GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: PHILADELPHIA (79-69) at NY METS (83-64)

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 2 1 1 1 5 0 0 0 10 7 2
NY METS 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 6 9 6 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PHI - ADAM EATON, GEOFF GEARY (5TH), J.C. ROMERO (7TH), TOM GORDON
(8TH), BRETT MYERS (9TH) AND CARLOS RUIZ

NYM - OLIVER PEREZ, SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS (5TH), GUILLERMO
MOTA (6TH), JORGE SOSA (6TH), WILLIE COLLAZO (7TH), JOE SMITH
(7TH), PEDRO FELICIANO (8TH), AARON HEILMAN (9TH) AND PAUL LO
DUCA

HOME RUNS: PHI - GREG DOBBS (10) OFF JORGE SOSA IN THE 6TH, 3 ON

NYM - CARLOS BELTRAN (29) OFF ADAM EATON IN THE 5TH, 2 ON
DAVID WRIGHT (30) OFF GEOFF GEARY IN THE 7TH, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 2 1 1 1 5 0 0 0 10 7 2
NY METS 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 6 9 6 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PHI - ADAM EATON, GEOFF GEARY (5TH), J.C. ROMERO (7TH), TOM GORDON
(8TH), BRETT MYERS (9TH) AND CARLOS RUIZ

NYM - OLIVER PEREZ, SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS (5TH), GUILLERMO
MOTA (6TH), JORGE SOSA (6TH), WILLIE COLLAZO (7TH), JOE SMITH
(7TH), PEDRO FELICIANO (8TH), AARON HEILMAN (9TH) AND PAUL LO
DUCA


WP - GEOFF GEARY (3-2)
LP - GUILLERMO MOTA (2-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: PHI - GREG DOBBS (10) OFF JORGE SOSA IN THE 6TH, 3 ON

NYM - CARLOS BELTRAN (29) OFF ADAM EATON IN THE 5TH, 2 ON
DAVID WRIGHT (30) OFF GEOFF GEARY IN THE 7TH, 0 ON


TIME: 3:50 ATT: 52,779

PROBABLES: NYM - BRIAN LAWRENCE (1-2, 6.31)
WAS - MIKE BACSIK (5-8, 4.86)

PROBABLES: PHI - KYLE KENDRICK (8-4, 4.02)
STL - ANTHONY REYES (2-14, 5.69)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">PHILADELPHIA (10) VS NY METS (6) - FINAL

PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 5 1 1 1 1 1 0 .296
C Utley 2b 5 0 1 1 1 1 5 .334
P Burrell lf 4 2 1 0 1 1 2 .264
M Bourn lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .274
R Howard 1b 4 1 0 0 2 2 2 .260
A Rowand cf 4 2 1 0 1 0 4 .313
J Werth rf 2 2 0 1 3 1 4 .319
W Helms 3b 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 .251
a-G Dobbs ph 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 .281
A Nunez 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .239
C Ruiz c 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 .257
A Eaton p 2 0 0 0 1 1 5 .220
G Geary p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
J Romero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-T Iguchi ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .311
T Gordon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 37 10 7 8 11 10 27

a-homered to right for W Helms in the 6th; b-flied out to right for J Romero
in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - C Utley (44, O Perez); J Rollins (36, O Perez). HR - G Dobbs (10,
6th inning off J Sosa 3 on, 0 Out). SF - W Helms. RBI - W Helms (39), C Utley
(97), J Rollins (85), J Werth (40), G Dobbs 4 (52). 2-out RBI - J Rollins.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Rowand 1, C Utley 3, A Nunez 2, A
Eaton 2, R Howard 1. Team LOB - 13.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Rollins (36, 2nd base off O Perez/P Lo Duca).

FIELDING: E - A Eaton (2, bunt); J Rollins (10, ground ball).


NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 4 1 1 0 1 0 1 .291
L Castillo 2b 5 1 1 1 0 0 1 .282
D Wright 3b 4 1 1 1 1 0 4 .313
C Beltran cf 4 2 2 3 0 1 0 .282
M Alou lf 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 .332
S Green 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .278
J Sosa p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
W Collazo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-R Gotay ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .307
P Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
P Lo Duca c 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 .267
E Chavez rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .261
O Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154
S Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-D Newhan ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200
G Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Conine 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250

Totals 35 6 9 6 2 3 13

a-struck out swinging for S Schoeneweis in the 5th; b-grounded to second for J
Smith in the 7th.

BATTING: HR - C Beltran (29, 5th inning off A Eaton 2 on, 2 Out), D Wright (30,
7th inning off G Geary 0 on, 1 Out). S - O Perez. SF - P Lo Duca. RBI - L
Castillo (13), P Lo Duca (47), C Beltran 3 (99), D Wright (98). 2-out RBI - C
Beltran 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Wright 1. Team LOB - 6.


BASERUNNING: CS - D Wright (5, 2nd base by A Eaton/C Ruiz).

FIELDING: E - P Lo Duca (8, throw); J Reyes 2 (10, ground ball, throw); M
Alou (2, fly ball); L Castillo (1, throw); J Conine (5, ground ball).


----------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA - 021 115 000 -- 10
NY METS - 001 130 100 -- 6
----------------------------------------------------

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
A Eaton 4 2/3 7 5 4 2 1 1 6.36
G Geary (W, 3-2) 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 4.50
J Romero 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.65
T Gordon 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.46
B Myers 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.58

NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
O Perez 4 2/3 6 5 2 6 6 0 3.43
S Schoeneweis 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.99
G Mota (L, 2-2) 0 0 3 2 2 0 0 6.06
J Sosa 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 4.43
W Collazo 1/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 5.40
J Smith 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.97
P Feliciano 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.91
A Heilman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.20

G Mota pitched to 3 batters in the 6th.

IBB - C Ruiz (by O Perez). HBP - A Rowand (by J Smith). Pitches-strikes: A
Eaton 87-56; G Geary 43-33; J Romero 4-3; T Gordon 16-9; B Myers 17-11; O Perez
118-63; S Schoeneweis 4-3; G Mota 15-5; J Sosa 18-11; W Collazo 18-9; J Smith
8-5; P Feliciano 16-10; A Heilman 11-6. Ground balls-fly balls: A Eaton 7-6; G
Geary 3-2; J Romero 1-0; T Gordon 2-0; B Myers 1-2; O Perez 2-7; S Schoeneweis
1-0; G Mota 1-0; J Sosa 0-2; W Collazo 0-1; J Smith 1-0; P Feliciano 0-1; A
Heilman 1-2. Batters faced: A Eaton 23; G Geary 9; J Romero 1; T Gordon 3; B
Myers 3; O Perez 28; S Schoeneweis 1; G Mota 3; J Sosa 5; W Collazo 3; J Smith
3; P Feliciano 3; A Heilman 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Dale Scott. 1B--Ron Kulpa. 2B--Paul Emmel. 3B--Dan Iassogna.

T--3:50. Att--52,779.
Weather: 64 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 6 mph, left
to right.</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
PHILADELPHIA 10
NY METS 6 FINAL</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHILADELPHIA (10) AT NY METS (6) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PHILADELPHIA 2ND: A Rowand singled to right. J Werth flied out to center.
W Helms struck out looking. C Ruiz singled to left, A Rowand to second.
A Eaton walked, A Rowand to third, C Ruiz to second. J Rollins safe at first on
error by shortstop J Reyes, A Rowand scored, C Ruiz advanced to third on play,
A Eaton advanced to second on play, C Ruiz scored on throwing error by
shortstop J Reyes. C Utley flied out to left. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 2 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 2, NY METS 0.

PHILADELPHIA 3RD: P Burrell singled to left. R Howard walked, P Burrell to
second. A Rowand flied out to right. J Werth walked, P Burrell to third,
R Howard to second. W Helms hit sacrifice fly to center, P Burrell scored,
R Howard to third, J Werth to second. C Ruiz intentionally walked. A Eaton
popped out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 3, NY METS 0.

