Frandsen rescues Phillies with walk-off home run
PHILADELPHIA -- More often than not, Kevin Frandsen is the one joining in on the Philadelphia Phillies' celebrations.
On Saturday afternoon he triggered one, hitting a leadoff homer as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning to lift the Phillies to an 8-7 victory over the New York Mets.
Frandsen, batting for winning pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (2-0), hit a 1-0 pitch from reliever Carlos Torres into the left-field seats. It was the first career walk-off homer for the journeyman infielder, and it rescued the Phillies on a day when they squandered a 7-1 lead.
"I have no idea what to do," he said of the celebration, which included a teammate hitting him in the face with a shaving-cream pie.
He definitely knows what to do as a pinch hitter. He is 7-for-22 with six RBI in that role this season and hit a game-winning three-run double in the ninth inning of an April 6 victory over Kansas City.
"I keep saying it: Pinch hitting is for the team," he said. "I'm trying to get on base, not trying to hit a home run. Fortunately I got a pitch to hit, and I did something with it."
It came off a pitcher he had first faced in high school, Frandsen and Torres having both grown up in northern California. It also came on a day when the Phillies were badly in need of a lift.
"He's got a lot of energy," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Frandsen. "He definitely wants to be there. He was definitely wanting to hit today. He's got a good attitude about it. He's one of those guys thinking he can do it. He's totally loose. It's no big deal to him. He wants to show people he can play."
The Mets tied it by scoring twice in the ninth. Jordany Valdespin hit a one-out solo homer off Papelbon. David Wright then reached on an error, and one out later ran as Daniel Murphy grounded a single through the left side of the infield.
Wright came all the way around to score. Murphy was credited with an RBI single, even though Philadelphia centerfielder Ben Revere bobbled the ball.
It was the third blown save in four opportunities this week for Papelbon, who had converted his first 13 of the season.
"This is an absolutely great comeback," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "To come back in a game like that -- that far, that big, I wouldn't have thought it. ... We hung in there and got big hits. We just couldn't hold them."
Ryan Howard went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI for the Phillies.
Howard, batting .439 over his last 11 games, had a two-run single in the first inning and solo homers in the fourth and fifth as the Phillies built a 7-1 lead and hung on. It was his first multi-homer game of the season, and the 29th of his career.
Both homers came off Mets starter Dillon Gee, giving Howard four off the New York right-hander this season. Howard, who now has 10 homers this year, has hit six career homers off Gee and is 7-for-15 against him in all.
"No matter what I throw," Gee said, "he hits it out of the park."
Michael Young hit the first of back-to-back homers with Howard in the fifth. It was the fourth of the season for Young, and the seventh time this year the Phillies have blasted consecutive homers.
Young has also enjoyed great success against Gee in his career, going 8-for-11 with three homers.
Revere, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, singled home a run in the fourth inning for the Phillies. He also singled and stole second and third in the sixth, continuing home after the second of those thefts on an errant throw by Mets catcher John Buck to make it 7-1.
Revere stole three bases in all, equaling his career high and giving him 20 steals in 24 attempts this season.
Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone pitched six innings and allowed one run on five hits before departing with lower-back tightness on the right side. Pettibone struck out one and walked one.
Valdespin also drove in runs with grounders in the third and seventh, the latter as part of a four-run inning. Eric Young Jr. had the inning's big blow, a two-run double, while Omar Quintanilla, who went 3-for-4, added an RBI single.
Jake Diekman, the Phils' third pitcher of the inning, struck out Murphy with two men aboard to end the threat. Antonio Bastardo worked a scoreless eighth.
Gee lasted five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter.
NOTES: Revere went 2-for-4 and is hitting .407 during his streak, and .327 over his last 43 games. ... Young went 2-for-4 and over his last 15 games is hitting .381. ... Quintanilla went 3-for-4 for the Mets, and Young was 2-for-5. ... Earlier in the day the Phillies placed RHP Mike Adams on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis and selected the contract of RHP J.C. Ramirez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. INF Michael Martinez was also designated for assignment. ... Mets 1B Ike Davis, recently optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, hit two homers for the second straight day Friday.
