Final
Phils SS Rollins serenaded after error; Mets win home opener
Apr 9, 2007 - 10:02 PM FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Jimmy Rollins proclaimed that the Philadelphia Phillies were "the team to beat" in the National League East. But the All-Star shortstop committed an error that helped open the floodgates to a seven-run eighth inning.After Rollins booted a grounder that allowed the tying run to score, Geoff Geary threw a wild pitch that plated Jose Valentin with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning uprising as the New York Mets posted an 11-5 victory over Philadelphia in their home opener.
Jon Lieber, who was activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, then yielded a sacrifice fly to Carlos Beltran, a two-run double off the left field wall by David Wright and a two-run single by Moises Alou in the eighth.
As the inning continued, the sellout crowd at Shea Stadium serenaded the Phillies shortstop with chants of "Jimmy Rollins, Jimmy Rollins."
"It's a tough place to come in here and play," Wright said. "The fans will let you have it."
The Mets are the defending National League East champions after tying for the major league lead with 97 wins. The Phillies finished in second in the division, 12 games behind the Mets.
Yet that didn't stop Rollins from saying the Phillies were "the team to beat" during spring training, a belief he has not wavered on.
"Yes," said Rollins when asked if the Phillies, who are now 1-6, still hold that lofty status. "Our record doesn't show it. There are times when you are up and times when you are down. I said what I said."
In the offseason, Philadelphia added starters Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton. However, the bullpen remains a weakness and was unable to hold a 5-3 lead on Monday.
Ryan Howard, the reigning NL MVP, staked them to that advantage with a three-run homer off reliever Ambiorix Burgos in the sixth inning. It was Howard's first home run of the season after he hit 58 last year. It also came after Mets manager Willie Randolph decided to pitch to the slugger with two outs and first base open.
"Why not, he's hitting .200," Randolph said. "(On deck hitter) Pat Burrell is a Mets killer. I trust Burgos in that spot. Aaron Heilman wasn't available and I didn't want to burn another pitcher in that spot."
The Mets pulled within 5-4 on a two-out, RBI single by Carlos Delgado off reliever Matt Smith in the seventh inning. A sliding catch by right fielder Shane Victorino on a sinking liner by Wright ended the inning and prevented the tying run from scoring.
But the Mets erupted in the eighth, with the help of Rollins' error. Alou and Shawn Green started the inning with back-to-back singles against Geary (0-1). After Valentin failed to bunt the runners over, Geary walked pinch hitter Julio Franco on four pitches.
Jose Reyes then hit a grounder to Rollins, who probably had little chance to complete a double play. But Rollins was unable to even get a forceout at second as the ball bounced off the heel of the glove and Green scored the tying run.
The fans at Shea serenaded Rollins by chanting his name after the error.
"Sometimes you bring things on yourself. I should know," Mets reliever and former teammate Billy Wagner said. "I know Jimmy Rollins. He'll put this behind him. He's a clutch player."
Geary appeared to be unnerved by the error and threw a 2-0 pitch to Paul Lo Duca that sailed over the head of catcher Carlos Ruiz, allowing Valentin to score the go-ahead run.
"It is what it is," Geary said. "I'm not trying to throw the ball 10 feet over his head."
After walking Lo Duca to load the bases again, Geary was replaced by Lieber. Making his first appearance of the season, Lieber yielded Beltran's sacrifice fly to center.
Wright extended his hitting streak to 19 games, dating to last season, with a two-run double off the left field wall. Alou, who started the inning with a single, capped it with a two-run hit.
Pedro Feliciano (1-0) pitched a hitless inning to pick up the win. Delgado had three hits for the Mets and scored on a head-first slide on a two-run single by Valentin in the fourth. Delgado also had a rare bunt single in the second inning as the Phillies played a shift with an extra infielder on the right side.
"First one in 13 years," Delgado said. "I just tried to push one by the pitcher." Chase Utley of the Phillies drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning and homered off John Maine in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2.
Maine labored through 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, five hits and a career-high six walks.
Phillies starter Cole Hamels allowed three runs - two earned - and six hits in six innings with seven strikeouts.
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 5 7 2
NY METS 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 7 x 11 12 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: PHI - COLE HAMELS, MATT SMITH (7TH), GEOFF GEARY (7TH), JON LIEBER
(8TH) AND CARLOS RUIZ
NYM - JOHN MAINE, AMBIORIX BURGOS (5TH), JOE SMITH
(7TH), PEDRO FELICIANO
Apr 9 4:31 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MOISES ALOU SCORED CARLOS DELGADO AND DAVID
WRIGHT.
SITUATION: 7 RUNS IN, M ALOU ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 11 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: E CHAVEZ (1.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 4:22 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY DAVID WRIGHT SCORED JOSE REYES AND PAUL LO DUCA.
