Phillies 6, Mets 2
NEW YORK -- Cole Hamels allowed two runs over seven innings and delivered a two-run single, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 6-2 Wednesday night at Citi Field.
Hamels' hit capped a three-run fifth inning that gave Philadelphia the lead for good.
The Phillies (61-72) won for the eighth time in their last 11 games, while the Mets (59-72) have lost six of seven.
Carlos Ruiz hit a solo homer and a single for the Phillies, while Chase Utley and Michael Young also collected two hits.
Hamels' run-scoring hit came a night after pitcher Jonathon Niese laced a three-run double to fuel the Mets' 5-0 win. But unlike Tuesday's game, Wednesday's contest dragged, thanks largely to Mets starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who displayed his usual tedious pace.
Matsuzaka threw 110 pitches in just 4 1/3 innings, including 82 in the first three scoreless innings alone. The first five innings took just a few minutes less than Tuesday's entire game, which was played in a tidy 2:19.
The Mets slowed things down at the plate as well by generating plenty of opportunities against Hamels, who stranded at least one Mets baserunner in every inning. Hamels also made seven consecutive pickoff throws with Eric Young Jr. at first base in the fifth inning.
Hamels allowed nine hits and one walk while striking out eight, continuing his second-half resurgence. Hamels finishes August 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in six starts, and he is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 11 starts since July 1.
Ike Davis and Andrew Brown each had an RBI for the Mets, while Justin Turner had two hits and Young had stole two bases.
Matsuzaka was charged with four runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out five and hit two batters.
The Mets went ahead thanks to a mental miscue by the Phillies in the bottom of the third. Matsuzaka led off with a single -- his first hit since 2010 -- but was forced at second on a fielder's choice when Roger Bernadina trapped Young's sinker to center.
Young stole second before Juan Lagares walked. Brown followed by popping out to catcher Carlos Ruiz, but with nobody covering third, Young tagged up and beat Ruiz to the bag. Young then scored on Davis' single to left.
The Phillies stranded seven runners against Matsuzaka over the first three innings before finally breaking through in the fourth. Pete Orr singled, went to second on Hamels' sacrifice and scored on a two-out double to left by Jimmy Rollins, who was thrown out trying for a triple.
The Phillies chased Matsuzaka with one out in the fifth, when he allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases before forcing home the go-ahead run by plunking John Mayberry. Reliever Robert Carson struck out Darin Ruf before Hamels delivered a two-run single to left to extend the lead to 4-1.
NOTES: A pair of Mets pitchers underwent elbow surgeries Wednesday. RHP Jeremy Hefner had Tommy John surgery performed to repair a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament, while RHP Jenrry Mejia had bone chips removed. Hefner likely will miss all of 2014, but Mejia is expected to recover in time to compete for a rotation spot next spring. ... New York RHP Matt Harvey, who learned Monday he has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, received some hope he could avoid surgery when he spoke Tuesday to Phillies RHP Roy Halladay, who told Harvey he was diagnosed with a partially torn flexor pronator in his right arm in 2005 but has pitched with it ever since. ... In the second inning, Phillies 3B Cody Asche had a stolen base taken away for the second time in three days because of batter inference called on RF John Mayberry Jr. The same thing happened in the eighth inning Monday night. ... The Phillies have fielded 13 different lineups in Ryne Sandberg's 13 games as manager. ... The game drew a crowd of 24,447.
