Ninth-Inning Rally Fails To Push Mets Past Phillies
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PHILADELPHIA – Randy Wolf took a shutout into the ninth inning, and Philadelphia’s bullpen barely held on for a 5-4 victory over the Mets last night.
Wolf’s shutout bid ended when Jose Reyes, Kaz Matsui, and Carlos Beltran hit consecutive singles to start the ninth, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Tim Worrell entered and struck out Mike Piazza, but Cliff Floyd hit a 3-0 pitch into the second deck in right field to make it a one-run game. Worrell then fanned David Wright and retired Doug Mientkiewicz on a grounder for the save.
Wolf allowed three runs and nine hits, striking out five to win for the first time since August 11. The former All-Star left-hander is coming off an injury plagued season in which he was just 5-8 with a 4.17 ERA.
Pat Burrell homered and had two RBI, extending his NL-leading total to 19, and David Bell had a pair of RBI doubles, helping the Phillies win their third straight.
Kaz Ishii gave up five runs, six hits, and walked six in five innings in his third start since joining the Mets last month after a trade with the Dodgers. The Mets have lost two in a row after a six-game winning streak, which followed a five-game losing streak to begin the season.
Burrell kept up his success against the Mets. He has 26 homers and 70 RBI in 303 at-bats against New York.
Burrell’s RBI single and Jason Michaels’s sacrifice fly in the first gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Burrell led off the third with a shot into the left-field seats for his fifth homer, and Bell’s run scoring double one out later put the Phillies ahead 4-0. He had another RBI double in the fifth.
Ishii, who threw 11 straight pitches out of the strike zone at one point in the first, saw his wildness lead to the first of Philadelphia’s runs. After Jimmy Rollins led off with a single, Ishii walked Placido Polanco and Bobby Abreu, loading the bases. Burrell followed with a single, and Michaels sent a long fly to center field to score Polanco.
Victor Diaz, the first runner to reach second for the Mets when he doubled with one out in the eighth, thought there were two outs and was doubled off the bag easily on pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo’s fly to center field.
Mets right-hander Kris Benson, bothered by a strained chest muscle, will throw on the side Thursday in the hopes of feeling comfortable enough to make his next scheduled start.
