Mets Complete Sweep of Phillies
The Mets beat the Phillies Sunday, accomplishing two things — they completed the weekend sweep and they also tied Philly for third place in the NL East.
The Phillies scored a run in the second on a Kevin Frandsen double, but the Mets tied the score in the fourth. Eric Young led off the inning with a single. Wilmer Flores doubled to move Young to third. He scored when Andrew Brown grounded out to make it a 1-1 game.
Carlos Torres was pitching very well until the sixth, when he got into a mess that was not entirely his fault. Jimmy Rollins led off with an easy fly ball to right which Andrew Brown lost it in the sun. Rollins hesitated around first and headed for second. Brown’s throw beat him, but Wilfredo Tovar, making his major league debut at short, could not handle the one-hopper. Rollins even slid past the base, but Tovar still didn’t have the ball. Rollins got a gift double on a bad play all around. Chase Utley singled to put runners on first and third. After getting the first out Torres allowed a single to Domonic Brown to score Rollins to make it a 2-1 game. Torres then walked Darin Ruf to load the bases. Cody Asche struck out for the second out and Frandsen flew out as Torres was able to get out of the inning without further damage.
Cliff Lee was also victimized by some bad defense in the seventh. Juan Lagares beat out an infield single. Anthony Recker lofted a deep fly to right center that should have been caught but instead landed at the base of the wall. The double sent Lagares to third with one out. Tovar then picked a perfect time for his first hit, lacing a single to left. Brown booted the ball, allowing both runners to score to make it a 3-2 game. Tovar, who went to second on the play, got one RBI; the other run scored on Brown’s error. Josh Satin pinch hit for Torres and flew out. Young flew out to deep left to end the inning.
So Torres went six innings allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Lee went seven, allowing three runs (two earned) on eighth hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
The Mets added a big insurance run in the eighth. Daniel Murphy beat out on infield hit. Lucas Duda walked and Lagares doubled to drive in Murphy to make it 4-2.
The Phillies managed to get runners to first and second with one out in the eighth when Vicc Black bounced a ball in front of the plate. Recker didn’t play it well and it got past him. to move the runners up. It was ruled a wild pitch but Recker should have handled it. Ruf then hit a foul pop to first. Duda chased it down and nearly flipped over the railing. The alert runner at third scored on the sacrifice fly to make it 4-3.
LaTroy Hawkins came in for the ninth to protect the one-run lead. Frandsen led off with a single. The Phillies then did Hawkins a huge favor by sacrifice bunting for the first out. Hawkins struck out Cesar Hernandez for out number two. And then he struck out Rollins to end the game.
Mets win a good one, 4-3.