Instant Replay: Phillies 4, Mets 2

BOX SCORE

The Phillies picked up their first win of the second half by beating the Mets, 4-2, on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
 
Some timely hitting and relief pitching and a quality start from Jerad Eickhoff helped the Phillies win for the 11th time in the last 15 games.
 
The Phillies beat New York for just the eighth time in the last 29 meetings.
 
Overall, the Phillies moved to 43-49.
 
The Mets fell to 48-42.
 
Starting pitching report
Jerad Eickhoff responded well from his last outing in which he allowed the most runs of his young big-league career, surrendering eight at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
 
The right-hander pitching into the seventh inning and finished six frames of two-run ball. It marked his 12th quality start, most among Phillies starters. He struck out three and walked one over 94 pitches.
 
Eickhoff entered with the seventh-worst run support (3.28) among qualified major-league starters and received two runs on Saturday night.
 
Making his seventh start of the season, Mets right-hander Logan Verrett matched Eickhoff with two-run ball over six innings. He scattered eight hits and struck out four.
 
At the plate
Maikel Franco continued driving in big runs for the Phillies.
 
The third baseman singled home Peter Bourjos for the go-ahead and decisive run in the bottom of the seventh. Franco has 17 RBIs in his last 15 games.
 
Carlos Ruiz and Eickhoff had two hits apiece and each scored a run, while Cody Asche, Franco and Ryan Howard all knocked in runs.
 
Howard walloped a hanging slider into the Mets’ bullpen to stake the Phillies to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It was Howard’s 370th career homer, tying him with Gil Hodges for 77th on baseball’s all-time list.
 
Jose Reyes drew the Mets even with a one-out sac fly to left field in the third inning. Travis d’Arnaud then did the same the following inning to put New York ahead.
 
Eickhoff helped his cause by leading off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double. Odubel Herrera followed with a double off the metal fencing atop the right field wall. Eickhoff only advanced a base as he misjudged the ball and tagged up but later scored on an Asche groundout.
 
The Mets, the majors’ worst hitting team with runners in scoring position (.212), went 0 for 7 in such situations.
 
Bullpen report
Edubray Ramos, Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez shut the door with three scoreless innings.
 
Ramos, who picked up the win, left the bases loaded in the seventh when he inherited two of Eickhoff’s runners.
 
Gomez notched his 25th save.
 
Jerry Blevins took the loss, allowing an unearned run.
 
Erik Goeddel, brother of Phillies outfielder Tyler Goeddel, yielded a run in two-thirds of an inning.
 
On the bases
Two game-changing plays were made on the bases in back-to-back innings.
 
With two outs and runners at first and second in the bottom of the sixth, Eickhoff legged out a slow roller to shortstop for an infield single. As Eickhoff beat out the throw, Ruiz never broke stride rounding third attempting to score the go-ahead run from second but was thrown out by a hair, courtesy of first baseman James Loney.
 
In the top half of the seventh, Eickhoff fielded a comebacker and froze d’Arnaud leaning off second base. Eickhoff charged d’Arnaud but fired to second wide and late, allowing the catcher to slide back safely (after New York challenged the play initially ruled an out).
 
It forced Eickhoff’s exit as Ramos inherited and escaped the two-runner, no-out jam.
 
In the field
Asche made a sliding grab in the left-center gap with the bases loaded and two outs, keeping the game tied at 2-2 in the top of the seventh.
 
Up next
The Phillies finish their three-game series with the Mets on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. when right-hander Zach Eflin (2-2, 4.08) opposes Mets righty Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.61).
 
The Phillies then welcome the Miami Marlins for four games.