Mets pull away early, hold on to beat Phillies

By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff

Final: Mets 11, Phillies 7

NEW YORK — Monday was Labor Day, and Mark Leiter took that to heart.

From the second inning, Leiter was struggling. He didn't make it out of the fourth, allowing nine hits and nine runs as the Mets continued to crush Phillies pitching in 2017.

The Phillies halved a 10-0 deficit by the sixth, but the Mets tacked on another run and the Phillies couldn't make it all the way back, falling 11-7 in Monday afternoon's series opener.

WP: Rafael Montero (4-9, 5.21) ❖ LP: Mark Leiter (2-5, 4.74)

Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next

Game Summary

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
PHI	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	2	7	10	1
NYM	0	1	3	6	0	1	0	0	X	11	12	1

Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki manufactured the game's first run with an infield single, a stolen base and a run scored on Juan Lagares' single to right, as the Mets gambled and sent Plawecki on what turned out to be a weak, inaccurate throw from Hyun Soo Kim.

The game began to snowball on Leiter beginning in the third, as José Reyes homered, Nori Aoki doubled and Asdrúbal Cabrera socked a two-run shot.

In the fourth, Brandon Nimmo reached on an infield hit. Lagares doubled him over to third. And Gavin Cecchini singled in both with a base hit up the middle. Freddy Galvis dropped a throw to second from Leiter on a bunt that could have been a double play, recording no outs and setting the stage for a Reyes RBI single. Aoki grounded out to score the pitcher, Rafael Montero, from third.

Kevin Siegrist made his first Phillies appearance and was subpar, allowing Reyes to scamper home with the ninth run charged to Leiter on a wild pitch (which got between the legs of Cameron Rupp). Siegrist walked Dom Smith and Plawecki and allowed an RBI single to Nimmo as the Mets amassed a double-digit lead.

The Phillies finally got something going against Montero, who struggled to begin the season but had picked it up recently, in the fifth. Maikel Franco and Kim each singled to begin the inning, and Rupp grounded out to score Franco from third. Andrés Blanco singled and César Hernández walked, but Galvis bounced into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.

Nick Williams led off the sixth with a single and Rhys Hoskins walked. With one out, Franco walked to load the bases and oust Montero. Paul Sewald came in and promptly uncorked a wild pitch to score Williams and move the runners up. Kim laced a double to right to score Hoskins and Franco and make it 10-4. Blanco grounded a single past first base for another run.

Plawecki doubled and Nimmo singled to stretch the lead in the sixth against Jesen Therrien, who had finished the fourth for Siegrist. Yacksel Ríos managed two scoreless innings of relief.

For the Mets, Jerry Blevins and Hansel Robles worked a quick seventh and eighth, respectively.

In the ninth, Robles allowed two hits and a run as Galvis drove in Blanco with a single. Odúbel Herrera made his return to the Phillies with a pinch-hit appearance with two outs in the ninth, as he lined a single to right to score Galvis, who'd moved up to third via defensive indifference and a wild pitch.

The Mets pulled Robles for closer A. J. Ramos in an 11-7 game, bringing in Ramos to face Hoskins. Hoskins worked a full count, as he did in over half of his plate appearances Monday, but flied out to the warning track in right to end the game.

Whenever they face the Mets, the Phillies never seem to be able to avoid Jacob deGrom. The right-hander starts tomorrow against Ben Lively at 7:10 in Queens.

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