After spending a week looking like the worst baseball team of all time, the Mets won their third game in a row on Tuesday night. Not only was the 9-5 victory against the rival Phillies, but it required the Mets to come from behind twice before finally winning in the tenth inning.
Thanks to a Chase Utley solo shot in the fifth inning, the Phils led 5-4 heading into the eighth. David Wright led off the frame with a walk, but he was nearly stranded at first when Antonio Bastardo struck out both Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. However, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel left in the left-handed Bastardo to face Kelly Shoppach and the result was a double to left field that got Wright home with the tying run.
In the tenth inning, Wright once again set the table for a fun inning. With one out, he blooped a single to right field against reliever B.J. Rosenberg. Ike Davis followed that up with a double to the opposite field that gave the Mets a 6-5 lead. Lucas Duda singled and Kelly Shoppach hit his second homer as a Met to put the game out of reach.
Chris Young started the game for the Mets and got off to a horrible start by loading the bases on two walks and a hit batsman. Ryan Howard unloaded with a grand slam to give Philly a quick 4-1 lead. Thankfully, Young was able to settle down and he didn’t allow another run until Utley’s bomb in the fifth. Young was pulled immediately after surrendering that second homer and he finished with two strikeouts, three walks and four hits allowed in 4.1 innings.
The Mets struck back from the initial 4-1 deficit with a Mike Baxter two-run homer in the fourth and a David Wright sac fly in the fifth. Wright had another RBI in the first when he singled home the first run of the game.
New York’s bullpen did an outstanding job keeping the Phillies stuck at five runs after Young left. Robert Carson, Ramon Ramirez, Josh Edgin and Jon Rauch combined to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings. Bobby Parnell shut the Phils down in the ninth and the tenth for the win.
The Mets are now 60-69 on the season. They’ll try to make it four wins in a row tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Matt Harvey will take the hill for the Mets while Cole Hamels starts for the Phils.