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, D WRIGHT ON SECOND, C DELGADO ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 9 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: M ALOU (.308, 1-FOR-3, BB)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 4:21 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY CARLOS BELTRAN SCORED JULIO FRANCO.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, P LO DUCA ON FIRST, J REYES ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 7 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C DELGADO (.267, 3-FOR-3, SF, 2 RBI)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 4:17 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY GEOFF GEARY ALLOWED JOSE VALENTIN TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J REYES ON FIRST, J FRANCO ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 6 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: P LO DUCA (.385, 1-FOR-4)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 4:13 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
FIELDER'S CHOICE BY JOSE REYES SCORED ENDY CHAVEZ.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J REYES ON FIRST, J FRANCO ON SECOND, J
VALENTIN ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 5 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: P LO DUCA (.385, 1-FOR-4)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 4:11 PM - NL
AT NY METS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: G Geary relieved M Smith.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C DELGADO ON FIRST, C BELTRAN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 4 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D Wright (.259, 0-FOR-3)
Apr 9 3:47 PM - NL
AT NY METS - PITCHING CHANGE
PHI: GEOFF GEARY (0-0, 0.00) IN THE 7TH
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C DELGADO ON FIRST, C BELTRAN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 4
DUE UP FOR NYMETS: D WRIGHT (.259, 0-FOR-3)
Apr 9 3:47 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CARLOS DELGADO SCORED PAUL LO DUCA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C DELGADO ON FIRST, C BELTRAN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 4 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D WRIGHT (.259, 0-FOR-3)
Apr 9 3:46 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CARLOS DELGADO SCORED PAUL LO DUCA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C DELGADO ON FIRST, C BELTRAN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 4 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D WRIGHT (.259, 0-FOR-3)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 3:46 PM - NL
AT NY METS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: D Easley hit for J Smith.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 3 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D Easley (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Apr 9 3:31 PM - NL
AT NY METS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: M Smith relieved C Hamels.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
NY METS 3 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: J Smith (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Apr 9 3:31 PM - NL
AT NY METS - PITCHING CHANGE
PHI: MATT SMITH (0-0, 0.00) STARTING THE 7TH
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 3
DUE UP FOR NYMETS: J SMITH (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Apr 9 3:31 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 5 7 1
NY METS 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 6 0 (BOT 7)
CURRENT PITCHERS: PHI - COLE HAMELS
NYM - JOE SMITH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: J SMITH (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
J REYES (.321, 1-FOR-3)
P LO DUCA (.360, 0-FOR-3)
Apr 9 3:28 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY RYAN HOWARD (1) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF AMBIORIX BURGOS SCORED JIMMY ROLLINS AND SHANE
VICTORINO.
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 3
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: P BURRELL (.417, 2-FOR-3)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 3:13 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY CARLOS DELGADO SCORED JOSE REYES.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C BELTRAN ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2
NY METS 3 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D WRIGHT (.269, 0-FOR-2)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 2:52 PM - NL
AT NY METS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: A Burgos relieved J Maine.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A ROWAND ON FIRST, P BURRELL ON SECOND, R
HOWARD ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2
NY METS 2 TOP, 5TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: A Nunez (.333, 0-FOR-1)
Apr 9 2:41 PM - NL
AT NY METS - PITCHING CHANGE
NYM: AMBIORIX BURGOS (0-0, 0.00) IN THE 5TH
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A ROWAND ON FIRST, P BURRELL ON SECOND, R
HOWARD ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2, NY METS 2
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPH: A NUNEZ (.333, 0-FOR-1)
Apr 9 2:41 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CHASE UTLEY (1) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN THE
5TH OFF JOHN MAINE.
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2, NY METS 2
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.200, 0-FOR-2)
Apr 9 2:32 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CHASE UTLEY (1) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN THE
5TH OFF JOHN MAINE.
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2, NY METS 2
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.200, 0-FOR-2)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 2:32 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 1 0 1 3 0
NY METS 0 0 0 2 2 6 0 (TOP 5)
CURRENT PITCHERS: PHI - COLE HAMELS
NYM - JOHN MAINE
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: S VICTORINO (.278, 0-FOR-1, SAC)
C UTLEY (.250, 0-FOR-1, SF, RBI)
R HOWARD (.200, 0-FOR-2)
Apr 9 2:27 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JOSE VALENTIN SCORED CARLOS BELTRAN AND CARLOS
DELGADO.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J VALENTIN ON FIRST, S GREEN ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 1
NY METS 2 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: J MAINE (.250, 1-FOR-1)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 2:25 PM - NL
AT NY METS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY CHASE UTLEY SCORED COLE HAMELS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, S VICTORINO ON SECOND, J ROLLINS ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 1
NY METS 0 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.208, 0-FOR-1)
Phillies vs. MetsApr 9 1:44 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 1 0
NY METS 0 0 0 0 (BOT 2)
CURRENT PITCHERS: PHI - COLE HAMELS
NYM - JOHN MAINE
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C DELGADO (.185, 0 HR, 4 RBI)
D WRIGHT (.292, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
M ALOU (.304, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Apr 9 1:32 PM
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