NY METS 3RD: P Lo Duca flied out to left. E Chavez singled to center.
O Perez sacrificed to first, E Chavez to second, O Perez safe at first on error
by pitcher A Eaton. J Reyes walked, E Chavez to third, O Perez to second.
L Castillo grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, E Chavez scored, J Reyes
out at second, O Perez to third. D Wright flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 3, NY METS 1.

PHILADELPHIA 4TH: J Rollins safe at third on error by left fielder M Alou.
C Utley doubled to left, J Rollins scored. P Burrell grounded out to second,
C Utley to third. R Howard struck out looking. A Rowand flied out to center.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 4, NY METS 1.

NY METS 4TH: C Beltran singled to center. M Alou singled to center,
C Beltran to third. S Green popped out to catcher. P Lo Duca hit sacrifice fly
to right, C Beltran scored. E Chavez grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 4, NY METS 2.

PHILADELPHIA 5TH: J Werth walked. W Helms singled to left, J Werth to
second. C Ruiz flied out to right, J Werth to third. A Eaton struck out
swinging. J Rollins doubled to deep right, J Werth scored, W Helms to third.
S Schoeneweis relieved O Perez. C Utley grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 2.

NY METS 5TH: D Newhan hit for S Schoeneweis. D Newhan struck out swinging.
J Reyes singled to center. L Castillo singled to left, J Reyes to second.
D Wright flied out to left. C Beltran homered to right center, J Reyes and
L Castillo scored. M Alou singled to left. G Geary relieved A Eaton. S Green
grounded into fielder's choice to second, M Alou out at second. (3 Runs,
4 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 5.

PHILADELPHIA 6TH: G Mota relieved S Schoeneweis. P Burrell walked.
R Howard grounded into fielder's choice to second, P Burrell safe at second on
throwing error by second baseman L Castillo. A Rowand walked, P Burrell to
third, R Howard to second. J Sosa relieved G Mota. J Conine at first base.
J Werth walked, P Burrell scored, R Howard to third, A Rowand to second. G Dobbs
hit for W Helms. G Dobbs homered to right, R Howard, A Rowand and J Werth
scored. C Ruiz flied out to center. G Geary struck out swinging. J Rollins
flied out to center. (5 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 5.

NY METS 7TH: M Bourn in left field. L Castillo grounded out to third.
D Wright homered to right. C Beltran struck out swinging. M Alou singled to
left. R Gotay hit for J Smith. J Romero relieved G Geary. R Gotay grounded out
to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at NY METS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHILADELPHIA (10) AT NY METS (6) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philadelphia Starting Lineups -- J Rollins SS, C Utley 2B, P Burrell LF,
R Howard 1B, A Rowand CF, J Werth RF, W Helms 3B, C Ruiz C, A Eaton RHP.

Ny Mets Starting Lineups -- J Reyes SS, L Castillo 2B, D Wright 3B, C Beltran CF,
M Alou LF, S Green 1B, P Lo Duca C, E Chavez RF, O Perez LHP.

Umpires -- Dale Scott (HP), Ron Kulpa (1B), Paul Emmel (2B), Dan Iassogna (3B).


Gametime Weather: 64 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind left to right at 6 mph.


PHILADELPHIA 1ST: J Rollins walked. C Utley struck out swinging.
J Rollins stole second, J Rollins safe at third on throwing error by catcher
P Lo Duca. P Burrell struck out swinging. R Howard struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 0, NY METS 0.

NY METS 1ST: J Reyes grounded out to first. L Castillo fouled out to
catcher. D Wright walked. D Wright caught stealing second, catcher to
shortstop.(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 0, NY METS 0.

PHILADELPHIA 2ND: A Rowand singled to right. J Werth flied out to center.
W Helms struck out looking. C Ruiz singled to left, A Rowand to second.
A Eaton walked, A Rowand to third, C Ruiz to second. J Rollins safe at first on
error by shortstop J Reyes, A Rowand scored, C Ruiz advanced to third on play,
A Eaton advanced to second on play, C Ruiz scored on throwing error by
shortstop J Reyes. C Utley flied out to left. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 2 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 2, NY METS 0.

