Phillies blow late lead twice, fall in extras
The fans that stuck out the entire game tonight at Citi Field got there money’s worth. Not just because the game went 11 innings, but also because of all the runs scored (17 combined) and all of the balls that left the yard in tonight’s game (six combined). Each team had three home runs, but it was the team with the last at-bats that got their final one at the right time.
The Phillies twice found themselves in a situation where they were up by two runs and needed just three outs to secure the victory. Jeanmar Gomez’s September struggles continued tonight as he suffered his sixth blown save of the season. Gomez allowed the Mets to tie the game up on a two-run home run to right field, causing the game to head to extra innings. The Phillies scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning, and headed to the bottom half of the inning needing three more outs for the win. The Mets’ Asdrubal Cabrera had other plans as he sent the home crowd home happy with a walk-off, three run home run to right field to give the Mets (81-72) the 9-8 victory over the Phillies (69-84).
The Phillies got plenty of offense as well in this game. Ryan Howard and Cameron Rupp hit back-to-back jacks in the fifth inning to give the Phillies their first lead of the game. Maikel Franco delivered what was the biggest hit of the game at the time with his three-run shot to right center field to put the Phillies back on top in the eighth inning. Franco led the way for the Phils at the dish tonight, going 2 for 5 with a home run (his 23rd of the year), four RBIs, and two runs scored. Yoenis Cespedes was the Mets’ top hitter tonight, going 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
Phillies starting pitcher Adam Morgan managed to work through five innings in tonight’s game, while failing to factor into the decision. Morgan allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while punching out eight batters in his five innings of work tonight. Edubray Ramos suffered the loss for the Phils as he allowed Cabrera to hit the game-winning homer in the 11th. Ramos falls to 1-3 on the year with a 3.83 ERA after tonight’s loss.
Mets starting pitcher Seth Lugo also did not factor into the decision in tonight’s game as he allowed pitched just five innings in tonight’s game. Lugo allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters in his five innings on the mound. Mets reliever Jim Henderson picked up the win tonight for the Mets while facing just two batters and recording one out in the top of the 11th inning. Henderson is now 2-2 on the year with a 4.50 ERA after tonight’s victory.
Luckily for the Phillies, they have the chance to come back tomorrow and put tonight’s game behind them. The Phillies and Mets will square off in the second of four games in Queens tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. Phillies veteran Jeremy Hellickson (12-9, 3.57 ERA) will take the mound for the Phils against Mets starter Gabriel Ynoa (1-0, 9.00 ERA) tomorrow night at Citi Field. Hellickson will look to provide the Pete Mackanin with another solid outing as his club looks to forget about tonight’s heartbreaking loss and pick up a W tomorrow.
Photo: Dennis Thompson (Flickr.com)
Tyler King covers the Phillies for PHLSportsNation.com. He can be contacted via email at tylerking2623@gmail.com or on Twitter (@t_king26).
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