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Mets top Phillies, avoid sweep

Aug 25, 2011 - 12:13 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Nick Evans hit a three-run homer and drove in four, as the New York Mets avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 7-4 win.

David Wright went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI while Lucas Duda drove in a run and scored once for the Mets, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

Mike Pelfrey (7-10) got the win after giving up just three runs on nine hits, with two walks and two strikeouts, over six innings.

"That was a huge outing for him," said New York manager Terry Collins about Pelfrey. "We talked the other day and I told him he's got seven or eight starts left. I said, 'If you can win six or seven of them, you end up having yourself a decent year and that should be your goal."

Shane Victorino drove in two while Chase Utley went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Phillies, who had won five of seven. Kyle Kendrick (7-6) gave up six runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in just four innings.

A costly error helped trigger a four-run first for the Mets. After Angel Pagan's single, Ruben Tejada hit a tailor-made double-play grounder to short, but Michael Martinez couldn't handle the transfer, leaving everyone safe on the error. Wright then singled to load the bases in front of Duda, who drove in the first run on a grounder to second that forced out Wright. After a strikeout that would have been the third out without the error, Evans crushed a middle-in fastball deep into the left-field seats for a 4-0 lead.

"There's nothing you can do," said Kendrick. "Michael (Martinez) wasn't out there trying to make errors. We're all trying to do our best. They're going to happen. Come back and get them next time."

The Phillies squandered a scoring opportunity in the first, but capitalized with three two-out runs in the second. Carlos Ruiz singled with one out and moved to second on Martinez's single. After Kendrick sacrificed both runners up one base, Victorino came through with a two-run single to center. Placido Polanco followed with a single to right, moving Victorino to third, and Utley fought off a fastball, rolling it up the middle for a 4-3 game. Pelfrey retired Hunter Pence for the second time with runners on base, this time on a fly out to right with the bases loaded.

New York got one of the runs back on Wright's opposite-field solo shot to right in the third. The third baseman drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Evans struck again in the fifth, driving a double past Victorino in center, scoring Bay for a 7-3 game.

Philadelphia narrowed the gap in the seventh as Utley split the gap in right- center and scampered all of the way to third on Pagan's throwing error. He scored on Pence's infield single.

Ross Gload doubled with one out in the eight and Victorino reached base on a Duda error to put runners on the corners. Polanco then hit a sharp grounder that seemed to be heading into the outfield, but Justin Turner made a diving stop and the Mets turned the 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.

Bobby Parnell allowed two men on in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, but got Ruiz to ground out to short for his first save of the season.

Game Notes

The Phillies have taken two of three from the Mets in each of the five series between the two teams this season...The Phillies host Florida for three games starting on Friday...The Mets return home to face the Braves for three games starting on Friday...Ruiz's stolen base in the third was his first of the season...Both teams stranded 12 men on base.