Phillies 8, Mets 5: Michael Martinez 3-Run Shot Keys Series Win

Michael Martinez notched a career high four RBI, including a three-run homer in the fifth as the Phillies beat the Mets 8-5 in the rubber match of their three game series at Citi Field.

Kyle Kendrick got in the win for the third time in his last four starts with a solid seven inning effort. He allowed just one run on six hits, while walking three. Antonio Bastardo came on for the four out save, his sixth of the year. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey gave up four runs in five innings to take the loss.

The big moment for the Phils came in the In the fifth, when Kyle Kendrick (who had two hits) and Jimmy Rollins (3-5 on the day) hit back to back singles to bring Michael Martinez to the plate. He put his first major league HR over the right field wall to give the Phils a 4-0 lead.

That lead would be extended with a three run eighth, which included a bases loaded walk from Ross Gload and a two run single from Jimmy Rollins to make it 8-1.

The Mets would rally with three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth and another in the ninth, but Bastardo shut the door to seal the series win for the Phils. They have now not lost a series since the mid June west coast swing where they dropped 2 of 3 to the Mariners.

The Phils are in action tomorrow night in Chicago as Roy Halladay takes the hill against former Phillie Rodrigo Lopez.

(Sports Network) – The New York Mets target their first series victory of the season over the despised Philadelphia Phillies today from Citi Field.

The Mets posted an 11-2 rout of the Phillies on Saturday in the second installment of a three-game set and haven’t logged a series win over their National League East rivals since taking two of three matchups last Sept. 24-26 at Citizens Bank Park.

Scott Hairston led the New York offense by going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and five RBI, while Daniel Murphy also collected three hits, including a solo homer, and two runs batted in for the Mets, who ended a three-game slide and rebounded from Friday’s 7-2 loss to the Phils in the series opener. Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada each finished with two hits and an RBI.

“We came out today, we played very, very well,” Mets manager Terry Collins said on the club’s website. "What we’ve got to do now is we’ve got to apply it tomorrow. This is just one game. And they’re going to come out tomorrow and get after us.

“When you’re talking about the middle of July, this is crunch time. This is when you gut it out.”

Jon Niese started for Collins on Saturday and earned the win, allowing two runs — one earned — and six hits in seven innings. Niese struck out six batters and issued one walk before Bobby Parnell and Manny Acosta preserved the lopsided victory with a scoreless inning apiece.

New York is scheduled for a make-up game with Florida on Monday and will also host St. Louis for three games on this residency. Mets All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran did not play Saturday due to flu symptoms and is day-to-day. He has reached base safely in his last 24 games, with an on-base percentage of .420 in that time period.

Mike Pelfrey gets the call for the Mets today and is just 2-5 with a 4.12 earned run average in his last 10 starts, with New York going 3-7 over that stretch. Pelfrey allowed two runs over six innings in a 4-2 loss at San Francisco the last time out on July 10.

Pelfrey fell to 5-8 in 19 starts this season to go along with a 4.55 ERA. He is 3-0 in seven home starts and 6-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 16 career starts against the Phillies, including an 0-1 mark and a 7.71 ERA in three meetings with the NL East foes this season.

Philadelphia still maintained its 3 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East standings after the Braves lost to Washington yesterday. Starter and 11-game winner Cole Hamels was saddled with the loss for giving up seven runs and eight hits in just 4 1/3 innings. Danys Baez did no better in relief by allowing four runs.

“You have to make pitches, and I wasn’t able to make pitches,” Hamels said. “It just kind of happens sometimes. When you don’t hit your spots, you’re going to get hit hard. Sometimes you can get away with it, but I didn’t get away with it today.”

The Phillies had scored 14 runs in each of Hamels’ previous two starts. Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez each recorded two hits for the Phils, who entered Saturday’s matinee affair having won two straight, three of four and 21 of its past 29 contests. They will visit the Chicago Cubs tomorrow in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

Kyle Kendrick gets the nod for Philly today and he’s 4-4 with a 3.58 earned run average in 22 games, seven of which have been starts. Kendrick hasn’t recorded a decision since beating Florida on June 15 and made a relief appearance in last Sunday’s 14-1 pounding of Atlanta.

Kendrick allowed one hit and struck out a batter in an inning work. Before that performance, Kendrick gave up three runs — one earned — in five innings for the no-decision in a 7-6 loss at the Marlins. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA in three relief stints against the Mets in 2011 and 3-5 with a 3.07 ERA in 12 career games (9 starts) in this series.

Philadelphia has won seven of 11 meetings with New York this season, including a 3-2 mark at Citi Field.

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) – Jonathon Niese pitched seven solid innings and the Mets knocked Cole Hamels out in the fifth, as New York crushed the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-2, in the second meeting of a three-game series.

Niese (9-7) gave up two runs — one earned — on six hits and was backed by an offense that thrived facing its fifth All-Star in six games.

Scott Hairston doubled twice, homered and drove in a career-high five runs, while Daniel Murphy also went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI to lead the surge and snap the Mets’ three-game slide.

Hamels (11-5) lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up a career-high tying seven runs. The left-hander walked four and allowed eight hits in the setback.

Philadelphia, which had won three of four coming in, scored 14 runs in each of Hamels’ previous two outings, but it was the Mets who broke out their big bats on Saturday.

Hairston, filling in for an ill Carlos Beltran, played a part in the first three runs, initially with his hustle, then with his two-run double in the third.

