Final
Wright drives in four, Mets hang on for win
Jul 8, 2008 - 5:06 AM By Larry Dougherty PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterPHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Nothing comes easy for the New York Mets lately.
David Wright homered and drove in four runs, but the Mets nearly blew a huge lead before holding on for a 10-9 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
The Mets took three of four from Philadelphia, but it was a struggle. Endy Chavez had two RBI for New York, which jumped out to a 10-1 lead and nearly gave it all back.
"We have done that here lately (building a lead) and slowly given it up throughout the course of the game," Wright said. "I think we did a good job of not only jumping out to a lead but continuing to add on."
The Mets (45-44) are just 2 1/2 games behind the Phillies (48-42) for the lead in the National League East.
"Any time you put 10 runs on the board and you feel very confident in your pitching, you expect it to not be that difficult," Mets interim manager Jerry Manuel said. "But we won the game. We won three out of four. We are back in the race."
Wright had a two-run double in the third that put the Mets up, 5-0, and added a solo shot in the sixth that made it 9-1. Starter Pedro Martinez added an RBI single later in the frame for a nine-run lead.
However, the Phillies chipped away as Pat Burrell drilled a solo homer in the sixth, Shane Victorino had an RBI double and Ryan Howard hit a disputed two-run homer in the seventh to cut the lead to 10-5.
Howard hit a ball to deep right field that was interfered with by a fan and initially called a ground-rule double. The umpires converged in the infield and ruled that it was a home run. Manuel argued the call and was ejected.
"It was not a home run, the guy reached over the fence," Manuel said. "It is difficult to get upset if you make it (the call) immediately, but if you make an immediate call, that tells me that you saw it that way. And then not to give me a legitimate reason for overturning it."
The Phillies weren't through as Geoff Jenkins hit his second pinch-hit homer of the season, a two-run shot off Aaron Heilman, to cut the deficit to 10-7 in the eighth.
"We keep battling and keep fighting," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "When you're trying to catch up from a big deficit, it's hard. There's a big difference between a four-run lead and a team that's eight or nine runs ahead of you."
All-Star closer Billy Wagner allowed Victorino's double and a walk to Eric Bruntlett before striking out Howard and Burrell. Pinch hitter Pedro Feliz delivered a single up the middle to score Victorino, and Bruntlett scored on a throwing error by center fielder Carlos Beltran.
Wagner avoided another meltdown by getting Jayson Werth to fly out to right to notch his 20th save in 27 chances. Wagner, who blew the save on Sunday when Werth hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the ninth, got revenge this time.
"You have to play nine full innings against these guys," Wagner said of his former teammates. "These guys are a good team to have to play against. They are a gritty team and this went a long way to show how gritty we are in battling and coming out after losing the first game and finding ways to win three tough games.
"We ran out of game," Howard lamented.
Martinez (3-2) picked up his first win since June 15. He allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three.
Meanwhile, New York battered Phillies starter Adam Eaton (3-7) for eight runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
"If I just give an average (performance), a spilt (of the series) was definitely a possibility," Eaton said of his first career loss against the Mets in six decisions. "I think any time you play a team in your own division, you want at worst to (get) a split. For them to come in here and take three out of four is definitely a low note for us."
Chase Utley hit his National League-leading 25th homer for Philadelphia in the fourth.
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 2 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 17 1
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 2 2 9 12 1 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: NYM - PEDRO MARTINEZ, TONY ARMAS JR. (6TH), AARON HEILMAN (7TH),
BILLY WAGNER (9TH) AND BRIAN SCHNEIDER
PHI - ADAM EATON, CLAY CONDREY (3RD), ROBERT SWINDLE
(6TH),
Jul 7 10:49 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PEDRO FELIZ SCORED SHANE VICTORINO. ERROR BY
CARLOS BELTRAN ALLOWED ERIC BRUNTLETT TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, P FELIZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 10
PHILADELPHIA 9 BOTTOM, 9TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: J WERTH (.278, 1-FOR-2, 2 BB)
Mets 10, Phillies 9 Bot 9, 0 OutsJul 7 10:47 PM - NL
NY METS AT PHILADELPHIA
NOTE: NEW YORK MANAGER JERRY MANUEL WAS EJECTED BY HOME
PLATE UMPIRE DALE SCOTT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH INNING FOR
ARGUING A REVERSED FAN INTERFERENCE CALL TO A HOME RUN.
