Howard, Phillies hand Mets' Harvey 1st loss
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Howard hit an RBI single and homered off Mets ace Matt Harvey, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat New York 3-1 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.
Freddy Galvis went 3-for-3 with a walk, stole two bases and scored a run for the Phillies, who returned home following a 3-7 road trip.
Cole Hamels (2-3) picked up his first win against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park since April 15, 2012 after outdueling Harvey. Hamels gave up a run on four hits, walked two and struck out eight over seven innings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Ken Giles retired the Mets in order in the eighth, Philadelphia closer Jonathan Papelbon worked around a leadoff single by Daniel Murphy in the ninth and got the final three outs for his sixth save of the season, which tied him with Jose Mesa for the most in franchise history with 112.
Harvey (5-1), who was trying to become the majors' first six-game winner, allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts in six innings.
He suffered his first loss in seven career starts against the Phillies, who got on the board in the first inning thanks to Howard's two-out RBI single.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hamels pitched around a leadoff double by Dilson Herrera in the third, but his wild pitch with the bases loaded allowed the Mets to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth. The left-hander then intentionally walked Herrera to reload the bases before striking Harvey out to end the inning.
Philadelphia regained the lead when Howard drove Harvey's first pitch in the bottom of the fourth just over the wall in left-center field. It was the sixth home run of the season for the first baseman.
"He's really starting to look good and have good swings," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said about Howard.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ben Revere singled home Carlos Ruiz in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. Ruiz led off with a base hit and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hamels.
"They didn't knock (Harvey) around. They got some big hits," said New York manager Terry Collins.
The loss was the sixth in nine games for the Mets.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
New York third baseman David Wright, who was rehabbing a hamstring injury, has been shutdown from baseball activities because of lower back pain, the team announced Friday. Wright underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage ... Chase Utley returned to the Philadelphia lineup after sitting out the last two games of the road trip. The veteran second baseman went 0-for-4, dropping his batting average to .099 ... The Mets swept a three-game series against the Phillies in New York from April 13-15.