NEW YORK — R.A. Dickey became the latest knuckleballer to
baffle the Philadelphia Phillies, shaking off an early line drive that
hit him on his non-pitching elbow to lead the New York Mets to an 8-0
victory Tuesday night.
Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur each drove in a pair of
runs in the opener of a three-game series between NL East rivals at Citi
Field, where the last-place Mets are 17-9. Jose Reyes had three
hits and scored three times.
Two days after 43-year-old Boston knuckler Tim Wakefield tossed
eight shutout innings to beat the powerful Phillies, Dickey shut them
down for his first major league win since April 10, 2009, for Minnesota
against the Chicago White Sox.
Called up from Triple-A Buffalo last Wednesday to replace an ineffective
Oliver Perez in New York's unstable and injury-depleted
rotation, Dickey (1-0) escaped three bases-loaded jams in the first
three innings.
The 35-year-old right-hander allowed seven singles in six innings and
struck out seven, matching his career high set June 2, 2004, for Texas
at Cleveland. He walked three.
Dickey was hit on the left elbow by Ryan Howard's line-drive
single to start the second. Mets manager Jerry Manuel and a
trainer came out to check on Dickey, who threw three warmup pitches and
remained in the game.
The next inning, the Mets announced that X-rays on Dickey's elbow were
negative and he would be monitored closely throughout the game for pain
and swelling.
After taking two of three from the crosstown rival Yankees last weekend
in an exciting Subway Series, the Mets played a crisp game on both
offense and defense that was easily one of their best all-around efforts
this season.
Reyes created a couple of runs with his speed and New York excelled at
situational hitting, putting the ball in play and moving runners along
against 47-year-old Jamie Moyer (5-4).
The Mets have won three straight games and four out of five since
dropping seven of eight.
Before batting practice, manager Charlie Manuel said he thought
facing Wakefield in their previous game could be a benefit to the
Phillies against Dickey.
Not at all.
Despite a lineup featuring five players who were the leading
vote-getters at their positions when the initial NL All-Star voting was
released Tuesday, Philadelphia stranded 13 runners.
Dickey has been on a roll going back to last month in the minors, when
he retired 27 straight batters following a leadoff single in Buffalo's
4-0 win over Durham on April 29.
Dickey has been tutored by Wakefield and said Sunday he would call his
knuckleballing friend to pick his brain after his splendid outing
against first-place Philadelphia.
The two-time defending NL champions have lost three straight, including a
near no-hitter by Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka on Saturday night.
Raul Valdes wiggled out of trouble for New York in the seventh.
With runners at second and third and none out, he struck out sluggers Chase
Utley and Howard before third baseman David Wright made a
diving stop of Jayson Werth's grounder and threw him out with the
help of a slick scoop by Ike Davis at first.
Valdes worked three innings for his first major league save and even
drove a double over Werth's head in right for his first career RBI. The
lefty reliever is 4-for-7 at the plate this season, his first in the big
leagues.
Notes
Reyes' first-inning single was his 1,000th career hit. … The
Phillies leading at their positions in fan balloting for the All-Star
game were Utley at second base (the leading vote-getter overall), Placido
Polanco at third, Werth and Shane Victorino in the outfield,
and injured shortstop Jimmy Rollins. … Mets 2B Luis
Castillo was back in lineup after his sore left foot was examined by
a doctor Monday.