Phillies 8, Mets 3
PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Young fell a double short of the cycle, John Mayberry Jr drove in his first three runs of the season and the Philadelphia Phillies hit three homers in the third inning Tuesday night en route to an 8-3 victory over the New York Mets.
Young, who went 3 for 4, had a single, triple and homer. His third-inning shot came immediately after a leadoff blast by Ryan Howard. Mayberry added another homer one out later. It was each player's first homer of the season.
Mayberry also doubled home two runs in the four-run second.
The Phillies had 11 hits in support of Cliff Lee (2-0), who pitched 8 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs. Lee scattered eight hits while striking out six. He did not walk a batter, the 19th straight start in which he has allowed one walk or fewer while working six innings or more.
Mike Adams struck out Ruben Tejada for the final out.
Dillon Gee (0-2) absorbed the loss for New York, giving up 10 hits and seven runs in three innings. It was the shortest outing of his career.
The Phillies scored four times in the second. Mayberry doubled home two runs. Lee then chased him in with a single, and Jimmy Rollins added an RBI double later in the inning.
Howard and Young then hit their homers to start the third -- Howard on a 1-and-1 delivery from Gee and Young one pitch later. With one out, Mayberry lined his first of the year into the left-field seats, making it 7-0.
John Buck hit a two-run homer for the Mets in the fourth. Young tacked on a run-scoring triple in the fourth, making it 8-2, but New York's Jordany Valdespin tripled and scored on a passed ball in the top of fifth.
NOTES: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before the game that he has no plans to remove struggling Roy Halladay from the rotation. "You guys used to get on me about (former closer) Brad Lidge," Manuel said. "To me, Brad was still the best I had. I committed to Brad Lidge. If I commit to you, I'm going to commit to you." ... According to the Wall Street Journal, Tuesday marked the first time since 1980 that three matchups involving teams from Philadelphia and New York happened on the same day. Besides the Mets and Phillies, the Flyers visited the Islanders and the Sixers squared off against the Nets in Brooklyn. ... With Buck's homer, the Mets have now homered in their first eight games of the season, only the second time in club history that has happened. The 1987 club also went deep in each of its first eight games.
