Mets, deGrom snap Phillies' two-game win streak

NEW YORK – Throughout his four-year career, New York Mets righthander Jacob deGrom has been a force against the Phillies.

DeGrom continued his trend by allowing one run on three hits over seven innings in Friday's 2-1 win over the Phillies at Citi Field.

DeGrom is 5-0 with a 2.34 ERA in nine career starts against the Phillies. With 12 strikeouts and just one walk on Friday, he has struck out 59 and walked just 12 in those nine games.

"He keeps the ball down and works the outside corner well against lefties, and the slider was a good pitch for him," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis said.

The Phillies first five hitters — Odubel Herrera, Galvis, Aaron Altherr, Tommy Joseph and Maikel Franco — were a combined 0 for 19.

Coming off a two-game sweep in Seattle, the Phillies didn't fare much better than other deGrom opponents this season, especially lately. In his last four starts, including Friday, he is 4-0 with 0.84 ERA, 31 strikeouts and eight walks.

One of the Phillies highlights was the first career hit in his initial big league game from left fielder Nick Williams. He was called up from Lehigh Valley to replace Howie Kendrick, now on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Williams hit a two-out single up the middle against deGrom in the seventh inning.

"It felt great, especially the first game and facing deGrom for the third time, it felt good,," Williams said.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Curtis Granderson's infield RBI single. In the fourth, Jose Reyes hit a one-out triple to center and scored on an RBI single by Travis d'Arnaud.

During their two-game sweep in Seattle, the Phillies bats came to life and scored 13 runs. They needed a break to score their single run against the Mets.

In the fifth inning, Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp hit a two-out triple to center that Granderson would likely have caught had he not lost the ball in the lights. Second baseman Ty Kelly, a former Met, then hit an opposite field RBI single to left, with the pitcher Ben Lively on deck. Lively struck out looking to end the inning.

The Phillies starter, Lively allowed the two runs in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed five hits, struck out two and walked four.

All four walks came in the first two innings, and then Lively settled down.

"I felt like I was delivering the ball fine, and it kept getting away from me, and then it kind of clicked," Lively said.

All game it clicked for deGrom.

"He's a good pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He threw more breaking balls than I recall in the past."

Of all his statistics, the one that stands out for deGrom is that, in his nine career starts against the Phillies, the Mets are 9-0.

For the Phillies the margin of error is so slight. They are 11-20 in one-run games this season, 3-13 in such games on the road.