Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.60 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Saturday night against Noah Syndergaard (11-7, 2.61).
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Yoenis Cespedes clocked a three-run homer, Kelly Johnson had a pinch-hit grand slam and Noah Syndergaard pitched two-hit ball over seven innings as the resurgent Mets routed the Philadelphia Phillies 12-1 on Saturday.
Three pitches before Cespedes’ homer, he hit a foul ball that whizzed past the head of a ducking Syndergaard, who began the rally with a one-out double to the warning track in centerfield.
“The amusing thing about it is we are 11-and-11 in the month of August”, Mackanin said. “Just trying to hit the deck”. He reached 11 career home runs faster than anyone in major league history – 23 games, including two hitless games a year ago. “So you could tell there was some damage to be done, once that happens”. The Iowa native is 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA in his last six starts since a loss to the Mets on July 15 in which he gave up four runs in six frames.
Colon (12-7) carried a no-hitter into the fifth and a two-hit shutout into the eighth before tiring on an 88-degree night. “Those guys, they’re nearly trying to outdo each other”. Reyes followed with a single before Cabrera popped to third for the second out. It was the third homer in the last two games for Cabrera. But he left with a runner on after 5 1/3 innings and wound up charged for two earned runs in the game. He scored both times, first ahead of Flores’ third career slam and then in front of Cabrera’s second homer of the night.
“(Bench coach) Dickie Scott looked at me, he said ‘Cespedes, he’s not going to let those guys show him up tonight, ‘” Collins said. “And he hits one 500 feet. I don’t think it was anywhere near me”, Syndergaard said. “I think that’s a good thing to have”.
Syndergaard (12-7), who was coming off an eight-inning, two-hit, no-run performance against the Giants, again allowed only two hits, this time in seven innings.
Neil Walker capped the Mets’ big night at the plate by adding a solo home run off Severino Gonzalez in the eighth. Center fielder Alejandro De Aza took advantage of the opportunity two batters later, lacing his ninth double to center to bring home two more insurance runs. A day after trouncing the Orioles 14-4, NY moved within 2 1/2 games of them for the second AL wild-card spot.
“It looks like a completely different team”, Mets manager Terry Collins said.
Hellickson, who had won four consecutive decisions and six of his last seven, allowed a three-run shot to Cespedes that made it 5-1 with two outs in the fourth. The 2006 team hit a club-record 96 homers at Shea Stadium. The trio, which occupied the top three spots in the lineup in each of the last two games, is a combined 13-for-23 with five homers, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored against the Phillies.
Not possible for these Mets at one point previous year to score runs in bunches, and it was not possible a little over a week ago. Plenty of earned runs given up. A Phillies reliever has not had a worse outing since Hector Mercado allowed seven runs in two-thirds of an inning in 2002. Philadelphia 3B Maikel Franco went 0-for-4 on Friday to end an eight-game hitting streak and is 8-for-48 career versus the Mets.2. “They are hot right now”. “Just can’t make too many mistakes like we did tonight”.
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IF T.J. Rivera was sent back to Triple-A Las Vegas. Fortunately for Rivera, he never left town Friday when he was optioned to the minors to make room for 2B Walker, who came off the paternity leave list. Jay Bruce, the Mets recent acquistion at the trading deadline was not in the lineup and some of his struggles at the plate, batting.161 in 81 at bats since coming to NY prompted the move to sit him. Bruce is batting just.160 since being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on August 1.
