The Phillies’ struggles against the New York Mets continued in a 7-4 loss on Sunday afternoon.
The Phillies are 1-5 against the Mets this season and 7-18 since the start of last season.
Sunday’s loss dropped the Phillies to 11-21 on the season, marking their worst start since 1997 when they went 68-94.
Chad Billingsley made his second start since returning from a pair of elbow surgeries. He got through the early innings, but hit trouble in the middle innings and did not get an out in the sixth.
The Mets scored two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. The Phillies cut the lead to two in the bottom of the seventh and loaded the bases against reliever Alex Torres with two outs. Torres retired Ryan Howard on a sharply hit ground ball to first base to end the inning and keep the Mets ahead by a run. The Mets scored two in eighth to put the game away.
Starting pitching report
Billingsley (0-2) left the game after giving up back-to-back doubles to open the sixth inning. In five-plus innings, the right-hander gave up eight hits and five runs. He walked one and struck out three. Four of the eight hits that Billingsley allowed were for extra bases, including a two-run home run by Curtis Granderson on a full-count fastball in the fifth.
Mets’ starter Bartolo Colon (6-1) allowed eight hits and four runs over six-plus innings. He has not walked a batter in 40 1/3 innings, the second-longest stretch in Mets history behind Bret Saberhagen, who went 47 2/3 innings without a walk in 1994.
Bullpen report
The Phillies scratched to within a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Jeanmar Gomez could not keep it close. He allowed three one-out hits and two runs in the top of the eighth.
Lefty Alex Torres got a big bases-loaded out for the Mets in the seventh.
Jeurys Familia got the save.
At the plate
Billingsley hit a solo home run on an 0-2 fastball in the third.
Chase Utley entered the game last in the majors with a .109 batting average. He smacked a double in his second at-bat and scored on a two-out single by Grady Sizemore as the Phils took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.
The double was Utley’s first of the season and it came in his 93rd at-bat. Last year, he led NL second basemen with 35 doubles.
Cody Asche snapped an 0-for-23 skid with a double in the seventh. He also struck out three times and leads the team with 32.
Granderson’s two-run homer in the fifth put the Mets ahead, 3-2. They never relinquished the lead.
Johnny Monell had a two-run pinch-hit double in the eighth to give the Mets a late cushion.
Up next
The Phillies open a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. Here are the pitching matchups:
Monday night – RHP Jerome Williams (2-2, 5.18) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (4-1, 2.27)
Tuesday night – The Phillies have not yet announced their starter. It could be Sean O’Sullivan, who is on the disabled list. Right-hander A.J. Burnett (1-1, 1.66) will pitch for the Pirates.
Wednesday night – LHP Cole Hamels (2-3, 3.68) vs. LHP Francisco Liriano (1-2, 2.79)
Thursday afternoon – RHP Aaron Harang (3-3, 2.38) vs. RHP Vance Worley (2-2, 4.63)