Mets Bullpen Blows Lead, Game to Phillies
For the second time this month it was the Gee and Lee show — Dillon Gee facing off against Cliff Lee. The starters pitched well, but the Mets bullpen blew the lead and then the game.
David Wright got things going in the first, hitting a double off the wall in center to score Daniel Murphy for the early lead.
The Phillies answered right back in the second when Ty Wigginton hit a solo shot to even the score. The ex-Met was 6-11 with two homers and eight RBIs in the series.
In the sixth Scott Hairston doubled and Lucas Duda hit a towering home run to right to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Gee was cruising until the seventh, until he allowed a double with two outs. Terry Collins decided to pull him right in favor of Bobby Parnell. Parnell promptly gave up a two-run home run to pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz to tie the score at three.
Gee went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs while striking out five and walking just one. Lee struck out seven in his six innings of work, but just like in their first match up, neither pitcher figured in the decision.
Jon Rauch came in for the eighth, allowing singles to Juan Pierre and Hunter Pence to leave runners on first and third with no outs. He struck out Wigginton but Shane Victorino hit a shallow liner to center. It is unlikely most runners would have even attempted to tag up, but Pierre scored easily with his blazing speed to give the Phillies their first lead of the night, 4-3.
And then the bullpen couldn’t even give the Mets a chance in the ninth. Tim Byrdak walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, Ramon Ramirez came on and allowed a single and then a three-run blast by Jimmy Rollins to extend the lead to 7-3. They would score three more runs in the inning.
Duda did add a second homer in the ninth. He now leads the team with seven. In all the Mets scored three runs in the ninth, but it just wasn’t enough.
Mets lose 10-6 and drop the series. Even still, the Phillies are in last place. Ha ha.