With Hairston on second base and two outs in the first inning, Murphy hit a routine pop-up to the right side of the infield. Ryan Howard appeared to call off Chase Utley as the two converged on the ball, but neither settled under it. Hairston never stopped running and scored without a play at the plate as the ball landed between the first and second baseman.

Angel Pagan’s sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 4-0, and Hamels was chased an inning later.

Murphy led off the fifth with his sixth homer of the season, and Nick Evans tripled home Jason Bay three batters later to end Hamels’ day. Ruben Tejada greeted David Herndon with an RBI single up the middle for a 7-0 cushion.

The Phillies got going with three straight singles to open the seventh. Tejada’s error on a ball hit by pinch-hitter Michael Martinez allowed Raul Ibanez to score, though Niese limited the damage by getting Jimmy Rollins to bounce into a run-scoring double play.

New York put the game away with four runs off Danys Baez in the bottom half, as Hairston followed Justin Turner’s RBI single with a three-run blast, a rare second-deck shot into the seats in left field.

The Mets combined to score 10 runs in their previous five games…Hamels, who fell to 3-10 lifetime against the Mets, snapped a string of nine consecutive starts having allowed two runs or less. He has given up seven runs six times in his six-year career…Philadelphia’s 2-through-5 hitters went a combined 0- for-14 with four strikeouts and two walks — both by Utley…The Phillies still lead the season series, 7-4.

(Sports Network) – For how dominant Phillies starter Cole Hamels has been in his career, the New York Mets seem to have the left-hander’s number.

Hamels draws the assignment this afternoon against the Mets in the second portion of a three-game series at Citi Field. He was hammered by the Mets in his season debut on April 5, when he allowed six runs and seven hits in a season-worst 2 2/3 innings. Hamels rebounded in a 5-2 win on May 28 at New York, hurling seven innings of two-run ball with 10 K’s, but is still just 3-9 in 15 career starts in this matchup.

The 2008 World Series MVP is 7-2 with a 1.72 earned run average in his last 11 starts and the Phillies have scored 14 runs in each of his previous two trips to the mound. Hamels fired eight innings of two-run ball in a 14-2 win at Florida on July 5, then held Atlanta to one run and three hits in eight innings of last Sunday’s 14-1 triumph, improving to 11-4 with a 2.32 ERA in 19 overall starts.

Hamels has made eight road starts this season, going 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA.

Philadelphia handed the Mets a 7-2 loss in Friday’s series opener, as youngster John Mayberry recorded a pair of hits and a career-high five RBI to lead the charge. Mayberry was recently called up from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Raul Ibanez homered and starting pitcher Vance Worley, another Lehigh Valley prospect, helped his own cause with an RBI groundout.

Worley earned the win on the hill with 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball and scattered three hits to push his record to 5-1 this season.

“We pressed him one time as far as pushing him to seven innings,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “It’s just a matter of time that you’ll be seeing him go deep in the game. He has that kind of talent.”

Manuel’s club has won two straight, three of four and is 21-8 since June 10. The Phillies will head to Chicago to take on the Cubs next week and own a 3 1/2-game lead over Atlanta for National League East bragging rights.

New York had won four in a row before losing three straight and four of its last five games. In Friday’s setback to the despised Phillies, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey was banged around for four runs and six hits in seven innings of work. He also struck out five, walked two and posted a hit.

Carlos Beltran hit a solo homer — his 14th of the season — and scored both runs for the Mets, who started a seven-game residency on a sour note. With the non-waiver trade deadline of July 31 approaching, Beltran is one name being mentioned as possible bait. The Mets have already dealt closer Francisco Rodriguez by trading him to Milwaukee on Tuesday.

“We all know the situation where I am,” Beltran said. “Everyone knows that Francisco got traded, but at the same time we need to move on. We have to look forward and avoid negative information or information that is going to keep us down.”

Taking the mound for the Mets tonight will be Jonathon Niese. Niese is coming off a relief stint in which he allowed two runs in just one-third of an inning during last Sunday’s 4-2 loss at San Francisco. He relieved starter Mike Pelfrey, who suffered the loss for giving up two runs over eight innings.

Niese has won five of his last seven decisions and defeated Los Angeles on July 6 with seven strong innings, as he allowed three runs and five hits with six strikeouts and one walk of his team’s 5-3 road win. He has dropped two straight starts at Citi Field, where he is 3-4 in nine outings. Niese is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in three starts against the Phillies this season.

In six career starts against the rival Phils, the left-hander sports a 2-3 ledger with a 3.11 ERA.

Philadelphia has won seven of 10 meetings with New York this season, including a 3-1 mark at Citi Field.

In their first game back from the All Star break, the Phillies picked up right where they left off, routing a division rival. This time around it was the Mets who were the victims as the Phils rolled to a 7-2 win. Mets starter R.A. Dickey was charged with four runs over seven innings, including a three run second for his 8th loss of the season. Vance Worley improved to 5-1 on the year with a 5 1/3 inning effort in which gave up one run.

The Phillies offensive star of the night was John Mayberry, who had five RBI thanks to a 2-run single in the second and a bases clearing 3-run double in the seventh. Vance Worley also collected an RBI and Raul Ibanez homered in the sixth.

Ryan Madson made his first appearance off the DL and pitched a perfect seventh, striking out two. Cole Hamels faces Jon Niese tomorrow afternoon in the second of the three game series.