NY METS 2ND: C Beltran grounded out to second. M Alou grounded out to
third. S Green grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 2,
NY METS 0.

PHILADELPHIA 3RD: P Burrell singled to left. R Howard walked, P Burrell to
second. A Rowand flied out to right. J Werth walked, P Burrell to third,
R Howard to second. W Helms hit sacrifice fly to center, P Burrell scored,
R Howard to third, J Werth to second. C Ruiz intentionally walked. A Eaton
popped out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 3, NY METS 0.

NY METS 3RD: P Lo Duca flied out to left. E Chavez singled to center.
O Perez sacrificed to first, E Chavez to second, O Perez safe at first on error
by pitcher A Eaton. J Reyes walked, E Chavez to third, O Perez to second.
L Castillo grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, E Chavez scored, J Reyes
out at second, O Perez to third. D Wright flied out to center. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 3, NY METS 1.

PHILADELPHIA 4TH: J Rollins safe at third on error by left fielder M Alou.
C Utley doubled to left, J Rollins scored. P Burrell grounded out to second,
C Utley to third. R Howard struck out looking. A Rowand flied out to center.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 4, NY METS 1.

NY METS 4TH: C Beltran singled to center. M Alou singled to center,
C Beltran to third. S Green popped out to catcher. P Lo Duca hit sacrifice fly
to right, C Beltran scored. E Chavez grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 4, NY METS 2.

PHILADELPHIA 5TH: J Werth walked. W Helms singled to left, J Werth to
second. C Ruiz flied out to right, J Werth to third. A Eaton struck out
swinging. J Rollins doubled to deep right, J Werth scored, W Helms to third.
S Schoeneweis relieved O Perez. C Utley grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 2.

NY METS 5TH: D Newhan hit for S Schoeneweis. D Newhan struck out swinging.
J Reyes singled to center. L Castillo singled to left, J Reyes to second.
D Wright flied out to left. C Beltran homered to right center, J Reyes and
L Castillo scored. M Alou singled to left. G Geary relieved A Eaton. S Green
grounded into fielder's choice to second, M Alou out at second. (3 Runs,
4 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 5, NY METS 5.

PHILADELPHIA 6TH: G Mota relieved S Schoeneweis. P Burrell walked.
R Howard grounded into fielder's choice to second, P Burrell safe at second on
throwing error by second baseman L Castillo. A Rowand walked, P Burrell to
third, R Howard to second. J Sosa relieved G Mota. J Conine at first base.
J Werth walked, P Burrell scored, R Howard to third, A Rowand to second. G Dobbs
hit for W Helms. G Dobbs homered to right, R Howard, A Rowand and J Werth
scored. C Ruiz flied out to center. G Geary struck out swinging. J Rollins
flied out to center. (5 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 5.

NY METS 6TH: A Nunez at third base. P Lo Duca popped out to second.
E Chavez safe at first on error by shortstop J Rollins. J Conine flied out to
right. J Reyes grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error)
PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 5.

PHILADELPHIA 7TH: W Collazo relieved J Sosa. C Utley walked. P Burrell
flied out to right. R Howard walked, C Utley to second. J Smith relieved
W Collazo. A Rowand hit by pitch, C Utley to third, R Howard to second. J Werth
struck out looking. A Nunez grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 5.

NY METS 7TH: M Bourn in left field. L Castillo grounded out to third.
D Wright homered to right. C Beltran struck out swinging. M Alou singled to
left. R Gotay hit for J Smith. J Romero relieved G Geary. R Gotay grounded out
to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.

PHILADELPHIA 8TH: P Feliciano relieved J Smith. C Ruiz struck out looking.
T Iguchi hit for J Romero. T Iguchi flied out to right. J Rollins struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.

