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Beltran again homers twice as Mets trample Phillies

Jul 1, 2007 - 2:16 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- For the second straight day, a young pitcher was victimized and a veteran player hit two home runs.

Carlos Beltran recorded four hits, including a pair of home runs for the second straight game as the New York Mets took advantage of a rookie starter en route to an 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

The triumph was the Mets' third straight against their National League East rivals and increased their lead in the division over the Phillies to six games. New York will attempt to complete a four-game series sweep on Sunday.

Philadelphia had swept a three-game set from New York at Shea Stadium earlier in the month.

"We have one more game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "We came here and wanted to get back (at the Phillies) from the last series. They handled us pretty well at home. It would be nice to return the favor."

New York swept a day-night doubleheader on Friday, defeating a pair of young hurlers in J.D. Durbin and Cole Hamels. Beltran hit a pair of two-run homers in the nightcap.

"It doesn't matter who's out there, we had a good approach," Randolph said. "We were able to capitalize and get some runs. To me, it's not a matter of taking advantage of a young kid. I've seen the young kids come in and take advantage of us, too."

Beltran drove in three runs in this one, starting with a two-run blast in the fifth inning off lefthander J.A. Happ (0-1) that gave the Mets a 5-3 lead. Happ became the third starting pitcher to make his major-league debut for the Phillies this season.

Happ was also the ninth different starting pitcher that Philadelphia has used in 2007.

"(Happ) gutted it out," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "We got in a spot where we had to throw some young pitchers out there."

In the seventh, Beltran belted a solo shot off Ryan Madson to make it 6-3. It marked the fifth time in his career that Beltran has homered from each side of the plate in a game.

"I'm seeing the ball good out of the pitcher's hand," Beltran said. "It seems like every time I make contact, it's a home run. It's a great feeling. Right now, I'm just having a great time."

Beltran was almost robbed of his second home run when center fielder Aaron Rowand climbed the fence in right-center and stuck his glove over it. But Rowand only managed to touch the ball as it fell into the Phillies' bullpen.

"When I touched third base, I saw (Rowand) going over the fence," Beltran said. "The ball actually hit his glove. He almost made an unbelievable catch. If he made that catch, it would have been a sad moment for me."

It was the second time in Beltran's career that he had multi-homer games in consecutive games. He also accomplished the feat last July 29-30 against the Atlanta Braves.

"I hope it's one of those streaks," Randolph said. "(Beltran) is a guy when he gets hot, he gets on fire and he can really carry you, and that's what we need."

Jorge Sosa (7-3) got the win but was forced to leave the game in the top of the sixth inning after straining his left hamstring while attempting to beat out a bunt. Sosa allowed three runs and four hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

"We just have to wait right now, (Sosa) is sore," Randolph said. "Anytime a guy pulls a hamstring, you've got to wait until it calms down and get some ice on it. We're hoping that it's something mild."

After Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman each tossed a scoreless inning, Pedro Feliciano worked the final two frames to notch his first career save.

"I don't even know what to say," Feliciano said. "Lately, my job has been (to pitch) the eighth inning."

Paul Lo Duca and David Wright also homered for New York.

Happ struck out the side in the first inning but gave up five hits in between the strikeouts as the Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

Jose Reyes led off with a single before Lo Duca lofted the first pitch just over the left field wall for a two-run shot. After Beltran struck out, Wright drove an 0-1 pitch deep into the left-center field seats for his 14th home run and a 3-0 advantage.

"That's what this offense can do to you," Wright said. "This offense can strike quick. When Jose gets on and sets the table, we get some runners in scoring position."

Happ then gave up a double and a single before recovering to strike out Shawn Green and Carlos Gomez to end the inning.

Happ settled down long enough for the Phillies to rally and tie the game.

Philadelphia used a single and two walks to load the bases in the second. Sosa appeared to limit the damage to only one run as he induced Greg Dobbs to hit into a double play, but Carlos Ruiz followed with a run-scoring single to pull the Phillies within 3-2.

Ryan Howard led off the fourth by blasting a 1-2 offering from Sosa into the second deck in right field for his 19th home run, tying the game at 3-3. The blast traveled an estimated 450 feet.

Happ allowed five runs and seven hits, including three home runs, in four-plus innings. He walked two and struck out five.

"After the first inning, I felt good," Happ said. "I got in a groove with some breaking pitches the next few innings. The Mets are a great team. They're in first place for a reason."

New York added two runs in the ninth to complete the scoring.