Mets Launch Seven Home Runs In Blowout Win Over Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes hit three of New York's seven homers to back Matt Harvey, and the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 14-4 Tuesday night.
Harvey (2-0) left with tightness in his left hamstring after allowing two runs and five hits and striking out six in 5 2/3 innings.
Phillies starter Clay Buchholz (0-1) also exited because of an injury, a strained right forearm. He gave up six runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Lucas Duda hit two homers and Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis d'Arnaud also went deep for New York, which has 46 homers in its last 21 games at Citizens Bank Park.
Cespedes fell down on a wild swing on the first pitch he saw, then hit a three-run homer to straightaway center field off Buchholz in the first inning. He connected to deep left in the fourth off Adam Morgan and drove another one way out to left in the fifth against Morgan.
Cespedes hit three homers once before, at Colorado on Aug. 21, 2015. He's the first Mets player to do it twice. He hit a double and grounder in his last two at-bats.
The Mets entered with a .192 team batting average and eight homers in seven games. Every starter except Harvey had a hit, and they finished with 20.
Duda blasted one 448 feet over the towering, ivy-covered brick wall in center off Morgan. Cabrera, Duda and Cespedes each had four hits. Cabrera fell a triple shy of the cycle.
Maikel Franco hit his first homer for the Phillies in the second.
Harvey tweaked his leg covering first base on a grounder. He missed the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and made only 17 starts last year before surgery to relieve symptoms from thoracic outlet syndrome.
LINEUP CHANGES
Jose Reyes was dropped from the leadoff spot to seventh after starting 1 for 27. He went 1 for 6 with a double. Curtis Granderson led off and was 1 for 4 with three strikeouts and two walks.
STREAKING
Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera has a hit in all eight games.
BAT FLIP ETIQUETTE
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin isn't a fan of players flipping their bat after hitting homers.
"Fans might like to see it, but for me, it's just unprofessional," he said.
Tempers flared Monday night when Phillies reliever Edubray Ramos threw a 96 mph fastball over Cabrera's head — perhaps a purpose pitch for Cabrera's two-handed bat flip after hitting a game-ending homer against Ramos last Sept. 22 while the Mets were chasing a playoff berth.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Zach Wheeler (0-1, 11.25 ERA) makes his second start of the season in the series finale Wednesday night. He's 2-1, 2.97 in five starts against Philadelphia.
Phillies: RHP Vince Velasquez (0-1, 9.00) gets his second start. He's 1-1, 1.76 in three starts vs. the Mets.
