The Philadelphia Phillies broke the New York Mets winning streak Sunday night, as Chase Utley homered twice in the Phillies 5-4 victory in Citizen's Bank Park.
Mike Pelfrey made his third start of the season for the Mets, and gave up a ton of hits. Pelfrey got knocked around in his five innings of work for 10 hits and four earned runs. He walked two and struck out two. Pelfrey got into a lot of jams, but somehow worked out of them for the first few innings, only allowing a first inning solo home run to Utley. Pelfrey only had one 1-2-3 inning, in the second inning, benefiting from a double play off the bat of Eric Bruntlett. Utley consistently worked out of jams until the fifth when he allowed another Utley home run, this one a three run blast, high off the foul pole in right field.
I came to a conclusion tonight: Pelfrey needs Brian Schneider. He struggled mightily but somehow worked out of jam after jam. It finally caught up to him when Utley took him deep again in the fifth. He has good stuff, but he's still young and needs a lot of assistance calling the game.
Jorge Sosa entered the game for the sixth inning, pitching a perfect frame while striking out one. Pedro Feliciano started the seventh and allowed a pinch hit solo home run to Pedro Feliz to right field. Feliciano went on to allow a single to Utley before striking out Ryan Howard. He then walked Pat Burrell and got Geoff Jenkins to pop out. Joe Smith came in the game with two on and two out and got Chris Coste to strike out looking. Smith went on to pitch the bottom of the eighth, retiring the side in order.
Sosa looked very good. Feliciano is struggling lately, which worries me. Is he being used correctly? Smith is absolutely on fire. Hope he can keep this up all season.
The Mets offense was stifled in all but one inning by Phillies pitchers Sunday night.
The team only had two hits through five innings before busting open in the sixth. The inning started with a Jose Reyes leadoff triple off the wall in right field. Luis Castillo delivered, and singled him home, serving the ball to left field. David Wright followed it up with a double to left, moving Castillo to third. Carlos Beltran ripped a single up the middle, which plated both Wright and Castillo. After Beltran stole second base, he came home on a Ryan Church single to right, which tied the game.
That was it for the scoring. Adam Eaton continued to shut down the Mets for the majority of the game. A good inning here from the team, as they strung together a bunch of hits to put some runs on the board. This is something we haven't seen from the team lately. They've been relying on the long ball and a few hits to bring in a few runs at a time. Nice to see them put a few in a row.
The ninth inning saw the Mets threaten to tie the game as Damion Easley had a pinch-hit walk and Reyes singled to leadoff the inning. Castillo failed to get down a bunt and looked absolutely terrible, swinging, or more like flailing, at strike three. Wright then popped out in foul territory before Beltran ripped a ball up the middle which was stopped by Bruntlett who made a very nice play to end the threat and the game.
Ayy! Would have been nice. I still don't get why Castillo was moved back into the two-hole. Church was doing just fine there. He needs to be able to lay a bunt down. It needs to be done. Frustrating loss. They rallied back, got there, and then let it slip away.
Numbers: First four players in the Mets lineup: 4 runs scored...Reyes, Wright, Raul Casanova: 2 hits each...Wright: 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run...Team LOB: 9...SB: 2.
Beardless watch: 8-3.
Game ball: Beltran.
