Final
Delgado, Murphy rally Mets past Phillies
Aug 28, 2008 - 5:05 AM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterPHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The New York Mets regained first place in the National League East with the aid of a non-move by the opposing team's manager.
Carlos Delgado homered twice and Daniel Murphy snapped a tie with an RBI double in the eighth inning as the Mets rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
New York (74-60) rebounded nicely from Tuesday's tough 8-7, 13-inning loss in which it squandered a 7-0 lead to move one-half game ahead of Philadelphia (73-60) in the NL East.
"This was a huge, huge win for us simply because of the way we lost last night," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "Got knocked down, got off the deck and threw a wild left hook that landed. (It) put us back in first place."
Manuel also spoke of the inevitable comparison of Tuesday's loss to New York's epic collapse down the stretch last season.
"We're fighting some demons at the same time," he said emphatically. "We've got to face that as well. Demons of the past, the rascals that have been hanging around for a whole year. Every time we lose a game like last night, it's a reminder of that."
Delgado had supplied the only offense for the Mets with an RBI single in the first inning and a solo homer off Kyle Kendrick leading off the sixth.
With the Mets trailing, 3-2, in the eighth, Rudy Seanez (5-4) retired the first two hitters of the inning. With Delgado due to bat, the Phillies had closer Brad Lidge warming up in the bullpen and sent pitching coach Rich Dubee to the mound.
After a lengthy discussion, Seanez remained in the game. Delgado made Philadelphia pay by lining a 1-0 pitch just inside the left field foul pole for his 30th home run of the season and a 3-3 tie.
"I didn't really want to use him," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Lidge. "But I was sitting there and I thought, 'Well, if we get in a tough jam, and I might need him, we'll put him in tonight.'"
"(The pitch) was down and away," Delgado said. "I was able to drive it to the opposite field. I stayed down with that ball pretty good."
For Delgado, it did not matter which pitcher was on the mound.
"I was as comfortable as I'm gonna get against any guy," he said. "I'm confident that I can get the job done, but I also show the respect with everybody that gets on the mound. I'm just looking for the ball, I'm not picking any guy (to face)."
The blast capped the veteran slugger's fifth two-homer effort of the season - and second in three games.
"He has been amazing," Jerry Manuel said. "When he hits, we simply win because he carries us. He just puts us on his back."
After Carlos Beltran singled, Charlie Manuel then brought Lidge in, but the momentum already had swung in New York's favor.
"I don't question what Charlie does, not at all. That's his team," Jerry Manuel said.
Beltran stole second base on Lidge's first offering to Ryan Church, forcing the righthander to issue an intentional walk. Murphy then drilled a double to right field to give the Mets a 4-3 edge.
"I feel very confident in (Murphy), he's a good young hitter," Jerry Manuel said. "He's putting together good at-bats."
Brian Schneider followed with a bloop single down the left field line, plating Church and Murphy for a three-run bulge.
"I'm down there for a reason, and that's to be used whenever Charlie wants me to be used," Lidge said. "I know that I need to be ready. Tonight, I just went out there and didn't get it done."
Brian Stokes (1-0) picked up the win after tossing a scoreless seventh and two other relievers bridged the gap to Luis Ayala, who worked a perfect ninth for his second save.
The teams combined to use 16 pitchers in Tuesday's marathon win by the Phillies, who rallied against Pedro Martinez and the Mets' bullpen.
New York was hoping ace Johan Santana would give their much-maligned relief corps a rest by pitching deep into the contest. However, the Venezuelan lefthander ended up tossing 106 pitches in six innings and surrendered three runs, five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
"I was trying to do my job," Santana said. "That's the thing about (the Phillies). You've got to keep the ball down and not make too many mistakes."
Santana entered the contest with a 3-0 record and a 1.49 ERA this month. He had won five straight decisions, with his last loss coming on June 28 against the New York Yankees.
"(He) wasn't dominant tonight," Jerry Manuel said. "Got his pitch count up, but he kept us right there."
For the second straight game and 16th time in 20 contests, the Mets scored in the first as Delgado delivered a two-out RBI single that brought home Jose Reyes.
The Phillies quickly answered with two in the bottom half. Jimmy Rollins led off with a single and, two outs later, Ryan Howard lined a 2-2 offering from Santana down the left field line and just over the wall, snapping Santana's 16-inning scoreless streak.
Jayson Werth led off the second with his 18th homer of the season to increase Philadelphia's advantage to 3-1.
Kendrick lasted five-plus innings, allowing two runs and eight hits. The righthander walked one and struck out one.
"I'm disappointed I didn't go deep in the game," Kendrick said. "It's frustrating. We had a win right there."
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 6 13 0
PHILADELPHIA 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: NYM - JOHAN SANTANA, BRIAN STOKES (7TH), PEDRO FELICIANO (8TH), JOE
SMITH (8TH), LUIS AYALA (9TH) AND BRIAN SCHNEIDER
PHI - KYLE KENDRICK, SCOTT EYRE (6TH), RUDY SE
Aug 27 10:26 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY BRIAN SCHNEIDER SCORED RYAN CHURCH AND DAN
MURPHY.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, B SCHNEIDER ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 6
PHILADELPHIA 3 TOP, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: B STOKES (.667, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Mets 6, Phillies 3 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 27 9:56 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY DAN MURPHY SCORED CARLOS BELTRAN.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, D MURPHY ON SECOND, R CHURCH ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 4
PHILADELPHIA 3 TOP, 8TH
DUE UP FOR NY METS: B SCHNEIDER (.252, 0-FOR-3)
Mets 4, Phillies 3 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 27 9:54 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CARLOS DELGADO (30) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 8TH OFF RUDY SEANEZ.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 3, PHILADELPHIA 3
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C BELTRAN (.272, 2-FOR-3)
Mets 3, Phillies 3 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 27 9:46 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CARLOS DELGADO (29) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 6TH OFF KYLE KENDRICK.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 2, PHILADELPHIA 3
DUE UP FOR NY METS: C BELTRAN (.271, 1-FOR-2)
Mets 2, Phillies 3 Top 6, 0 OutsAug 27 8:51 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JAYSON WERTH (18) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 2ND OFF JOHAN SANTANA.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 1, PHILADELPHIA 3
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: P FELIZ (.258, 13 HR, 51 RBI)
Mets 1, Phillies 3 Bot 2, 0 OutsAug 27 7:48 PM - NL
AT PHILADELPHIA - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY RYAN HOWARD (36) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 1ST OFF JOHAN SANTANA SCORED JIMMY ROLLINS.
CURRENT SCORE: NY METS 1, PHILADELPHIA 2
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: S VICTORINO (.289, 11 HR, 48 RBI)
Mets 1, Phillies 2 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 27 7:30 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY METS 1 1 2 0
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: NYM - JOHAN SANTANA
PHI - KYLE KENDRICK
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: J ROLLINS (.268, 9 HR, 47 RBI)
C UTLEY (.289, 31 HR, 86 RBI)
P BURRELL (.261, 30 HR, 75
Mets 1, Phillies 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 27 7:17 PM
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