Mets 10, Phillies 7 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 7 10:21 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY RYAN HOWARD (24) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 7TH OFF TONY ARMAS JR SCORED SHANE VICTORINO.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 10, PHILADELPHIA 5
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: P BURRELL (.279, 1-FOR-3, HR, RBI)
Mets 10, Phillies 5 Bot 7, 0 OutsJul 7 9:56 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY SHANE VICTORINO SCORED JIMMY ROLLINS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, S VICTORINO ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 10
PHILADELPHIA 3 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: E BRUNTLETT (.235, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
Mets 10, Phillies 3 Bot 7, 0 OutsJul 7 9:50 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY PAT BURRELL (22) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF PEDRO MARTINEZ.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 10, PHILADELPHIA 2
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: G DOBBS (.319, 0-FOR-2)
Mets 10, Phillies 2 Bot 6, 0 OutsJul 7 9:27 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PEDRO MARTINEZ SCORED CARLOS BELTRAN.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, 2 LEFT ON, 3 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 10
PHILADELPHIA 1 END TOP, 6TH
Mets 10, Phillies 1 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 7 9:23 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY DAVID WRIGHT (17) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 6TH OFF ROBERT SWINDLE.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 9, PHILADELPHIA 1
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C BELTRAN (.261, 0-FOR-3)
Mets 9, Phillies 1 Top 6, 0 OutsJul 7 9:10 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CHASE UTLEY (25) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 4TH OFF PEDRO MARTINEZ.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 8, PHILADELPHIA 1
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.225, 1-FOR-1)
Mets 8, Phillies 1 Bot 4, 0 OutsJul 7 8:31 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ENDY CHAVEZ SCORED PEDRO MARTINEZ.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, E CHAVEZ ON FIRST, J REYES ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 8
PHILADELPHIA 0 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D WRIGHT (.287, 1-FOR-2, 3 RBI)
Mets 8, Phillies 0 Top 3, 0 OutsJul 7 8:08 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
ERROR BY GREG DOBBS ALLOWED FERNANDO TATIS TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, P MARTINEZ ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 7
PHILADELPHIA 0 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR NY METS: J REYES (.299, 1-FOR-1, BB)
Mets 7, Phillies 0 Top 3, 0 OutsJul 7 8:06 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY BRIAN SCHNEIDER SCORED CARLOS DELGADO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, F TATIS ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6
PHILADELPHIA 0 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR NY METS: P MARTINEZ (.133, 0-FOR-1)
Mets 6, Phillies 0 Top 3, 0 OutsJul 7 8:04 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY DAVID WRIGHT SCORED JOSE REYES AND ENDY CHAVEZ.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, D WRIGHT ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 5
PHILADELPHIA 0 TOP, 2ND
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C BELTRAN (.263, 0-FOR-1)
Mets 5, Phillies 0 Top 2, 0 OutsJul 7 7:40 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ENDY CHAVEZ SCORED BRIAN SCHNEIDER.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, E CHAVEZ ON FIRST, J REYES ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 3
PHILADELPHIA 0 TOP, 2ND
DUE UP FOR NY METS: D WRIGHT (.285, 0-FOR-1, RBI)
Mets 3, Phillies 0 Top 2, 0 OutsJul 7 7:37 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 2 2 3 0
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: NYM - PEDRO MARTINEZ
PHI - ADAM EATON
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: J ROLLINS (.270, 6 HR, 29 RBI)
S VICTORINO (.268, 3 HR, 23 RBI)
C UTLEY (.294, 24 HR,
Mets 2, Phillies 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 7 7:21 PM
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