NY METS 8TH: T Gordon relieved J Romero. P Lo Duca grounded out to third.
E Chavez struck out swinging. J Conine grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.

PHILADELPHIA 9TH: A Heilman relieved P Feliciano. C Utley flied out to
center. M Bourn lined out to third. R Howard safe at first on error by first
baseman J Conine. A Rowand grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error)
PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.

NY METS 9TH: B Myers relieved T Gordon. J Reyes fouled out to catcher.
L Castillo flied out to center. D Wright grounded out to second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6.</div>

 

Dobbs' slam helps Phillies sweep Mets again

<h3>PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6</h3>By Doug Mittler
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Some shoddy fielding by the NewYork Mets and a grand slam by Greg Dobbs tightened the racedramatically in the National League East.


Dobbs hit a pinch-hit grand slam to highlight a five-run sixthinning as the Philadelphia Phillies capitalized on six New Yorkerrors to defeat the Mets for the eighth straight time, 10-6, onSunday.


The Phillies (80-69) completed their second three-game sweep ofthe season at Shea Stadium and moved within 3 1/2 games of thefirst-place Mets (83-65) in the East. They won the final eightgames in the series.


Philadelphia, which also swept four games from New York lastmonth at Citizens Bank Park from August 27-30, climbed withinone game of the San Diego Padres in the wild card race. ThePadres are hosting San Francisco Sunday.


Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer and David Wright connectedon his 30th of the season for the Mets, but it was not enough toovercome their first six-error game since September 13, 2002 atMontreal and 11 walks by New York pitchers.


For the second straight day, it was Phillies shortstop JimmyRollins who forced the issue.


Mets shortstop Jose Reyes committed two errors on the samegroundball hit by Rollins, allowing two runs to score, and leftfielder Moises Alou dropped a line drive by Rollins leading toanother run.


The Mets had tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth on a three-runhomer by Carlos Beltran off Adam Eaton.


Yet, an error by second baseman Luis Castillo and two walks byGuillermo Mota (2-2) loaded the bases in the sixth forPhiladelphia. Jorge Sosa relieved and walked Jayson Werth toforce in the go-ahead run.


Dobbs then lined a pitch just inside the right field foul polefor his first career grand slam, giving the Phillies a 10-5lead. It was the third pinch-hit home run of Dobbs' career andthe second pinch-hit slam by a Phillie this season. Ryan Howardhad the other May 9 at Arizona.


Dobbs also drove in the game-winning run as a pinch hitter inthe 10th inning of Friday's series opener.


Geoff Geary (3-2) pitched two innings for the win in relief of<div class="pre">Eaton, who was charged with five runs four earned and seven</div>hits in 4 2/3 innings.


With the bases loaded in the second, Rollins hit a two-outgrounder to Reyes, who bobbled the ball for one error and thenmade an errant throw to second that allowed the second run toscore, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.


Reyes had gone 43 straight games without an error, the longeststreak of his career.


In the fourth, Alou dropped Rollins' line drive at the warningtrack in left field for a three-base error. Chase Utleyfollowed with an RBI single to make it 4-1.


In Saturday's win, Beltran misplayed a line drive by Rollinsinto a decisive two-run triple in the seventh inning.

Rollins added an RBI double in the fifth on the 118th and finalpitch of the day by Oliver Perez, increasing the Philadelphialead to 5-2.


Perez struggled with his mechanics from the start, but erraticfielding made his afternoon worse. The lefthander allowed five<div class="pre">runs two earned and six hits with six walks in 4 2/3</div>innings.


Wright homered in the seventh off Geary to become the third Metsto post a season with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolenbases. He joined Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson.

Alou singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 20games.


The Mets were swept in a series at Shea Stadium for just thethird time under manager Willie Randolph. Two were against thePhillies.

 

Dobbs' slam helps Phillies sweep Mets again

<h3>PHILADELPHIA 10, NY METS 6</h3>By Doug Mittler
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Some shoddy fielding by the NewYork Mets and a grand slam by Greg Dobbs tightened the racedramatically in the National League East.


