Phillies 8, Mets 4
NEW YORK -- Ty Wigginton reached base in all five plate appearances and had six RBI, including a two-out, run-scoring single in the seventh inning that put the Philadelphia Phillies ahead for good and the three-run homer in the ninth that provided the insurance in their 8-4 victory over the New York Mets on Monday in front of 32,122 at Citi Field.
Wigginton was 3-for-3 with two walks and drove in the game's first runs with a two-run double in the third. His RBI single in the seventh brought home Jimmy Rollins as the Phillies won for the fifth time in six games. The six RBI are a career high for Wigginton, who has played for seven big-league teams dating to his debut with the Mets in 2002.
Cole Hamels (8-1) squandered a pair of two-run leads and allowed a season-high four earned runs over eight innings but still won his fifth straight start and his eighth decision in a row. Hamels retired David Wright on a grounder to third with the tying run at third to end the eighth before giving way to Jonathan Papelbon, who threw a perfect ninth inning in a non-save situation.
Vinny Rottino and Scott Hairston hit game-tying two-run homers for the Mets in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, but the Mets fell for just the second time in their last seven games.
Mets starter Jonathon Niese (3-3) allowed four runs in five-plus innings. He surrendered just two hits and struck out seven but was haunted by command issues in walking five during a 115-pitch outing.
Both hits Niese allowed came after he lost the strike zone. Wigginton's double scored Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, each of whom walked during a stretch in which Niese threw eight straight balls. In the sixth, Niese threw seven balls in a nine-pitch stretch before John Mayberry crushed his final pitch of the day into the left-field seats for a two-run homer.
NOTES: Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who was pulled with a sore right shoulder after lasting just two innings against St. Louis on Sunday, is scheduled to see a doctor Tuesday. ... Cole Hamels' eight-game winning streak is the longest by a Phillies pitcher since Vance Worley won nine in a row last season. ... The Mets had to put together a makeshift infield when shortstop Justin Turner left the game in the third inning because of a sprained right ankle. Turner was caught in a rundown between first and second and had just been tagged out by Jimmy Rollins when he stepped awkwardly onto first base. X-rays were negative and Turner is listed as day-to-day. With Turner out, David Wright shifted to short from third base and left fielder Vinny Rottino played third. It was Wright's second career appearance at short and Rottino's third time at third. ... Mets center fielder Andres Torres didn't start after his wife gave birth early Monday morning but laced a pinch-hit double in the eighth. ... Wright was 0-for-4 and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats. The drought has dropped Wright's average from .405 to .373, which was still tops in the National League pending Monday's games.
