Mets beat Phillies to go top of NL East
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Mets scored two runs in the eighth inning to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Thursday and grab sole possession of first place in the National League East for the first time since April 19.
Carlos Delgado drove a two-run double down the left-field line off left-hander JC Romero to score Robinson Cancel and David Wright, who was intentionally walked by the reliever ahead of the slugging first baseman.
The victory gave the Mets, who went into the game with the same record as Philadelphia, a 55-47 record and enabled them to win the three-game series at Shea Stadium after blowing a three-run, ninth-inning lead in Tuesday's opener.
"We have good starting pitching and any time you have good starting pitching, that enables you to win ball games or stay in ball games," said Mets manager Jerry Manuel.
"I'm obviously very proud of the way our team bounced back especially after that loss the other night. To come back and play in the form and fashion we did ... speaks volumes as to the character of our team."
The two-out, two-strike game-winner by Delgado settled a close pitching duel of left-handers between Oliver Perez of the Mets and Phillies starter Jamie Moyer.
Moyer, 45, yielded only two hits in seven innings but one was an RBI single to Wright in the third that scored Jose Reyes, who had walked and stolen second base.
HOME RUN
The Phillies leveled in the seventh when Jayson Werth connected on a long home run off Perez that rattled off the camera tower in center field.
Perez went 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and striking out 12 batters.
Aaron Heilman got credit for the win by retiring Werth, the only batter he faced, with the bases loaded in the eighth.
Mets closer Billy Wagner, who was not available to pitch in the series opener because of a sore shoulder, hurled a scoreless ninth for his 26th save of the season.
Romero took the loss.
New York improved to 9-4 against the Phillies this year after going 6-12 against them last season when Philadelphia overtook them at the end of the season to reach the playoffs.
(Writing by Larry Fine, Editing by Tony Jimenez)
