It’s looking more and more like the great Chan Ho Park experiment as the 5th starter is failing badly although the Phillies have managed to win 3 of his previous 4 starts. The Mets jumped on him early for 2 runs in the first inning, 2 in the second and 1 more in the third for a quick 5-0 lead. meanwhile, Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, who helped his own cause with a single and 2 RBIs, was less than solid in 5 1/3 innings. However, the bullpen was solid late as the Mets topped the Phillies by a 7-4 score on Friday.
The loss was the Phillies’ 2nd in a row after previously having won 5 in row.
What can one say, the Mets disassembled Park early and often as the veteran alternated between wildness, walking 6, and later being burned for line drive after line drive while giving up all 7 Mets runs in 4 2/3 innings.
And the offense failed to sufficiently cash in on early opportunities arising from Pelfrey’s 4 walks and a hit batsman before the 2 bullpens were lights out late in the game. Conspicuous by his absense as table-setter once again was .198 leadoff hitter shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
Young leftfielder Daniel Murphy put the Mets on the board in the first reaching Park for a 2 run homer to rightfield. Pitcher Pelfrey and lead-off hitter shortstop Jose Reyes sacrificed in runs in second inning as did catcher Omir Santos in the third.
The Phils managed to load the bases with 1 out in the third and scored
3 runs to close to 5-3. 2 of the runs scored on leftfielder Raul Ibanez’s 2 run single which was followed by 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz’s RBI single, both to centerfield.
But the Mets put 2 more runs’ space between themselves and the Phils in the fifth as 3rd baseman David Wright and Pelfrey each singled to cap the Mets scoring.
The Phillies tried to put something together in the sixth, but faulty base-running did them in. With pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs on 1st base and catcher Chris Coste on 2nd, Rollins reached on a fielding error by shortstop Reyes with lefthander reliever Pedro Feliciano on in relief of Pelfrey. MLB’s Todd Zolecki picks up the Phillies base-running snafu from here:
Jimmy Rollins hit a smash to Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, but he threw wildly to third. Chris Coste, who reached third safely, took a few steps toward home plate, but determined that it made little sense to risk getting thrown out at home with Shane Victorino and Chase Utley coming up. But Greg Dobbs kept running to third, and Coste ultimately had to head for home, knowing he would be out at the plate.
And so, instead of bases loaded and 1 out, it was 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Centerfielder Victorino ended up flying out to end what looked to be a promising inning.
Utley led off the seventh inning with a homer off of Mets reliever Feliciano to draw the Phils within 7-4 but then Feliciano set the next 3 Phillies down on a ground out and 2 swinging 3rd strikes. From there, set-up man J.J. Putz and closer Francisco Rodriguez shut the gate on the Phils who got only a ninth inning walk.
Meanwhile, the Phils bullpen was dominant in shutting down the Mets, particularly 2 impressive innings from possible replacement 5th starter lefthander J.A. Happ.
For Pelfrey, it was his 3rd win, he’s yet to lose this season. Park was charged with the loss and Rodriguez notched his 5th save.
For all of the results of Thursday’s and games games, click here and here.
Saturday’s game 2 is battle of lefthanders on Saturday as ageless Jamie Moyer goes for his 4th win and the Phils try to knot the series at a game apiece sgainst Oliver Perez.
For all of Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, click here, and here.
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