Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Matt Harvey earned the win in his return to
Citi Field as the New York Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on
Tuesday.
Harvey (2-0), who was sidelined during the 2014 season after Tommy John
surgery, gave up three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks
over six innings. It was his first home start since Aug. 24, 2013.
Lucas Duda drove in three runs and doubled twice, Daniel Murphy
homered and Curtis Granderson scored twice for New York, which has won three
straight games.
The Mets lost two players during the course of the game. Outfielder Michael
Cuddyer left the game with a left hand contusion after getting hit by a pitch
during the second inning and third baseman David Wright exited during the
eighth with a pulled right hamstring.
Chase Utley finished 3-for-3 with two homers and three RBI, while Jeff
Francoeur and Cody Asche also homered for the Phillies, who had starter David
Buchanan (0-2) give up five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 frames in the loss.
Harvey didn’t get off to the start he wanted as Utley drove a breaking ball
just over the wall in right field for an early 1-0 lead, but his team
responded for him in the home half.
Cuddyer’s grounder kicked off the mound and into center field to score
Granderson, who got aboard with a leadoff single.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the second, Duda cleared them with a
liner down the right-field line for a double and a 4-1 game.
Ben Revere opened the top of the third with a single to right, moved to second
on Buchanan’s sacrifice bunt and rounded third on Utley’s liner to left to get
the Phillies within two runs.
Asche crushed a fastball for a towering homer to right field with one out in
the fourth to make it a 4-3 game.
The Phillies threatened in the fifth. Buchanan looked to help his own cause by
chopping a liner down the right-field line for a leadoff double, Utley was hit
by a pitch with two outs and Ryan Howard reached on catcher’s interference.
Harvey, however, escaped the jam by inducing an inning-ending popout from
Carlos Ruiz.
In the bottom half, Duda hit a leadoff double, came around third on Travis
d’Arnaud’s single to right and slid into home, beating Revere’s throw from
left field to restore New York’s two-run advantage.
After the Mets left the bases loaded in the sixth, Murphy padded the lead in
the seventh with a leadoff blast off Dustin McGowan for a 6-3 score.
Utley countered by driving a Sean Gilmartin fastball over the wall in right-
center field to start the eighth for his second homer of the night.
Francoeur stroked a solo shot with one out in the ninth, but Jeurys Familia
struck out the next two batters to earn his third save of the season.
Game Notes
Harvey improved to 5-0 in six career starts against Philadelphia … Cuddyer
left the game during the second with a left hand contusion after getting hit
by a pitch … Mets manager Terry Collins was ejected from the game after
arguing catcher’s interference during the fifth … The Mets will send left-
handed pitcher Jonathon Niese to the mound against Phillies’ right-hander in
the series finale on Wednesday.
