Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Young belted a two-run homer to back a solid start from Zack Wheeler as the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1, in the opener of a rare five-game series.
Wheeler (2-5) struck out nine and allowed just one run on Marlon Byrd's homer. He yielded four hits and did not walk a batter over 6 1/3 innings as the Mets opened a season-long 11-game road trip with their fourth win in five games.
"He was ahead in the count on just about every hitter...and that made him tough," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said of Wheeler.
David Buchanan (1-1), who was making his second career start, surrendered four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings to take the loss.
The Mets opened the second inning with three consecutive singles, two of which never left the infield, and they pushed a run across when Travis d'Arnaud bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.
Young, who hit .086 (3-for-35) over his previous 14 games, took Buchanan deep in the fourth,
"He was going through a little bit of a slide, so I think tonight was a good game for him," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Young.
New York added another run in the fifth, again with only one ball reaching the outfield. A single, error and botched fielder's choice loaded the bases, and Curtis Granderson took a payoff pitch off the plate to force in a run.
Wheeler struck out the side in the first two innings and retired 14 in a row before Byrd homered off him in the seventh.
Scott Rice and Vic Black finished off the seventh, Black stayed on and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Jenrry Mejia struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth to post his fifth save.
Game Notes
The Phillies, who struck out 15 times, have lost six straight home games to the Mets, their longest skid since Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004 ... D'Arnaud was playing his first game since suffering a concussion on May 13 ... This originally scheduled four-game series was extended when the April 30 game between the clubs was postponed until June 2.
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