Dobbs hit a pinch-hit grand slam to highlight a five-run sixthinning as the Philadelphia Phillies capitalized on six New Yorkerrors to defeat the Mets for the eighth straight time, 10-6, onSunday.


The Phillies (80-69) completed their second three-game sweep ofthe season at Shea Stadium and moved within 3 1/2 games of thefirst-place Mets (83-65) in the East.


"Today they destructed," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said."They had a bad day. They had trouble catching the ball."

The Mets were swept in a series at Shea Stadium for just thethird time under manager Willie Randolph. Two were against thePhillies.


"We picked a bad time to play baseball, no doubt about that,"Randolph said. "We were there about two weeks ago andresponded. We need to respond again."


Philadelphia, which also swept four games from New York lastmonth at Citizens Bank Park from August 27-30, remained 1 1/2games behind San Diego in the wild card race, after the Padresposted a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer and David Wright connectedon his 30th of the season for the Mets, but it was not enough toovercome their first six-error game since September 13, 2002 atMontreal and 11 walks by New York pitchers.


"I think we played good baseball and they played themselves outof some games," Phillies reliever Brett Myers said.

For the second straight day, it was Phillies shortstop JimmyRollins who forced the issue.


Mets shortstop Jose Reyes committed two errors on the samegroundball hit by Rollins, allowing two runs to score, and leftfielder Moises Alou dropped a line drive by Rollins leading toanother run.


Rollins also had an RBI double and is hitting .296, againgenerating talk that he is a candidate for Most Valuable Player.

"If I have to chose between that and the (World Series) ring,I'll take both of them," Rollins said with a smile.

The Mets had tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth on a three-runhomer by Carlos Beltran off Adam Eaton.


Yet, an error by second baseman Luis Castillo and two walks byGuillermo Mota (2-2) loaded the bases in the sixth forPhiladelphia. Jorge Sosa relieved and walked Jayson Werth toforce in the go-ahead run.


Dobbs then lined a pitch just inside the right field foul polefor his first career grand slam, giving the Phillies a 10-5lead.


"I was just trying to make hard contact and get at least one runin," Dobbs said. "It doesn't matter who is on base. I justwanted to put it in play hard. It was just a matter of itstaying fair."


It was the third pinch-hit home run of Dobbs' career and thesecond pinch-hit slam by a Phillie this season. Ryan Howard hadthe other May 9 at Arizona.


Dobbs also drove in the game-winning run as a pinch hitter inthe 10th inning of Friday's series opener.


Despite the loss, the Mets insist their confidence has notwaned.


"I don't know what you are talking about. We're still in firstplace, my man," Beltran said. "They are in second."

Geoff Geary (3-2) pitched two innings for the win in relief of<div class="pre">Eaton, who was charged with five runs four earned and seven</div>hits in 4 2/3 innings.


With the bases loaded in the second, Rollins hit a two-outgrounder to Reyes, who bobbled the ball for one error and thenmade an errant throw to second that allowed the second run toscore, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.


Reyes had gone 43 straight games without an error, the longeststreak of his career.


In the fourth, Alou dropped Rollins' line drive at the warningtrack in left field for a three-base error. Chase Utleyfollowed with an RBI single to make it 4-1.


In Saturday's win, Beltran misplayed a line drive by Rollinsinto a decisive two-run triple in the seventh inning. Was therea reason the Mets had trouble handling the balls off his bat?

"That's good," Rollins said. "Go ask them."


Rollins added an RBI double in the fifth on the 118th and finalpitch of the day by Oliver Perez, increasing the Philadelphialead to 5-2.


Perez struggled with his mechanics from the start, but erraticfielding made his afternoon worse. The lefthander allowed five<div class="pre">runs two earned and six hits with six walks in 4 2/3 innings.</div>

"I was walking the first batter and that's not good," Perezsaid.


Wright homered in the seventh off Geary to become the third Metsto post a season with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolenbases. He joined Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson.

Alou singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 20games.