Phillies Defeated By Thor And Captain America

GAME RECAP: Mets Silence Phillies 5-2

Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard continues to look superhuman as he cruised in a 5-2 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night. Syndergaard's fastball hit 100-101 mph 18 times as he allowed five hits, one run and two walks and struck out eight in seven innings to improve to 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. "Everything was clicking," Syndergaard said. "Mechanically, I felt great out there. It just gives you the most amount of confidence in the world." Back-to-back homers from Lucas Duda and Neil Walker in the eighth and David Wright's solo shot in the ninth -- his second dinger of the game -- gave the Mets some late breathing room. New York is looking for a little payback after dropping two of three to the Phillies earlier this month at Citi Field. "We are a team that's built on power, and when we hit homers, we win games," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Tonight, we hit homers." Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff battled Syndergaard through seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks and striking out nine. He is 1-4 in five career starts against the Mets, but he has posted a 2.81 ERA against New York as the Phillies have scored just four runs for him when he has been in those games.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Phillies manager Pete Mackanin knew his team would struggle to score runs this season, so he stressed the need to manufacture as many runs as possible. The Phillies followed this approach when they scored their only run against Syndergaard in the third. Freddy Galvis doubled, stole third and scored on a soft single to left field from Herrera to tie the game, 1-1. "We tried to take advantage of that," Mackanin said of Syndergaard's slow delivery to the plate. "You try to steal off of him. He's slow to the plate. But we didn't really have enough baserunners to make that a big issue." 
• No visiting player has even come close to Wright's 22 career homers at Citizens Bank Park. Next on the list is Carlos Beltran, who has hit 14 homers at the ballpark, which opened in 2004.

NEXT GAME:

Vince Velasquez has been nothing short of brilliant in his first two starts this season. He makes his third Tuesday night at 7:05 ET against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez struck out 16 and walked zero in a shutout Thursday against the Padres. He pitched six scoreless innings, striking out nine, against the Mets at Citi Field on April 9.

PHILS PHACTS:

Holding His Own – Jerad Eickhoff lacks the golden locks, the comic strip nickname and the 100-mph fastball of Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, but that does not mean he cannot compete with baseball's latest superhero. Eickhoff battled "Thor" for seven innings Monday night in a 5-2 loss to the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed five hits, two runs, three walks and struck out nine on a night when he had little margin for error. While the Phillies may lack the firepower to compete with the Mets in 2016, it is not a stretch to think Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola could be battling the Mets' young stud pitchers with much more on the line in the future. "Without a doubt," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I like what I see from them. They've got a real good presence on the mound. That's one concern we don't have." Eickhoff is 1-4 in five career starts with the Mets, but throw the record out the window because the Phillies have scored just four runs when he has been on the mound in those games. He also has a 2.81 ERA in those starts, striking out 32 batters in 32 innings. "The guy is a bulldog out there," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. "He's just as tough as any guy on any roster. He's going to go out there, he's going to compete. He knows how to work, he knows how to pitch. He's got No. 1 kind of stuff, and he's shown it." Eickhoff allowed a home run to David Wright in the first inning to hand the Mets a 1-0 lead. He had retired 11 consecutive batters when Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-out triple and scored on Lucas Duda's double to left field to make it 2-1 in the sixth. Phillies left fielder David Lough had a chance to catch it, but the ball deflected off the top of his glove as he dived for it. But Eickhoff showed some fight in the seventh. He allowed a leadoff single to Asdrubal Cabrera and a one-out walk to Syndergaard but settled down to strike out Curtis Granderson on a 1-2 curveball and Wright on a 2-2 curveball to end the inning. "He really gritted his teeth and went after him," Mackanin said. "That was a good test." Eickhoff punched his mitt as he walked off the mound. "I was really excited to get out of that," he said. Eickhoff has made just 11 starts in his big league career, but he is establishing himself as a key piece of the Phillies' future. Since he allowed six runs in four innings against the Red Sox in Boston on Sept. 6, 2015, Eickhoff is 3-2 with a 1.34 ERA in seven starts. He said he is not thinking about what could be in the future between the Phillies and Mets. "I'm a day-to-day guy," he said. "I try not to get too far ahead of myself, and I think a lot of us in here are [the same way]." Velasquez is another big piece of the Phillies' future. He faces the Mets on Tuesday night.

Changing Strategy – With offensive struggles looming over their heads, the Phillies needed to find an edge wherever they could -- especially against Mets 23-year-old flamethrower Noah Syndergaard on Monday night. Syndergaard doesn't have many weaknesses, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin did his best to exploit one of them, despite it coming in a 5-2 losing effort. While Syndergaard's pitches get to the plate with speeds in the triple digits, his delivery can be slow. Coming into the game, the Phillies had three stolen bases on the season. They swiped two in two attempts against Syndergaard and took one more against Antonio Bastardo in the eighth. "We tried to take advantage of that," Mackanin said. "You try to steal off of him. He's slow to the plate. But we didn't really have enough baserunners to make that a big issue." David Lough, starting in left field the day he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, reached base twice -- once by fielder's choice against Syndergaard in his first at-bat and again with a double in the ninth inning. He was the first Phillies culprit on the basepaths, taking second after his fielder's choice. "[Syndergaard is] one of the slower guys, where you can take advantage of that," Lough said. "I think we did a good job of that. [Freddy] Galvis took one to third, I took one to second, I think [Odubel Herrera] took one to second. With the speed guys on base, we're definitely taking advantage of it." After Lough's callup, there's a handful of players who could be classified as "speed guys." Cesar Hernandez swiped 19 bags last season. Herrera took 16. Galvis had 10, but showed off his quickness on his steal of third on Monday. And Mackanin called Peter Bourjos, who only had five last year for the Cardinals but 22 in 2011, the fastest guy on the team. Postgame, Mackanin continued to express frustration in the lack of offensive production. The Philies' 36 runs in their first 14 games is tied for third fewest in franchise history in that span. "We're just not scoring enough runs," he said. "They hit four home runs, and we didn't hit any. We've gotta score more runs. We're in all the games we're playing, except a few. We just need to score." Still, rather than try to run at will in an attempt to spark the offense, Mackanin said he's going to continue reading pitchers and relying on scouting reports. "You run on pitchers who are slow to the plate," he said. "When they're quick to the plate, you don't run." Even when they stole three bases, the Phillies managed only two runs. Granted, it was against Syndergaard. One steal, Galvis' of third, did help them muster one run across with Herrera's single the next play. The other runners, however, remained stranded on second. And the Phillies remain without an answer offensively.

Recent Roster Moves – The Phillies announced Monday that they optioned outfielder Cedric Hunter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and selected the contract of outfielder David Lough. Lough was in the lineup in the Phillies' 5-2 loss to the Mets on Monday night, playing left field. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Lough will assume the same role Hunter had, primarily sharing time with Tyler Goeddel and Darin Ruf in left. "We're just going to mix and match and see how David Lough looks," Mackanin said. "He's been in the big leagues before, so I know what to expect from him." Philadelphia has struggled to find production anywhere offensively, but the problems have been especially pronounced in the corner-outfield spots. Phillies left fielders have combined for a .248 OPS, with just three hits in 40 at-bats over the team's first 13 games. Phillies right fielders also are last in baseball with a .485 OPS. Hunter received 24 at-bats in left field, slashing .083/.120/.208. He hit .088 (3-for-34) overall. "I told Cedric this afternoon that I know he's a better hitter than he's shown," Mackanin said. "But I think he's pressing. We just had to make a move to get something jump-started." Lough was among the final cuts when the Phillies headed north from Spring Training. Through six games and 25 at-bats for Lehigh Valley, he hit .280 with one double. He hit .256 with one home run, five RBIs and a team-high 10 walks in 55 plate appearances during Spring Training. "There wasn't much of a debate," Mackanin said. "We thought Lough was the best option right now." Lough posted a .555 OPS in 144 plate appearances last season with the Orioles. He has a .672 OPS in 741 career plate appearances. Lough hopes a more patient approach at the plate will help him produce with the Phillies. "In the past I've always been an aggressive hitter," Lough said. "I didn't draw a lot of walks. But this offseason, it's about being what type of hitter I am. It's getting on base, it's scoring a lot of runs, it's stealing bases, playing good defense. So I went into spring with a different mindset and approach at the plate. I obviously drew some walks and felt good at the plate in the spring, and it carried into the Triple-A season." Will Venable, whom the Phillies signed near the end of Spring Training, was thought to be another option, but Mackanin said he hasn't been hitting enough at Triple-A. Venable has three hits in 24 at-bats for Lehigh Valley. Prior to Monday's game, the Phillies also acquired Minor League outfielder Alfredo Marte from the Orioles for cash or a player to be named. Marte has played parts of three seasons in the Majors, most recently getting six at-bats for the Angels last season. In his career, the 27-year-old has a .532 OPS in 170 plate appearances. He had been playing for the Norfolk Tides, the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, to start 2016.

