Phillies Drop Series Finale To Mets, 11-3

NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Torres did his best Matt Harvey imitation, carrying a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning for the New York Mets in an 11-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Daniel Murphy had four hits, Eric Young Jr. got three and Anthony Recker added a two-run homer on his 30th birthday as the Mets busted loose for their most runs since beating Washington 11-0 in the first game of a July 26 doubleheader.

Torres (3-2) started in place of Harvey, the All-Star ace diagnosed Monday with a partially torn elbow ligament, and gave the Mets everything they could have hoped for in helping them earn a four-game series split.

Three days after making a brief relief appearance, Torres struck out six and walked none in 6 2-3 innings. He yielded four hits and left to a warm ovation from the crowd of 22,008 following Darin Ruf's long sacrifice fly.

New York finished 3-6 on a tumultuous homestand that included news of Harvey's injury and a trade that sent veterans Marlon Byrd and John Buck to Pittsburgh. Harvey hopes to avoid Tommy John surgery that would probably sideline him for all of next season, but the Mets said no decision will be made until the right-hander is re-examined in a few weeks after the swelling subsides.

Phillies starter Ethan Martin (2-3) struck out a career-high nine, including five in a row.

After getting only two outs against Arizona in his previous outing, the right-hander lasted four innings this time. He was hurt by a leadoff walk in the fourth and Recker's long home run.

Philadelphia lost for the 15th time in 18 road games and fell to 8-6 under interim manager Ryne Sandberg.

Young made it 10-1 with a bases-loaded triple in a four-run seventh, giving him a career-high three RBIs on one swing of the bat. Andrew Brown hit a solo homer in the eighth and drove in two runs.

Murphy singled in the first and put the Mets ahead with an RBI double in the third. He added a pop-fly double in the fifth and an RBI single with two outs in the sixth.

Justin Turner drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and Recker launched a long drive just inside the left-field foul pole for his sixth home run.

Two innings later, Recker sprang out of his crouch and hustled for a diving grab of Roger Bernadina's leadoff bunt in foul territory.

Buck's backup at catcher most of the season, Recker rarely played. He was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 20, four days after the Mets called up catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, and brought back Tuesday when the team traded Buck and Byrd.

Murphy's wind-blown double in the fifth dropped in shallow right between stationary second baseman Chase Utley and a charging Ruf, a converted first baseman who also appeared to have trouble with the sun.

Brown followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

New York added two in the sixth after Recker's leadoff walk and Torres' sacrifice bunt. Cesar Jimenez balked home a run, and Murphy delivered an RBI single.

It was Murphy's 10th career four-hit game, and fourth this season. Bernadina hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Gonzalez Germen.

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