BOX SCORE
Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix and Juan Pierre are all in their first year with the Phillies, and its safe to say theyre still in the early stages of fitting in with their new team.
Heck, their teammates arent even sure what all their names are yet.
Yes, Cole Hamels really did refer to Wigginton as Willingham Sunday afternoon, apparently thinking for a moment before laughing and correcting himself after realizing his teammate a few lockers away is Ty Wiggintonnot Josh Willingham.
Yeah, we got Willingham on our team now, Hamels joked.
Wigginton made his fifth start of the year, Nix made his second and Pierre his fourth, and the three newcomers combined for five hits and five RBIs as the Phils salvaged Game 3 of their three-game Mets series with an 8-2 win at Citizens Bank Park. (See Roob's Instant Replay.)
The Phillies scored three runs in the first 24 innings of the series and seven in the last two, pounding the Mets bullpen for two runs in the go-ahead seventh and five more in the eighth.
Wigginton tied the game with a sac fly in the seventh and added a three-run double in the eighth. Nix gave the Phillies the lead for good with a booming two-out double off the left-field wall in the seventh, his first hit as a Phillie. And Pierre had three hits to boost his average to .350.
MLB
When youre new on a team, it definitely takes a while to get involved, manager Charlie Manuel said. I know how much they want to make a good impression, but it takes a while to get really used to our team and feel good about themselves, and today Lance got the big hit and Ty hit a couple balls on the nose, and that was good to see.
With the win, the Phillies avoided their first home sweep at the hands of the Mets in six years, avoided falling four games behind the Mets and improved to 4-5. The Mets dropped to 6-3.
Hamels (1-0) was typically brilliant, scattering six hits over seven innings, striking out 10 and walking one. After giving up a two-run homer to Ike Davis in the first, he allowed just four hits and no runs (see story).
But the story Sunday was a season-high eight runs and a season-high-matching 14 hits for an offense that had scored just 20 runs in its first eight games and ranked 29th out of 30 major league teams in runs scored and extra-base hits.
Before the new guys went to work.
Its good to come through like that, said Nix, who made his 10th career start at first base. Its a good time to get my first hit. Its a little tough not playing the first week. Good timing.
First couple at-bats were a little tough, but we all want to come through in those situations and be the reason we won the game. Im honored to be there with these guys and I want to play well. The way Ive seen them play all these years.
Nix and Pierre are with their fifth team in seven years, and Wigginton is with his fifth team in six years.
Its never easy to prove yourself with a new team. To show your teammates you belong. But all three veterans went a long way toward doing that on Sunday.
I want to come through as bad as anybody, but it doesnt help me to put any more pressure on myself ... just because Im the new guy, Nix said. Ive played too long for that. Im prepared everyday and just let things fall the way they will.
Hopefully, it gives the coach confidence to have me in there and confidence in the team.
Wigginton joked that getting adjusted to a new clubhouse is old hat for him.
I think its happened a lot in my career, said the former Met, Pirate, Devil Ray, Astro, Oriole and Rockie.
But Wigginton certainly helped his cause Sunday with a huge sac fly to tie the game in the seventh and then a long three-run double to left in the eighth.
Overall, this has been a very easy clubhouse to get to know guys, and its a lot of fun to go out and put the jersey with these guys on a daily basis, Wigginton said.
Any time you take the field, you want to go out and contribute and help your team win a ballgame, so it feels good. Especially the sac fly more than the double. ... One out and a guy in scoring position. Earlier in the game, same situation, I hit a line drive to the shortstop, so it felt good. Its just a matter of getting out there and getting some results.
Mets starter Mike Pelfrey allowed a run in the first, then settled in and blanked the Phils through six. The Phillies, trailing 2-1, finally broke through facing reliever Ramon Ramiez in the seventh, when Wiggintons sac fly to deep right tied the game and Nixs double off the left-field wall on an 0-2 count -- fair by a foot -- gave the Phils the lead.
Everybody in this clubhouse is extremely positive and thinking this is going to be our day to break out, Wigginton said. Theres definitely been no panic. Guys come here prepared and expecting to win a ballgame, and when you get those two together, good things will happen in the end.
Hamels earned his first win of the year and moved into the all-time Phillies top 10 with 75 career wins, tied for ninth with Rick Wise and Jim Lonborg.
All nine Phillies starters had at least one hit, and Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence had two apiece and were both on base three times.
Cole kept it close so we could bust it open with a couple timely hits, so I credit him. Pelfrey was tough, and Cole really pitched well, Nix said. Good for us to come out at the end like that and just binge.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com