Where’s Radar Man? – There have been a handful of hot topics for Phillies fans the first couple weeks of the season. There is Vince Velasquez, the corner outfielders, the closer, the leadoff hitter and that guy behind home plate with the radar gun. Yeah, what happened to that guy? That guy is Phillies' advance scouting analyst Chris Cashman, and observant Phillies fans have noticed his absence this season and wondered why he is no longer sitting behind home plate at Citizens Bank Park. From 2008-15, Cashman sat behind home plate and used a radar gun and walkie talkie to relay pitch velocity and pitch types to the folks running Phanavision. They put his report on the scoreboard in right field, so fans could see how many times Ken Giles threw his fastball 100 mph. "A lot of people have been asking me where I went," Cashman said before Monday night's game against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, "but more people have been asking my family members. People my dad used to work with. My sister's friends and parents. It's pretty crazy how many people are concerned." Cashman, 30, is doing just fine. The Phillies simply figured Cashman could make better use of his time. Besides, everything is automated these days. "It was a good experience," Cashman said. "I read the scouting reports on the pitchers we were about to face, and then going down there and seeing them I formed my own opinions, but I also saw what the scouts were seeing. It definitely helped me learn the game and understand pitchers." The Phillies no longer employ an advance scout, but Cashman does the work of one. He puts together advance scouting reports based on video, subscription services and other in-house data. He spent Monday working on reports about the Brewers, who play the Phillies in a three-game series beginning Friday in Milwaukee. Cashman now spends his time during games at Citizens Bank Park sitting with the rest of the scouts a few rows further back. He said he still gets recognized from regulars in the Diamond Club and no wonder. From the time Cashman, an Archbishop Carroll and St. Joseph's grad, became a full-time Phillies employee in 2010, he said he missed just five games in six seasons. "I think I served my time down there," Cashman said with a laugh.

Today In Phils History – The history of the day begins in historic fashion for the Phillies who still hold the opening day record for combined runs scored in a game when they defeated the Boston Braves 19-17 in 1900. Another unique matchup occurred 56 years later when the Phillies lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first game ever played in New Jersey. Debuts have also played a big role including those of Phil Collins (long before his genesis days in 1929), Wayne LaMaster in 1937, and Emmett "Heinie" Mueller who hit a homerun in his first major league at bat in 1938. 10 years later, a pending major league debut was put in jeopardy as Richie Ashburn suffered a neck sprain in an exhibition game against Villanova. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and made his major league debut the next day. In recent history, on this day Vance Worley struck out 11 in the Phillies 12^th straight win over the Padres at Petco Park which, not surprisingly, remains the franchise record for consecutive wins at a visiting stadium.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 6-8 this season putting them on pace to meet most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 41-50-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Marvel Superheroes Prevail In Gotham

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

The Mets returned to Citi Field and they looked comfortable being at home as Captain America came through at the plate and Thor dropped the hammer from the mound. The once lopsided series now looks to be a race to the finish but the questions still remain as to whether the Mets offense can have another night like they did last night or if the experience, grittiness, and textbook execution by the Royals will resurface in game 4? Seems like someone will have a trick and the other will have a treat tonight!

Mets Romp Royals 9-3

The largest Mets crowd in Citi Field history, 44,781, was already frothing, enthused by a pregame procession of Billy Joel, Mike Piazza and all the pomp and circumstance this postseason-starved borough could muster. The Mets may have been trailing at the dawn of Game 3 of the World Series, but they weren't dead. All they needed on Friday night was a spark. Noah Syndergaard provided it with a high-and-tight fastball that knocked Royals leadoff man Alcides Escobar to the ground, and over the next 3 1/2 hours, the tone of the World Series transformed. Charged by David Wright's homer and four RBIs, the Mets rolled to a 9-3 win that sliced the Royals' lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic to 2-1. And Syndergaard, in teammate Michael Cuddyer's words, was the one who "woke everyone up." "Incredible … incredible," was how Wright described the atmosphere at Citi. "We knew what to expect coming into this based on playing here throughout the postseason, but this was at a different level. To be able to fight back the way that we did, we were relentless tonight. And it seemed like every time they had an answer, we had an answer right back. That's the type of baseball that got us here." Twenty-nine teams have won Game 3 after losing the first two, and 11 of them went on to win the World Series, giving the Mets plenty of hope heading into Game 4 here on Saturday, Halloween night. "We were so looking forward to coming back here," said Mets reliever Tyler Clippard, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. "We didn't feel the pressure. We came in here expecting to win and got it done." Wright set the tone early with a two-run homer off Royals starter Yordano Ventura, who also gave up a third-inning homer to Curtis Granderson. Ventura allowed five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Syndergaard outperformed Ventura, but not without resistance. The rookie appeared shaky after what he admitted was a game-opening purpose pitch to Escobar. Six of the seven hits he allowed came during the first and second innings, with Eric Hosmer and Alex Rios driving in runs, but Syndergaard found his stride in the third, reeling off a run of 12 consecutive outs before getting in and out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. "I was able to stay locked in for the entire game," Syndergaard said. The Mets iced the game with a four-run sixth inning against Kansas City relievers Franklin Morales and Kelvin Herrera, with Wright's two-run single capping the rally. The Royals then spent their postgame hours vowing the only type of revenge that matters. "We have to forget about this," Escobar said. "The plan in here is to win."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 2-1

Kansas City at New York

Game 4: Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Unique Way To Celebrate – On Tuesday, grand mascot arbiter "Good Morning America" surveyed MLB and named the Phillie Phanatic the best mascot in baseball in 2015. It was a well-deserved title, earned on the backs of countless souvenirs given and Darth Vaders trolled. But true champions never settle. They know that there's always a furry green alien or giant mustachioed brewer coming for their crown, and there's no time for resting on mascot laurels. So, just days after his coronation, the Phanatic was back at it, knowing he needed to go bigger than ever. Like, "31-foot-skyscraper" bigger. The stunt was for a good cause, too, raising funds for the Outward Bound School. And while Sixers mascot Franklin may have made it down first, he also doesn't have a hot dog cannon, so we all know who's really the winner here. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Would We Have The Same Matchup Had One Move Not Happened?

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

There have been a couple interesting article posted on MLB.com lately about the top 5 moves that lead the Royals and Mets, respectively, to the World Series. Below are those lists:

Mets:

1. The R.A. Dickey trade – After Dickey won the 2012 NL Cy Young Award, the Mets, knowing that they had pitching depth in their organization, smartly decided to trade the ace at his peak value rather than sign him to an extension. They found a buyer in the Blue Jays, and in return, they extracted two potential premium players from them. At 23 years old, Noah Syndergaard has been as impressive as any rookie starting pitcher, leading all first-year starters with 166 strikeouts while posting a 3.24 ERA. Meanwhile, catcher Travis d'Arnaud is finally healthy after dealing with a variety of ailments, and put up a .268/.355/.487 line over 268 plate appearances. That slugging percentage would have led all catchers had he qualified. Both guys are key pieces for the Mets this season and years to come.
2. Re-signing David Wright – When Wright was a year away from free agency following the 2012 season, he and the organization both had to take a leap of faith. The front office had to decide on whether it should invest $138 million over eight years to arguably the best position player in franchise history. Conversely, Wright had to decide if this was the organization that was going to take the steps necessary to win. Wright believed in the plan, and the front office showed incredible discipline and decision-making in the Draft and internationally over the past several seasons (15 players on the roster are homegrown, the most of any playoff club). Wright isn't the player he once was, but he still posted an .814 OPS this year, is a consummate leader, and was integral in convincing the likes of Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer to buy in and sign with the club.
3. Signing Curtis Granderson – In a move to infuse more offense, the Mets signed Granderson to a four-year deal during the 2013 Winter Meetings. They hoped he would be a middle-of-the-order bat and run producer. But after a slow 2014 season, manager Terry Collins and new hitting coach Kevin Long felt his best place in the lineup this year was batting leadoff. After making a couple of mechanical adjustments under Long's observation, Granderson became one of the best leadoff men in the NL, leading the Mets with a .364 OBP. Granderson's productivity has gone under the radar in the postseason due to Daniel Murphy's torrid October, but he has set the table for the Mets, posting a .385 OBP while driving in seven runs and even stealing four bases in five attempts.
4. Trading Ike Davis – This was less about trading Davis and more about the fact that it opened up the door for Lucas Duda to take over as the everyday first baseman. It seems like an obvious move now, but when the 2014 season began it was unclear who the Mets would choose as their long-term answer at first. Davis, the Mets' first-round pick in the 2008 Draft, hit 32 homers in 2012, and was considered a better defender. The organization tried to keep both, playing Duda in the outfield (he played 100 games in 2012 and another 58 in '13), but as Davis' struggles continued beyond '13, the Mets decided it was time to cut ties with him and make Duda the full-time first baseman. He responded by hitting 30 home runs in '14 and another 27 this past year, with an impressive .838 OPS while playing solid defense.
5. Acquiring Yoenis Cespedes – OK, so there was one move from 2015 that had to be on this list. No player moved at the non-waiver Trade Deadline made a bigger impact for a team this year than Cespedes. His numbers as a Met are gaudy: In only 230 at bats, he hit 17 home runs, had 44 RBIs, a .942 OPS and a 157 OPS+, while playing mostly center field for the Mets (starting 39 of his 53 games in CF), a position that evaluators were convinced he was not comfortable playing anymore. Over the course of the summer, the Mets acquired two other veteran bats in Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, promoted rookie Michael Conforto from Double-A to the Majors, and welcomed Wright's return from a long disabled list stint, and all of those moves helped create a deeper and more dynamic lineup. But the Cespedes acquisition almost single-handedly allowed the Mets' offense to come alive, as it averaged more than five runs per game in the final two months of the regular season.

Royals:

1. The Zack Greinke trade – In December 2009, one year after he won the American League Cy Young Award, Greinke was traded along with Yuniesky Betancourt to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. Kansas City was coming off a 67-win season and desperately needed an influx of young talent. What's amazing is that this trade almost didn't happen. The Royals made a lot of progress on a trade with the Nationals, but Greinke made it clear he would not waive his no-trade clause to go there. At the time of the trade, it was unclear who the best piece was coming back to Kansas City, but general manager Dayton Moore took a chance on athletes, and in doing so he acquired Cain, the 2014 AL Championship Series MVP, Escobar, the 2015 ALCS MVP, as well as Odorizzi, who was used in the trade with the Rays that brought back Wade Davis and James Shields. That one trade laid the foundation for this great Royals team.
2. Hiring Dayton Moore – That Greinke trade wouldn't have happened without Moore at the helm. He was hired in 2006 to bring some of the scouting and player development acumen he picked up while working in the Braves' front office. With a philosophy built around relationships, loyalty and a team approach, Moore built one of the deepest farm systems in history, and then parlayed that into the juggernaut you see now. This is a team that can beat you with pitching depth, defense, speed, contact hitting and even power. It does not have a glaring weakness, and Moore is the man responsible for putting this group together.
3. Drafting Alex Gordon – If you're going to pick in the top five of the Draft, you have to make it count, and the Royals had an impressive run of top-three picks that began with Gordon, the No. 2 overall pick in 2005. In the subsequent three years, they drafted Luke Hochevar No. 1 overall in 2006, Mike Moustakas No. 2 overall in 2007 and Eric Hosmer No. 3 in 2008. And one common thread among all of these guys is that none of them was an instant sensation. Kansas City had the patience to stick with these guys as they struggled in the Minor Leagues and early on in the Majors. Gordon had to switch from third base to left field, Hochevar moved from the rotation to the bullpen, Moustakas struggled to hit lefties and Hosmer dealt with vision issues in the low Minors. Many in the game doubted that these guys would pan out, but the only people who didn't waver were the folks who were developing them and the front office who drafted them. Their patience has been rewarded.
4. The Salvador Perez extension – In today's game, every organization needs a productive Latin American program, one that consistently adds impactful talent to the organization. No player represents the Royals' Latin American program better than Perez, who they signed out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old for $65,000 in 2006. After a solid debut in 2011, hitting .331 in 39 games, Kansas City gave Perez a five-year, $7 million extension with three club options that might be the best bargain in baseball. Other products of that Latin American pipeline are Yordano Ventura and Kelvin Herrera, both signed out of the Dominican Republic. Like Perez, Ventura was signed for a bargain bonus ($28,000), and he also received a club-friendly contract after his rookie campaign. He signed a five-year, $23 million deal before last season that includes club options for 2020-21.
5. Hiring Ned Yost – Yost was hired in 2010 to replace Trey Hillman, and he spent the next four years slowly nurturing a young core of players. His patience, belief and humility eventually showed itself in 2014, and again this season. With Yost and Moore paired together, the Royals have an outstanding combination that has been able to adapt consistently to the ever-changing challenges of the game. As you can see, Kansas City is a complete organization where each area of the baseball-operations department impacts its current roster. It is an organization that is blessed with continuity, and it is led by humble quality people who truly understand what an organization should represent.

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

New York at Kansas City

Game 1: Tuesday, October 27, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Plenty of rumors floating around but no news yet!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Phillies Overpowered By Mets’ Onslaught

GAME RECAP: Mets Crush Phillies 16-7

No deficit is too large for the new-look Mets to overcome. No offensive benchmarks are too ostentatious. David Wright homered in his first game since April and wound up being a footnote in the Mets' 16-7 win over the Phillies on Monday, which featured a franchise record eight home runs and 15 extra-base hits at Citizens Bank Park. Wright, who had not played since April 14 due to a career-threatening spinal condition, homered off Adam Morgan on his first swing back from the disabled list. That sparked a torrent of offense from a Mets team that has scored in clumps throughout its three-city road trip, using two Wilmer Flores homers and a half-dozen others to pick up Jacob deGrom after his worst start of the season. "It's incredible to be a part of," Wright said. "We just know that we're going to win the game. That's the type of confidence that you can't tell somebody to have, that you can't force upon somebody. You just have to get good at winning. And this team is getting good at winning." The Mets spared no Phillies pitcher, plating five of their runs off Morgan, four off Hector Nevis, another five off Justin De Fratus and two off Adam Loewen. It all made a distant memory of Philadelphia's early offensive outburst, which Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown highlighted with three-run homers off deGrom. "You should win most games like this," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Very disappointing, but I want to put it behind us. It's one game. It's a loss. You knock out a guy like deGrom, one of the best pitchers in the league … I'd just like to talk about that. I don't want to talk about the bad." Had Sean Gilmartin not delivered 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief of deGrom, the Mets may have been in a quandary despite all the offense. Instead, the Rule 5 pick's performance allowed them to coast through the middle innings without burning anyone else in their bullpen.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Howard hit a three-run homer to left in the first, Cameron Rupp crushed a solo homer into the visitors' bullpen in the second and Brown hit a three-run homer to right in the third to hand the Phillies a 7-2 lead. That should be enough to win most nights, but it was not nearly enough on this one. "It was crazy," Brown said of the 11 combined homers. "The ball was jumping for sure. It was hot, humid. Especially in this ballpark the ball is going to fly. A crazy night for sure. You're up 7-2 and lose a tough one."
• Phillies pitchers had not suffered a nightmare like this since a 19-3 loss to the Orioles on June 16 in Baltimore, where they allowed eight home runs. Jeff Francoeur pitched the final two innings that night as the Phillies fell one homer short of tying the franchise record of nine homers allowed in a game, which happened against the Reds on Sept. 4, 1999. On Monday night, Morgan allowed four homers, Neris allowed two, De Fratus allowed one and Loewen allowed one. "It doesn't make me feel any better," said Morgan, asked about every other pitcher giving up home runs, including deGrom. "Seeing other guys do poorly shouldn't make anybody feel better."
• One of the night's other bizarre moments occurred in the bottom of the first inning, when deGrom issued a five-pitch walk to Cesar Hernandez. He, Hernandez and home-plate umpire Tom Hallion all seemed to lose track of the count, shortly after Hallion ruled that Hernandez's dribbler down the first-base line was a foul ball off his foot. Replays indicated that the ball appeared to be fair, but the Mets could not challenge.
• "The best thing to do is own up to it. It was embarrassing. It's not what we wanted to see, but put it behind us and move on." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies allowing eight home runs.
• The 11 combined homers tied a National League single-game record, one shy of the big league record of 12.
• The Phillies set a franchise record by allowing 15 extra-base hits, breaking the previous mark of 13 allowed on June 8, 2004, at the White Sox.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams believed he had turned a corner following his first three starts in August, in which he posted a 1.50 ERA. But then Williams allowed eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings Thursday against the Marlins to drop him to 4-9 with a 6.10 ERA. Noah Syndergaard will look to win his first career road game when the Mets resume their series with the Phillies at 7:05 p.m. ET Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Syndergaard is 7-1 with a 1.82 ERA at Citi Field this season, but 0-5 with a 5.05 ERA on the road.

PHILS PHACTS:

Not Adding Up – The Phillies accomplished something pretty remarkable in the past 18 days. They scored seven runs in the first three innings against Dodgers ace Zack Greinke on Aug. 6. Greinke entered the game with a 1.41 ERA, nearly three-quarters of a run better than any pitcher in Major League Baseball. The Phillies then scored seven runs in 2 2/3 innings Monday night against Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, who entered the night with a 1.98 ERA, which was second in baseball only to Greinke. But two dominant offensive performances against two of the best pitchers in baseball is not the remarkable part. The remarkable part is the Phillies lost both games. They lost to the Dodgers on Aug. 6, 10-8. They lost Monday night to the Mets, 16-7, as the Phillies and Mets tied a National League record with a combined 11 home runs. "It's tough," Phillies right-hander Justin De Fratus said. "We did that to Greinke. We did that to deGrom, two of the best pitchers in the National League, if not all of baseball." De Fratus exhaled before he continued his thought. "Everybody knows you've got to shut it down," he said. "We know we've got to put zeros up there, especially when we're putting up so many runs against such quality pitchers. We had them by the throat and just couldn't keep the ball in the yard. That's the biggest thing right there. Like I said, the same thing happened with Greinke. It's definitely frustrating for all of us. It's just been a frustrating year on all accounts." Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin had little to say about the pitching other than the obvious. "The pitchers who pitched tonight are more disappointed than anybody," Mackanin said. "They feel terrible. It had to break some kind of record." Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan had the best start of his career last week against the high-powered Blue Jays, but the Mets knocked him out after just 3 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs and four home runs. Hector Neris allowed four runs and two home runs in 1 1/3 innings. De Fratus allowed five runs and one home run in two innings. Adam Loewen allowed two runs and one home run in two innings. It wasted a great offensive performance from the Phillies. Ryan Howard ripped a three-run home run to left field in the first inning. Cameron Rupp crushed a solo home into the visitors' bullpen in center field in the second. Domonic Brown hit a three-run home run over the right-field wall in the third. The three homers handed the Phillies a 7-2 lead and shortly thereafter they knocked deGrom from the game in the shortest and worst start of his career. But the Mets began their assault in the fourth with a pair of homers. "It doesn't make me feel any better," said Morgan, when asked about every other pitcher giving up home runs, including deGrom. "Seeing other guys do poorly shouldn't make anybody feel better."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 50-75. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 52-63-0 on this day.