Phillies finish 10-game homestand with even record in walk-off victory

By: Matt Rappa, managing editor

Final: Phillies 5, Mets 4 ❖  Attendance: 20,057

PHILADELPHIA — Thanks to extra-inning heroics by right fielder Peter Bourjos, the Philadelphia Phillies (7-9) avoided being swept for the second time of the season as they opposed veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon and the New York Mets (7-7) Wednesday evening at Citizens Bank Park.

With two of their 10 hits of the evening coming in the bottom of the 11th, the Phillies avoided being the first team since the 1968 New York Yankees to not have a double-digit hit game over their first 16 contests of the season.

Center fielder Odubel Herrera became the first Phillie since Hunter Pence from May 18-24, 2012, to draw a walk in seven consecutive games. Herrera leads all of baseball in the category this season with 15. He also leads Major League Baseball in total pitches seen, 332, and pitches per plate appearance, 5.03.

The Phillies are now 3-1 all-time when their starting pitcher bats outside of the conventional ninth position in the starting lineup. Joining Bourjos as the only position players in Phillies franchise history to start a game batting last are: shortstop Blondy Ryan (May 1935), second baseman Del Young (August 1937) and shortstop Bud Harrelson (June 1979).

Bourjos drove in both the tying and game-winning runs in the seventh and 11th innings, respectively.

After going 5-5 on their 10-game homestand — during which they averaged 2.4 runs per game — the Phillies will have off on Thursday as they travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a three-game set against the Brewers starting Friday night.

WP: Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.00 ERA)  ❖  LP: Hansel Robles (0-1, 2.45 ERA)

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

Game Summary

The Mets grabbed an early, 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Following a double and single by first baseman Lucas Duda and second baseman Neil Walker, respectively to start the frame, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera hit what was initially thought to be a three-run home run to right field.

However, after further review by umpires, the ruling on the field was reversed, granting Cabrera a ground-rule, RBI-double instead as the ball bounced off the top of the right field wall and was interfered with by fan contact. The Phillies ultimately benefited from this ruling. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson would escape the inning with just two earned runs allowed, with the second run scoring from third on a wild pitch.

The Phillies' first hit of the evening against Colon was a one-out single by catcher Carlos Ruiz in the bottom of the second inning. This was just the 11-year veteran's second hit over his last 17 plate appearances, dating back to April 10 against right-hander Matt Harvey and the Mets at Citi Field.

The next batter, shortstop Freddy Galvis, tied the game at two with an opposite-field blast. This was Galvis' second home run of the season and the second extra-base hit of his career off Colon spanning 19 at-bats. In addition, this was Colon's 10th surrendered home run all-time in opposition of the Phillies, making them the 14th franchise to have double-digit blasts against him in his career.

The Phillies' first lead of the series came via a sacrifice-fly RBI by left fielder David Lough in the bottom of the fourth, his first RBI since June 23 of last season at Fenway Park. The 3-2 Phillies advantage would not last long, however, as the next half-inning center fielder Yoenis Cespedes and Duda hit back-to-back solo home runs.

Hellickson was pulled after 4 1/3 innings. The 10 hits he surrendered were the most he has allowed since yielding the same amount on June 27 last season at PETCO Park.

In the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, the Phillies' offense would go down in order.

Colon's night was finished after six frames of three-run baseball. He fell just two outs shy of reaching 3,000 innings for his career. Exiting in-line to earn his 220th career victory, Colon would have surpassed Hall of Fame RHP Pedro Martinez for the second-most career victories all-time by a Dominican-born pitcher and just 23 wins shy of tying Hal of Fame RHP Juan Marichal's record of 243.

Bourjos would delay Colon accomplishing that feat for at least another start, as with two outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh, he singled to right field against right-hander Addison Reed to tie the game at three.

Like in their series finale against the Nationals on Sunday, Wednesday evening's series finale would head into extra-innings. With runners on second and third and two outs, Bourjos came up huge again for the Phillies in the bottom of the 11th, reaching on an RBI-infield single to bring home the game-winning run.

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Starting Pitchers

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At the Plate

Mets

• Yoenis Cespedes: 2-6, R, HR RBI, .291 AVG
• Lucas Duda: 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, .264 AVG
• Neil Walker: 4-5, R, .293 AVG

With their two home runs on Wednesday, the Mets have now hit 31 home runs over their last 13 games at Citizens Bank Park.

Phillies

• Freddy Galvis: 2-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, .241 AVG
• David Lough: 2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, .364 AVG
• Peter Bourjos: 2-5, 2 RBI, .191 AVG

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Bullpen

Mets

• Jerry Blevins (7th): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 4.15 ERA
• Addison Reed (7th): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 3.86 ERA
• Antonio Bastardo (8th, 9th): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.35 ERA
• Jim Henderson (10th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 1.42 ERA
• Hansel Robles (11th): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 2.45 ERA

Phillies

• Hector Neris (5th-7th): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, o BB, 6 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
• Dalier Hinojosa (8th, 9th): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 2.08 ERA
• Jeanmar Gomez (10th, 11th): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.00 ERA

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What's Next

• Friday, April 22, 2016: at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:10 p.m.
• Miller Park
  
• RHP Aaron Nola (0-2, 5.68 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Davies (0-1, 19.29 ERA)
• TV: TCN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

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