By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Final: Phillies 5, Mets 1 ❖ Attendance: 32,033
Flushing, NY – The Philadelphia Phillies scored four runs in the seventh inning en route to a 5-1 victory in the series finale against the New York Mets at Citi Field this afternoon. The Phils are now 12-11 this month, despite their starting rotation having an ERA over seven in August.
With the game locked at one in the seventh, newcomer A.J. Ellis hit a two-run double with the bases loaded to put the Phillies ahead by two, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Jimmy Paredes had a solid day at the plate as well, tallying two hits, including an RBI-double to tie the game at one in the fourth.
Meanwhile, despite a high pitch count for the majority of the day, today's outing for Vince Velasquez was strong, especially after allowing 21 runs in his last 21.1 innings prior to this afternoon's game. He gave up one run on five hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking two in what could be his final start of the season if the Phillies decide to shut him down.
The Phillies head home and will host the Washington Nationals for a three-game series beginning Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Jake Thompson will get the start for Philadelphia while Washington has yet to announce a starter.
WP: David Hernandez (3-3, 4.21 ERA) ❖ LP: Robert Gsellman (1-1, 3.72 ERA)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| NYM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 7 | 0 |
With one down in the first, Vince Velasquez allowed singles to Asdrubal Cabrera, Kelly Johnson and Jay Bruce to load the bases. Replacing Cabrera, who left with an arm injury, Wilmer Flores scored from third thanks to a sacrifice fly from Curtis Granderson.
Philadelphia got on the board in the fourth. Maikel Franco hit a one out single and two batters later, Aaron Altherr walked. With two down and a runner in scoring position, Jimmy Paredes ripped an RBI-double into the right field corner to score Franco from second, tying things at 1-1. Jay Bruce threw Altherr out at the plate for the final out, his 10th outfield assist of the season.
In the seventh, the Phillies loaded the bases with none out as Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Jimmy Paredes each hit singles. Newcomer A.J. Ellis followed with a two-run double to left field, his first hit as a Phillie, scoring Joseph and Altherr to make it a 3-1 advantage for the Phillies. Peter Bourjos got hit by a Hansel Robles pitch in the wrist to force in a run, extending the lead to 4-1. Cesar Hernandez plated Ellis from third with a sac fly to make it a 5-1 game.
The combination of David Hernandez, Edubray Ramos, Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez helped close out the win, hurling four shutout innings, allowing just two hits.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vince Velasquez | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4.21 |
| Robert Gsellman | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3.72 |
Phillies
- Jimmy Paredes: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, K, .237 AVG
- A.J. Ellis: 1-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K, .196 AVG
- Aaron Altherr: 1-3, R, BB, K, .248 AVG
Mets
- Wilmer Flores: 1-3, R, 2 K, .263 AVG
- Jay Bruce: 1-4, 3 K, .246 AVG
- Curtis Granderson: 0-2, SF, RBI, BB, K, .218 AVG
Phillies
- David Hernandez (6th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 4.21 ERA
- Edubray Ramos (7th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3.62 ERA
- Hector Neris (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 K, 2.17 ERA
- Jeanmar Gomez (9th): 1.0 IP, 3.02 ERA
Mets
- Hansel Robles (7th): 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4.14 ERA
- Jerry Blevins (7th): 0.2 IP, 1 K, 2.29 ERA
- Jim Henderson (7th, 8th): 1.1 IP, 2 K, 4.30 ERA
- Josh Smoker (9th): 1.0 IP, 2 K, 5.40 ERA
What's Next
- Monday, August 29th, 2016: vs. Washington Nationals at 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Jake Thompson (1-3, 9.78 ERA) vs. TBD
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP
