Philadelphia, PA – Cliff Lee turned in another solid performance by lasting 8 2/3 innings, and the Philadelphia Phillies took an 8-3 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Coming in, Philadelphia's starting rotation was pitching to a 7.68 earned run average, but Lee (2-0) showed consistency for the second straight start. He allowed just three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits, didn't walk a batter and had six strikeouts.
The Phillies also got a productive day out of newcomer Michael Young, who fell a double shy of the cycle while knocking in two runs. Ryan Howard also hit his first homer of the season as did John Mayberry, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
"We go out and play like that, we feel like the results are going to be right there," said Young, who just nearly missed hitting for the cycle. "There's just too much talent up and down our lineup."
Dillon Gee (0-2) had the shortest outing of his career, lasting just three innings. He was torched for seven runs on 10 hits for the Mets, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
John Buck went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and Jordany Valdespin added a triple and a run scored in the setback.
The Mets had won nine of their past 11 games in Philadelphia, but it's never been an easy place to pitch for Gee, who had a 1-1 record with a 9.00 ERA in four past appearances.
To say the least, the Phillies got a hold of him early.
They plated four runs in the second inning, all coming after a throwing error by Mets left fielder Lucas Duda. The miscue put runners on second and third and Mayberry sent them home with a double down the left-field line.
Two batters later, Lee helped his own cause with an RBI single up the middle. Gee gave up six hits in the inning, and a third in a row when Jimmy Rollins' double to right-center made it 4-0 in favor of Philadelphia.
"That one inning, it seemed like everything they hit fell in," said Gee.
The Phillies continued to pound Gee in the third, as Howard and Young began the frame with back-to-back homers. Two batters later, Mayberry ripped a solo shot into the left-field stands for a seven-run lead.
Buck put the Mets on the board in the fourth with a two-run homer, and leads the National League in RBI to this point with 14.
Valdespin tripled and scored on a passed ball in the fifth, but Young produced a run-scoring triple in the bottom half of the inning and the Mets remained behind by five, 8-3.
Lee then settled in, retiring 11 batters in a row before giving up a pair of singles in the ninth. Manager Charlie Manuel decided to replace him with Mike Adams, who struck out Ruben Tejada to end the game.
Game Notes
Lee is 2-0 for the first time since his AL Cy Young Award-winning season with the Cleveland Indians in 2008 ... The Mets have hit a home run in each of their first eight games, tying the 1987 team for the longest such streak to start a season ... Philadelphia was 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position ... The teams will wrap up their three-game set on Wednesday. New York's Jeremy Hefner will counter Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick on the mound.
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