Mets Prevent Phils From Clinching Playoff Spot
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Lucas Duda hit a three-run double in the Mets' five-run seventh inning, and New York snapped the Philadelphia Phillies' 11-game winning streak with a 5-2 win on Saturday night.
The NL East-leading Phillies missed out on a chance to clinch a fourth straight playoff berth -- all they need is one win or Atlanta loss and they're in -- with their first defeat since Sept. 11 in New York. Philadelphia's magic number to secure its fourth division title in a row is two.
The two-time NL champion Phillies are 45-16 since July 21, when they trailed Atlanta by seven games. They are 19-4 in September and have a six-game lead over the Braves, who beat Washington 5-0.
Rookie Dillon Gee (2-1), making his fourth big league start, limited the Phillies to two runs on five hits in seven innings, helping the Mets end a season-high six-game losing streak.
Hisanori Takahashi worked the ninth for his eighth save in eight chances.
Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer in the first-inning for Philadelphia.
Kyle Kendrick (10-10) cruised through the first six innings before the Mets rallied. Carlos Beltran singled ahead of David Wright's fielder's choice. Ike Davis then hit a single. An error by Ryan Howard loaded the bases.
Josh Thole singled in the first run, chasing Kendrick. Chad Durbin came on and gave up a pinch-hit double to Duda, who has nine hits this season, seven for extra bases.
Two batters later, Jose Reyes hit an RBI double to make it 5-2.
The game was played without incident a day after the Mets were angered by Chase Utley's hard takeout slide into second baseman Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning on Friday. There were a few hard slides Saturday, including one by Wilson Valdes into Reyes in the fifth, but no tempers flared.
Notes: Saturday's win was the 700th win of Mets' manager Jerry Manuel's career, 200 with the Mets. ... The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America presented Ryan Howard with the Mike Schmidt Award for most valuable player, Roy Halladay with the Steve Carlton Award for most valuable pitcher and the Dallas Green Award for special achievement and Shane Victorino with Tug McGraw Good Guy Award. ... A crowd of 45,274 was the 122nd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park. ... Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, out since Sept. 8 with a hamstring injury, is expected to play Sunday, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
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