Mets blast 4 HRs, 1 by Syndergaard, to sweep Phils
NEW YORK -- The Mets' bats may be starting to warm up. New York blasted four home runs Wednesday, including two from Lucas Duda and one from rookie starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to complete a three-game sweep of the Phillies with a 7-0 win at Citi Field.
Syndergaard showed all of the potential that made him the Mets' No.1 prospect. On the mound, Syndergaard tossed 7 1/3 shutout innings and struck out six. At the plate, he tied a franchise record for pitchers with three hits, including the first homer by a Mets pitcher in almost three years. The Mets banged 11 hits and seven runs off Phillies starter Sean O'Sullivan, who fell to 1-4. Syndergaard improved to 2-2, lowering his ERA to 2.55 through four starts.
Video: PHI@NYM: Syndergaard dominates on mound and at plate
"When you go and have the stuff he's got and throw the ball around the plate, you're going to get a lot of outs," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "His two-seamer today -- he just learned it last week, and he got ground ball after ground ball with it."
The Phillies limp back to Philadelphia, closing out a 10-game road trip with seven losses in their last nine games.
"Yeah, it was really bad," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis said. "We were playing really good. We had some tough games, like the [5-4 loss in 10 innings Tuesday]. But we're getting better, man. I think we're getting better. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll have a nice day off and come back."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Syndergaard's shot: With one out in the fourth, Syndergaard launched a solo homer to deep center field off O'Sullivan for his first career big fly. Syndergaard also singled twice, making him the first pitcher with three hits and a homer in the same game since Randy Wolf in 2009. No Mets pitcher had homered in a game since Jeremy Hefner on May 29, 2012. More >
Video: Must C Crushed: Syndergaard hammers first home run
"He's 6-foot-7, 245 [pounds]," Collins said. "We expect him to be able to hit it that far."
Cuddyer coming around: Michael Cuddyer's two-run dinger in the third came courtesy of a hanging O'Sullivan slider, and it landed in the second deck in left field to put the Mets up, 4-0. Cuddyer has now homered in two of his past three games and hit in 10 of 12, a span over which he's batting .341.
Video: PHI@NYM: Cuddyer rips a two-run shot to extend lead
Duda double dips: The Mets' first baseman smacked two solo shots, one in the first and another in the fourth, to give him his second multihomer game in a week and the eighth of his career. More >
Video: PHI@NYM: Duda rips two solo homers at Citi Field
Good times end for O'Sullivan: O'Sullivan had been on a little roll entering Wednesday's start. He had allowed two or fewer runs in six or more innings in consecutive starts for the first time since April 2011, when he pitched for the Royals. But the seven runs Wednesday were the most he had allowed since he allowed seven in 2 2/3 innings on June 2, 2011.
Video: PHI@NYM: O'Sullivan fans Muno to end the frame
"Everything felt real flat from the get-go," O'Sullivan said. "I knew it was going to be one of those days when I'd have to grind out at-bats. Our bullpen has been pretty taxed lately, so I kind of had to bite the bullet."
QUOTABLE
"We had guys on the bench saying, 'I can't hit the ball that far.'"
-- Collins, on Syndergaard's homer
"They have the possibility of seven starters over there with [Zack] Wheeler and [Dillon] Gee. They throw arms at you from the start. No doubt about it."
-- Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, on the daunting task of facing the Mets' rotation
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Syndergaard's home run went a projected distance of 427 feet, as tracked by Statcast™, making it the longest home run in the Majors by a pitcher since Carlos Zambrano launched a 431-foot shot on June 30, 2012, at Philadelphia.
The Phillies had just three extra-base hits in the series: two doubles and one triple. The Mets had nine, including seven home runs.
Video: PHI@NYM: Blanco doubles to right field in the 9th
NEW ROLE FOR DIEKMAN?
Sandberg said he chose rookie left-hander Elvis Araujo to pitch in a high-leverage situation over left-hander Jake Diekman on Tuesday because Diekman was the Phillies' long man. Sandberg used Diekman in a mop-up situation Wednesday, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings. Diekman (7.00 ERA in 21 appearances) allowed one hit and struck out two. It was the third time in his last seven appearances he had not allowed a run.
WHAT'S NEXT
Phillies: The Phillies do not play Thursday, but they return to action Friday night against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park at 7:05 ET. It is the Phillies' first game at home since May 17, and fans will get a chance to see Cole Hamels on the mound. He is 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA in his last seven starts.
Mets: The Mets also have off Thursday before beginning a three-game home series vs. the Marlins on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Matt Harvey takes the mound looking to rebound from the worst start of his career. He allowed seven runs in four innings last time out, but still sports a 2.91 ERA.
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