Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Marlon Byrd doubled home Chase Utley with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning and the Philadelphia Phillies posted a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Utley stroked a one-out double off Carlos Torres (2-2) and scored on Byrd's extra-base hit to right field after Ryan Howard was intentionally walked.
"It was just one of those things where I was hoping to get a cutter I could do something with and put it in the right spot," Byrd said.
Jonathan Papelbon retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the 11th to earn his 10th save. Rookie Mario Hollands (1-1) recorded his first major league win after pitching the 10th.
Domonic Brown had a pair of RBI singles as the Phillies claimed the opener of this three-game series at Citi Field. They were coming off a four-game, home- and-home set in which they were swept by Toronto.
New York, down 2-1, tied the game in the eighth when Daniel Murphy drew a two- out walk against Antonio Bastardo and scored on a David Wright double.
Curtis Granderson knocked in the other run for the Mets, who suffered a season-high fourth straight loss and have dropped seven of their last eight games overall.
Looking at the final score, it's hard to believe how much traffic was on the bases. Philadelphia and New York combined for 32 men left on base in the game, which lasted 4 hours and 39 minutes.
The Phillies batted 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 17, while the Mets finished 1-for-11 in such situations.
"We just haven't, as of late, been able to get that big one that cracks it open," Wright said.
Both starters contributed to clogging the bases, but runs were scarce.
Roberto Hernandez gave up a run on six hits, walked three and struck out four in five innings for Philadelphia. The two singles by Brown were among the six hits off New York's Jenrry Mejia, who matched Hernandez's walk and strikeout total while tossing 4 2/3 innings.
After being shut out over the last 23 innings of the previous series against Miami, the Mets ended the scoring drought in their first at-bat.
Granderson followed consecutive one-out singles by Murphy and Wright with a double to right field.
New York wound up stranding the bases loaded, then did so again in the second.
Mejia fanned Jimmy Rollins to sidestep a bases-loaded jam in the second, but the Phillies tied the game with a third-inning run. Utley ripped a leadoff double and scored on Brown's soft liner to left field.
The tandem of Utley and Brown produced the go-ahead run in the fifth. Utley was hit by a pitch leading off the frame and stole second base with two outs before Brown singled to left again.
Hernandez escaped a second and third, no-out jam in the bottom of the inning with a pair of strikeouts and slow roller fielded by third baseman Cody Asche.
Game Notes
Howard extended his hitting streak against the Mets to 10 games with a first- inning single ... The Phillies snapped a five-game losing streak to the Mets ... The Phillies selected the contract of infielder Reid Brignac from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. He took the roster spot of Freddy Galvis, who was optioned to Philadelphia's top minor league club after Thursday's game.
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