Mets 7, Phillies 4
PHILADELPHIA -- A daring base-running play by David Wright keyed a four-run seventh inning as the New York Mets rallied past the last-place Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 Tuesday night.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Wright and Lucas Duda stroked consecutive RBI singles in the seventh as the Mets overcame a 4-0 deficit to win their fourth straight game. They also beat the Phillies for the second straight day in the late innings. On Monday rookie shortstop Jordany Valdespin hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Phils closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Nieuwenhuis and Duda each had two hits and two RBI for the Mets. Wright, who began the game hitting .374, also had two hits, as did Andres Torres.
The Mets' big inning made a winner of reliever Manny Acosta (1-2). Ramon Ramirez and Tim Byrdak then combined for two scoreless innings of relief, and Jon Rauch worked the ninth for his first save of the season.
Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer for the Phillies, who lost their second straight and their fourth in five games. They are 14-17 this season, last in the National League East.
Phillies starter Joe Blanton limited the Mets to a run on three hits through the first six innings, and he carried a 4-1 lead into the seventh. But he issued a leadoff walk to Valdespin and with two outs yielded singles to Torres and Nieuwenhuis, with the latter sending Valdespin home.
Losing pitcher Chad Qualls (1-1) relieved Blanton and allowed an RBI single to Wright, who rounded first and intentionally drew a throw from catcher Carlos Ruiz in hopes of getting in a rundown long enough to allow Nieuwenhuis to score.
When Nieuwenhuis edged off third, second baseman Pete Orr threw wildly in that direction, allowing the tying run to score.
Wright, who took third on the play, came home on Duda's single off the Phillies' third pitcher of the inning, Antonio Bastardo.
Byrdak retired pinch hitter Ty Wigginton with the tying run at third to end the bottom of the eighth, and the Mets tacked on two runs in the ninth, on Niewenhuis' sacrifice fly and Duda's RBI single.
The Phillies broke on top in the bottom of the first when, with two outs and Juan Pierre at second base, Pence homered to center field off Miguel Batista, on a 1-1 pitch. It was Pence's seventh homer of the season.
Philadelphia added two unearned runs in the second. John Mayberry Jr., leading off, reached on a two-base throwing error by shortstop Valdespin, then moved to third on an errant pickoff throw by Batista.
Orr drove Mayberry in with a single, then stole second. And with two outs in the inning, Shane Victorino lined a 2-1 pitch from Batista just foul over first base. But on the very next delivery Victorino lined a double to the gap in left-center, scoring Orr to make it 4-0.
Blanton did not allow a hit until Nieuwenhuis led off the fourth with a double. He scored on a one-out single by Daniel Murphy.
NOTES: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before the game that pitcher Cole Hamels, suspended five games Monday by Major League Baseball for intentionally hitting Washington's Bryce Harper with a pitch one day earlier, probably will make his start Sunday against San Diego. ... Phils pitcher Cliff Lee, idle since April 18 because of a strained oblique, will start Wednesday against the Mets. "He's not going to throw more than 85 pitches," Manuel said, "if he throws that many." ... The Mets placed catcher Josh Thole on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion, which he suffered in a collision at home plate Monday night with Wigginton. Catcher Rob Johnson was summoned from Triple-A Buffalo to fill Thole's roster spot. ... The 41-year-old Batista made his first major league appearance against the Phillies on April 11, 1992, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He worked two innings in relief in a 7-4 Pirates loss, but was not involved in the decision. ... The announced crowd was 43,821, the Phillies' 216th straight regular-season sellout.
