Mets Bullpen Cracks Again, Hamels Wins in NY

Cole Hamels had never gotten a win against the Mets in New York, which is somewhat amazin' when you think about it. His numbers overall just haven't been that good against the team from Flushing, including his worst start of the 2011 season.

Hamels was sharp last night though, striking out a season-high 10 batters and walking none while scattering seven hits over seven innings. However, he almost didn't factor into the decision, with the Phillies down 2-1 entering the eighth inning. The Phils once again rallied late to embarrass the Mets bullpen, scoring three in the eighth and one more in the ninth to head back to the hotel with a 5-2 victory.

As great as it was to see Hamels burn through the Mets after allowing a
pair of early Jose Reyes runs, the highlight for most fans was likely
seeing Chase Utley notch his first multi-hit game of the season.

Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.

Uts went 2-3 at the plate with a big RBI in the eighth, stole second and took third on a throwing error by the catcher Ronny Paulino, and then scored on a Ryan Howard double off of Jason Isringhausen, whose name has now appeared in consecutive recaps for the wrong reasons. Placido Polanco also made it home, hauling ass all the way from first on the Howard double after Izzy walked him.

Hamels' night was over, but he was the pitcher of record at that point, and the closeout combo of Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson each pitched a perfect frame to seal the W.

Notes
•The Phils have now lost only two of Hamels' starts all season, and Cole leads the NL in wins.
•Raul Ibanez continued his torrid May, knocking in Chase in the fourth inning with a double after the second baseman also reached with a two-bagger. Ibanez K'd twice had only the one hit, but it was a big one, and great to see Chase get knocked in.
•Dom Brown got the start in right and had his second consecutive two-hit game. He also scored the night's final run on a ninth-inning hit by pinch-hitter Ben Francisco.
•Finally, Mike Pelfrey deserves a mention. He kept the Phils at bay all night and deserved a better fate than a ND after his bullpen blew his lead. After limiting the Phils to two runs through nearly eight full innings, Big Pelf watched as three different relievers each came in and gave up a run.

Vance Worley will be on the mound against Jonathan Niese as the Phils go for the sweep in Flushing.