Sep 7, 2008 5:53 pm US/Eastern
Moyer Leads Phillies Over Mets, 6-2
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Jamie Moyer shut down the slumping New York Mets on two
singles that didn't leave the infield, Greg Dobbs hit a three-run homer off
Pedro Martinez, and the Philadelphia Phillies trimmed their NL East deficit to
one game with a 6-2 victory in the opener of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.
Facing the first-place
Mets for the sixth time this season, the 45-year-old Moyer allowed only a
surprise bunt single by Robinson Cancel and an infield hit by Damion Easley
over seven shutout innings.
New York was scoreless for 16 innings in the
series before breaking through for two runs in the eighth against Scott Eyre,
but it came too late.
Looking to leave town
tied for first place, the Phillies send Cole Hamels to the mound in the
nightcap. Johan Santana gets the ball for the Mets in a pressure-packed matchup
of left-handed aces.
Philadelphia swept a three-game series at
Shea Stadium last September, beginning its big comeback to overtake the
collapsing Mets and win the division title.
The onus is on Santana,
acquired from Minnesota
last offseason and signed to a $137.5 million, six-year contract, to prevent another
costly sweep against the Phillies.
After Brett Myers
pitched Philadelphia
to a 3-0 victory Friday night, Moyer (13-7) also was on top of his game when
his team needed it.
Using his typical array
of soft stuff and dashing out to the mound for warmup pitches even before the
Mets lumbered off the field, he walked three and outpitched an ineffective Martinez (5-4) in the
makeup of Saturday's rainout.
Philadelphia improved to 7-10 against the
Mets this season. The Phillies won the final eight matchups last year.
Moyer's 243rd
win tied him with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for 50th on the career
list. The lefty is 6-1 with a 2.97 ERA in his past 12 starts. Now 2-1 against
the Mets this year, he has pitched at least six innings in 19 of his 20 career
starts versus New York.
Martinez lasted only four innings, giving up
six runs and seven hits. He felt stiffness during his previous start, a win at Florida, and returned to New York
to work out while the Mets completed a 6-2 road trip with a three-game sweep in
Milwaukee.
The 36-year-old
right-hander entered 2-0 in five starts since losing 4-2 to San Diego on Aug. 6.
Martinez walked Jayson Werth on four pitches
in the second and Dobbs doubled over the head of right fielder Fernando Tatis.
After Matt Stairs' sacrifice fly, Martinez
made a key mistake. With first base open and the pitcher on deck, the
three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up a two-out RBI single to Carlos Ruiz,
who had three hits.
Ryan Howard doubled
leading off the fourth and went to third on Werth's single before Dobbs drove
an 0-1 pitch to right for his eighth homer. He also had a two-run shot in the
series opener and is 9-for-25 (.360) with three home runs and eight RBIs
against the Mets this year.
Ruiz doubled and scored
on Jimmy Rollins' pop-fly double that dropped between shortstop Jose Reyes and
left fielder Nick Evans as they struggled to track it in the sun.
Moyer and Martinez both
were touched up when they squared off Aug. 26 in Philadelphia, a game the Phillies won 8-7 in
13 innings after rallying from a seven-run deficit.
Notes:@ Mets closer Billy Wagner (elbow) was slated for
another bullpen session Sunday. If all goes well and he's cleared by doctors
afterward, he'll probably face hitters in a simulated game sometime in the next
few days. Then, he could be activated from the disabled list this week. "I feel
like I'm as good as I'm going to get," Wagner said. "It's really not about what
I feel comfortable with, it's what they feel comfortable with." ... The
Phillies designated LHP R.J. Swindle for assignment to make room on the 40-man
roster for reserve INF Tadahito Iguchi, who was signed on Friday. ... Moyer
improved to 8-4 lifetime against the Mets. ... It was Philadelphia's first doubleheader since
getting swept at home by the Mets on June 29, 2007. The last time the teams
played a twinbill at Shea Stadium, the Phillies won both games on Sept. 28, 1992.
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