Flushing, NY – David Wright homered and knocked in four runs, including the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field.
Scott Hairston also hit a home run for New York, which won for the sixth time in eight games.
Bobby Parnell (2-1) tossed a perfect top of the ninth to earn the win in relief of starter R.A. Dickey, who allowed five rune on a career-high tying 11 hits and a walk over seven innings. Dickey also struck out seven and stretched his unbeaten streak to 14 straight starts.
"It's kind of been our mantra from the beginning," Dickey said about the Mets battling to the last out. "We're going to fight you, we're not going to give up. We're not going to lay down."
Jonathan Papelbon (2-3) gave up a pair of runs on three hits and a walk in his second blown save of the season for the Phillies, who have dropped seven of their last eight.
Cole Hamels surrendered four runs on seven hits and a walk in a seven-inning start, while Jimmy Rollins had three hits, two RBI and a run scored in defeat.
Wright's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave New York its first lead of the game, but Philadelphia answered with two runs in the sixth to go back on top.
Hamels started the rally with a one-out single and rounded the bases on Rollins' triple into the right-field corner. Juan Pierre followed with a squeeze bunt to plate Rollins and give the Phillies a 5-4 advantage.
Philadelphia failed to add an insurance run in the eighth inning when Mike Fontenot was throw out at the plate by Hairston on Chase Utley's pinch-hit single to left field, and New York capitalized in the bottom of the ninth against Papelbon.
Ike Davis opened the frame with a double to left-center field and pinch-runner Ronny Cedeno quickly moved to third on Josh Thole's sacrifice bunt. Papelbon fanned Kirk Nieuwenhuis for the second out of the inning, but then hit Jordany Valdespin with a 3-2 pitch and walked Ruben Tejada to load the bases.
Daniel Murphy followed with a grounder up the middle that Papelbon kicked towards the first-base line with his left foot and then fell down as he fielded it and Cedeno crossed the plate to tie the game.
One pitch later, Wright blooped an inside fastball to shallow right field just in front of Hunter Pence, allowing Valdespin to cruise home for the deciding run.
"The way I look at it, this one's on me," said Papelbon. "This one's on my shoulders and when I take them on my shoulders, I take it pretty serious."
The Phillies took the early lead in their first at-bat after Pierre reached first on a fielder's choice, advanced to second when Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch and crossed the plate on Shane Victorino's two-out single to center field.
Philadelphia added to its lead in the second inning following Placido Polanco's leadoff single and Hamels' one-out bunt single. Rollins then pulled a double to right field to bring home Polanco and place runners on second and third, but Dickey induced a pair of infield fly outs by Pierre and Pence to end the inning and keep it a 2-0 game.
Hairston's leadoff blast over the left-center field wall in the home second got New York on the board.
After the Phillies squandered Ruiz's leadoff double in the third inning, the Mets tied the game in the bottom half of the frame when Dickey reached first on a base hit to left and came home on a pair of two-out singles by Murphy and Wright.
Hairston followed with a walk to load the bases, but Lucas Duda grounded out to first to end the inning and keep the score tied at two.
The tie was shortlived, however, as Fontenot opened the fourth with a base hit, moved to second on Rollins' bloop single to right and crossed the plate on Pence's grounder up the middle.
Game Notes
It was the first game in the majors this season that featured a pair of starting pitchers with double-digit wins...Pence extended his hit streak to 10 games...Dickey has not suffered a loss since April 18 against Atlanta, which is his lone loss of the season...Philadelphia hit 4 -for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base...The Mets went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven...Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who has been sidelined all season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, is likely to be activated off the disabled list Friday night.
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