Phils Beat Mets to Tie for Wild Card Lead

Kendrick leads the Phils to 3-1 win

The Phillies win over the Mets Sunday night tied the Phightins with the Giants atop the National League Wild Card race.

Kyle Kendrick (8-5) toyed with New York's sputtering offense into the seventh inning, and the Phillies ended the Mets' miserable week by beating them 3-1.

Jimmy Rollins stole two bases and Shane Victorino swiped another to help manufacture two-out runs for the banged-up Phillies. Jayson Werth tripled and reached base three times as Philadelphia won the final two games of the three-game series after snapping their 38-inning scoreless streak at Citi Field.

With a whimper, the Mets ended a trying week in which a civil suit was filed against ace Johan Santana by the woman who accused him of raping her -- no charges were filed -- last year in Florida and Francisco Rodriguez, their closer, was charged with third-degree assault for allegedly beating his girlfriend's father outside the family room at Citi Field.

Other than Jose Reyes' leadoff homer in the third that tied it 1-1, the Mets mustered five hits. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and were 3-for-34 (.088) in that situation during the 3-3 home stand. New York's three wins were shutouts, including two 1-0 games.

Many in the crowd of 31,345 that endured a persistent drizzle in the early innings raced for the exits after Jeff Francoeur flied out to the warning track in left-center against reliever Chad Durbin to end the seventh with a runner on first.

Ryan Madson walked one in a scoreless eighth and Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 20 chances.

Victorino, who had three hits, doubled off Mike Pelfrey (11-7) with two outs in the third to drive in Rollins, who singled and stole second and third for a 1-0 lead. Victorino singled and stole second in the fifth before scoring on Placido Polanco's single, and Werth tripled and scored on Carlos Ruiz's hit past diving third baseman David Wright, who was playing in, to make it 3-1 in the sixth.

Kendrick bounced back from a rough start against the Dodgers on Tuesday to limit the Mets' anemic offense to six hits -- only one after the third -- in 6 2-3 innings.

Pelfrey had his second solid start after seven dismal outings, giving up seven hits and three runs over seven innings.

Greg Dobbs made his first start of the season at first base for the Phillies because Ryan Howard is on the disabled list and Ross Gload was nursing a strained right groin.


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