Phillies Edge Mets in Extra Innings
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Phillies veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer had a quality outing going… a 4-2 lead after five innings. But manager Charlie Manuel stayed with Moyer a wee bit too long, long enough for a 3 run Mets comeback sixth, 2 of the runs on back-to-back homers as the Mets took a 5-4 lead. Mets lefthander Oliver Perez was terrible in 2 1/3 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits while walking 6 as only a pitcher-to-home-to-2nd base doubleplay in the third prevented furhter damage. New York’s bullpen failed them in the sixth and again in the tenth as the Phillies edged the Mets by a 6-5 score in extra innings on Saturday.
Manager Manuel juggled the starting lineup again batting centerfielder Shane Victorino at leadoff and leftfielder Raul Ibanez 2nd while Chase Utley sat resting his right foot where he was hit by a pitch in Friday’s opener. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes:
It [Utley’s foot] is not believed to be serious.
“He’s fine,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “He’s just getting a day off.”
Both Victorino and Ibanez delivered immediately in the first inning — Victorino with a triple to left centerfield and Ibanez with a sacrifice fly RBI. Then, wildness set in on Perez. Rightfielder Jayson Werth walked. 1st baseman Ryan Howard followed with a single with Werth taking 3rd base. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins singled to left scoring Werth. After 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz popped out, 2nd baseman Eric Bruntlett walked to load the bases. But Perez managed to get catcher Carlos Ruiz to pop out to 2nd base to end the inning. 2-0 Phillies.
The Mets cut the lead in half in the second inning as leftfielder Daniel Murphy drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. The Phils got the run right back in the second inning as Werth doubled in the Phils’ 3rd run.
The teams traded single runs in the third as 3rd baseman David Wright’s sacrifice fly drove in the Met’s 2nd run and Perez’s wildness forced in the Phillies’ 4th run as there was nowhere to put pitcher Moyer on Perez’s walk. After Perez walked 3 Phillies in the inning with 1 out, he was lifted for lefthanded reliever Ken Takahashi who squelched the bases loaded situation by getting Victorino to ground into a pitcher-to-catcher-to-2nd base doubleplay to end the inning. 4-2 Phillies.
The score remained that way until Murphy and catcher Ramon Castro tied the game at 4-4 with back-to-back homers in the sixth before Manuel pulled the plug on Moyer who managed 2 outs in the inning. 2nd baseman Luis Castillo gave the Mets a sixth inning 5-4 lead with an RBI single off of lefthanded reliever Scott Eyre with the run charged to Moyer. After Eyre issued a walk, Manuel went to Clay Condrey who got the side out and pitched a perfect seventh inning.
Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez tied the game 1t 5-5 with a 1 out, sixth inning solo shot to rightfield. From there, the two bent-but-not-broken bullpens held each other scoreless until a single, a hit batsman and 2 walks did in losing pitcher reliever Sean Green.
Lefthanded reliever Jack Taschner, who gave up 2 hits in the Mets tenth, was credited with his 1st Phillies win.
For all of the results of Saturday’s games, click here.
On Sunday, Joe Blanton hopes to recover from his previous terrible outing and the Phillies hope for 2 out 3 from the Mets. Blanton is opposed by John Maine who has been up and down in his 4 starts thus far.
The Phils leave after Sunday’s game for a brief 2 game set in St. Louis against the Cardinals before returning east for a 3 game series in New York with the Mets on Wednesday through Friday.
Lefthander Cole Hamels threw in the bullpen on Saturday, looked encouraging according to GM Ruben Amaro Jr and is scheduled, as of now, to return to the starting rotation against the Cards — subject to change. Adam Wainwright will go for the Cards on Monday.
For all of Sunday’s games, click here,
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