|
 Syndergaard pitched seven strong innings and Wright hit his first
two home runs of the season as the New York Mets beat the
Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 Monday night.
Lucas Duda and Neil Walker hit back-to-back homers for New York,
which won for the fourth time in five games to even its record at
6-6.
The 23-year-old Syndergaard (2-0) allowed one run and five hits
while striking out eight and walking two, attacking the Phillies
from the outset. Six of his first 12 pitches were clocked at 100 mph
or faster, which is in keeping with the velocity he showed in his
first two starts. According to FanGraphs, his fastball was clocked
at an average of 98.1 mph, best in the majors.
"Everything was clicking in the first inning," he said. "It gives me
confidence to throw whatever pitch."
His start certainly made an impression on Mets manager Terry
Collins.
"I was saying, 'Boy, he must feel good in warm weather,'" Collins
said. "The second thing was, 'I hope he's throwing something else
besides 100 mph heaters.'"
Syndergaard mixed in some effective breaking balls, but with the
Mets up 2-1, he struck Cameron Rupp out looking with another 100 mph
fastball to extinguish a two-on, two-out threat in the sixth.
"He's gotten so good, so fast," Collins said of the young
right-hander. "It's remarkable."
Almost the stuff of video games, according to Wright.
"If you build a player and put abilities up to max," he said, "he's
the guy you want to build."
Wright hit a solo homer off Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff (1-2) in
the first and another off reliever Elvis Araujo in the ninth, the
21st multi-homer game of his career and his first since June 20,
2013, in Atlanta.
He increased his home run total in Citizens Bank Park, already the
highest by a visiting player, to 22.
"Maybe it's just I've played here so much," he said. "Can't explain
it. It's a good place to hit, certainly, but other than that, I
think I play a lot here."
Eickhoff took the loss despite working seven solid innings for the
Phillies, who fell for the third time in four games.
"We've got to find a way to score more runs," said manager Pete
Mackanin, whose team has scored 36, fewest in the National League.
"We're in all the games we're playing, except a few. We just need to
score."
Duda snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-out RBI double in the sixth,
sending a looping fly ball to left after Yoenis Cespedes tripled off
Eickhoff.
Philadelphia left fielder David Lough, who was shading Duda toward
right, made a diving attempt at the ball after a long run, but it
glanced off his glove. That allowed Cespedes to score as Duda raced
to second.
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Duda added a solo homer, his first of the season, off reliever David
Hernandez in the eighth inning. Walker followed with his fourth
homer, giving the Mets a 4-1 cushion.
It was the first time the Mets went back to back since Sept. 5,
2015, at Miami, when Wilmer Flores and Travis d'Arnaud victimized
Brad Hand.
Wright's homer off Araujo in the ninth made it 5-1.
Philadelphia (6-8) tacked on a run against reliever Jeurys Familia
in the ninth on an infield bouncer off the bat of pinch hitter
Andres Blanco.
Eickhoff allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck
out nine and walked three.
"I was just trying to keep guys off-balance and keep us in the game
as much as I could," he said.
He was particularly heartened when he struck out Curtis Granderson
and Wright to escape a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh.
"I was kind of emotional, real excited to get out of that," he said.
"Gotta keep our team where I wanted to keep them."
Wright launched a 2-2 fastball from Eickhoff into the seats in
right-center field with one out and the bases empty in the first.
The Phillies drew even in the third. With one out, Freddy Galvis
doubled to center. He stole third and came home when Odubel Herrera
punched a single through the left side of the infield.
NOTES: The 1-week-old son of Mets RHP Jacob deGrom was released from
an Orlando hospital Monday. DeGrom was placed on emergency family
leave over the weekend to be with his wife, Stacey, and son after
the younger deGrom faced unspecified health issues. ... The Phillies
optioned OF Cedric Hunter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and selected the
contract of OF David Lough from the same club. Hunter was hitting
just .088 with the Phillies, while Lough, who previously spent time
in the majors with Kansas City and Baltimore, was hitting .280 in
six games for Lehigh Valley. He went 1-for-4 Monday. ... Mets C
Travis d'Arnaud missed his second game in a row due to a bruised
left elbow.
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