Phillies 3, Mets 2
Shane Victorino belted a solo homer and drove in two runs and Joe Blanton tossed seven strong innings as the Philadelphia Phillies posted their 11th straight win with a 3-2 triumph over the New York Mets on Friday.
Carlos Ruiz ripped an RBI single and Placido Polanco had two hits as Philadelphia (93-61) improved to 19-3 in the month of September.
With Friday's victory, Philadelphia reduced its magic number to clinching its fourth consecutive NL East title to two games. The second-place Atlanta Braves dropped an 8-3 decision to the Washington Nationals on Friday evening.
Blanton (8-6) secured his fifth straight victorious decision in this one. The 29-year-old right-hander, who hasn't lost July 21, allowed two runs and six hits and struck out six to pick up the win.
Ryan Madson fanned two in a scoreless eighth inning and Brad Lidge stranded a runner at third base for his 27th save of the season.
Angel Pagan belted a two-run homer and Ike Davis had three hits for New York (74-79), which dropped its sixth in a row.
R.A. Dickey (11-8) permitted three runs and eight hits in six innings to take the loss.