Mets 6, Phillies 5
PHILADELPHIA -- Pinch hitter Michael Cuddyer snapped a tie with a two-run single in a three-run sixth inning, and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 Tuesday night.
Center fielder Yoenis Cespedes homered, and rookie right-hander Noah Syndergaard (8-6) earned his first road victory of the season for the Mets, who have won five straight and 17 of 23. They maintained a 5 1/2-game lead in the National League East over the Washington Nationals, who defeated the San Diego Padres 8-3.
Shortstop Freddy Galvis and first baseman Ryan Howard hit two-run homers for the Phillies, who dropped their seventh straight to the Mets and their 11th in their past 12 games against New York.
Philadelphia led 4-3 entering the sixth, but first baseman Daniel Murphy drew a leadoff walk from Jerome Williams (4-10). One out later, second baseman Kelly Johnson singled, with Murphy advancing to third.
Jeanmar Gomez relieved Williams and retired the first hitter he faced, shortstop Wilmer Flores, but left fielder Michael Conforto walked to load the bases. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud then walked after an eight-pitch at-bat to force in the tying run, despite being in a 1-2 hole at one point.
Cuddyer, batting for Syndergaard, then blooped an 0-2 fastball from Gomez into center field, bringing home two runs and giving the Mets a 6-4 cushion.
The Phillies cut it to 6-5 on a run-scoring groundout by catcher Carlos Ruiz in the bottom of the sixth, and they had two men aboard in the eighth. Jeurys Familia retired Ruiz to end the latter threat, and he set down the side in order in the ninth to earn his 34th save.
In all, Mets pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts.
Syndergaard, 0-5 with a 5.05 ERA in nine previous road starts, pitched five innings and allowed four runs (two earned) and four hits while striking out nine and walking two.
Williams went 5 1/3 innings and yielded five runs (four earned) and five hits while striking out five and walking two.
One night after the Mets hit a club-record eight home runs, Cespedes lined Williams' eighth pitch of the game into the Phillies' bullpen in center field. The homer, Cespedes' seventh since coming to New York in a July 31 trade from Detroit, came after right fielder Curtis Granderson reached on an error, and gave New York a quick 2-0 lead.
The Mets added a run in the second on Syndergaard's RBI double, but Galvis and Howard hit their two-run homers in the third, putting Philadelphia on top 4-3. Howard's homer, his 21st of the season, came with two outs and followed an error by Johnson on a grounder off the bat of Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera.
Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa was ejected in the sixth inning after complaining that Mets right-hander Hansel Robles quick-pitched pinch hitter Darin Ruf.
NOTES: The first seven hitters in the Mets' lineup homered in Monday's 16-7 victory over Philadelphia, something no major league team had done before, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin mentioned the possibility that his team will use a six-man rotation in September, in order to limit the number of innings worked by young pitchers such as RHP Aaron Nola. It is, however, far from a certainty. "There's a lot of things that we've discussed," Mackanin said. ... Mackanin also said it has been "a disappointing year" for RHP Justin DeFratus, owner of a 5.93 ERA. "Numbers count," Mackanin said. "It doesn't mean he's out of the picture (going forward). It just means we have a decision to make."