Phils over Mets 6-5 in 14 innings

ByROB MAADDI AP logo
Saturday, May 31, 2014

PHILADELPHIA -- Reid Brignac's first start for the Philadelphia Phillies ended with him being mobbed by his teammates.

Brignac's RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning gave the Phillies a 6-5 win over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Domonic Brown hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Phillies, who snapped the Mets' six-game winning streak at Citizens Bank Park, dating to last season.

Marlon Byrd reached second when right fielder Chris Young dropped his fly ball for an error leading off the 14th. Carlos Ruiz followed with a single to center off Jenrry Mejia (4-2) that sent Byrd to third. After pinch-hitter Cesar Hernandez was intentionally walked, Brignac drove an opposite-field shot that one-hopped the wall in left.

Brignac rounded first base and kept running into shallow right field before he was swarmed by teammates.

"I was just messing around, trying to make them catch me," Brignac said. "It felt great coming through."

Brignac started at third base for Cody Asche, who is on the disabled list. Hernandez had played third since Asche got hurt.

"That was a big swing," manager Ryne Sandberg said.

Young refused to blame the wind for his error, even though it was blowing in hard by the end of the game.

"I was looking dead at it when it was coming down," Young said. "I can't explain it. I have no idea how I dropped a routine fly ball, but it happened."

Justin De Fratus (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win. Phillies starter A.J. Burnett had a season-high 11 strikeouts, but allowed five runs and five hits in seven innings. He had to pitch out of trouble often because of six walks.

"I'm missing here and there, but six is a lot," Burnett said. "I have some work to do."

Mets rookie Rafael Montero lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing four runs - three earned - and seven hits in the shortest of his four career starts. Coming off a 10-strikeout performance last Sunday against Arizona, Montero didn't fan any of Philadelphia's strikeout-prone batters. The Phillies struck out 15 times in a 4-1 loss to the Mets on Thursday night.

Bobby Abreu hit a two-run double to give the Mets a 5-4 lead in the fifth after David Wright and Curtis Granderson struck out with two runners on.

But the Phillies answered in the bottom half against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Byrd walked, went to third on Ruiz's double and scored on Brown's groundout to tie it at 5.

Byrd walked to start Philadelphia's fourth and Ruiz singled. Brown then hit a high drive out to right to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Brown, an NL All-Star last year, was hitting .199 before connecting for his fourth homer this season. Brown hit 12 of his team-high 27 homers last May.

Burnett helped himself with a leadoff single in the third. He went to third base when Abreu booted Jimmy Rollins' single to right for an error. Chase Utley followed with an RBI groundout to cut it to 3-1.

The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the second on Lucas Duda's RBI double, Travis d'Arnaud's RBI groundout and Ruben Tejada's RBI single.

NOTES: Abreu stole second base in the eighth for his 400th career steal. The call was upheld after a video review. ... Rollins had two hits, moving within 12 of passing Mike Schmidt for first on the Phillies' career list. ... The Mets are playing five consecutive days in the same city on the road for the first time. ... Granderson was 0 for 3 with a walk. He is in an 0-for-19 slump. ... Burnett has walked five or more batters in four of his 12 starts. He had double-digit strikeouts for the 33rd time in his career. ... RHP Jacob deGrom (0-2, 1.83 ERA) pitches for the Mets on Saturday against Kyle Kendrick (1-5, 4.04). deGrom struck out as a pinch-hitter in the 14th.