Shane Victorino went to the plate wanting to swing. He had already extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He had ripped three balls in his first five trips to the plate.
Even when the count went full with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th inning, Victorino geared himself to win the game with his bat. He wound up not needing it. Mets reliever Sean Green gave Victorino a game-winning RBI, tossing a pitch that landed below the strike zone for ball four Saturday evening. That forced in Pedro Feliz with the final run in the Phillies' 6-5 win at Citizens Bank Park.
Victorino's walk was the ninth of the afternoon drawn by Phillies hitters and the second they took with the bases loaded. It helped them snap a two-game losing streak and pull out another come-from-behind victory, their 10th among 12 wins this season.
"You've got to have confidence in every aspect of the game," Victorino said of the Phillies' late-inning prowess. "Your defense. Your pitching on your end has to hold the game. Offensively, you just battle. You just go up there and try to find a way to win. There's nothing you can put your finger on and say, "Well, this is what we do so well in the late innings.' We just keep battling."
The 12-10 Phillies have stayed afloat so far on the strength of late-inning rallies. Their starting pitching has been pounded, taking a National League-worst 6.65 ERA into play Saturday. That was a full run worse than anyone else in the league.
Jamie Moyer didn't help those numbers, blowing a 4-2 lead when he allowed three runs in the sixth, including back-to-back home runs to Daniel Murphy and Ramon Castro. Moyer surrendered seven hits and five runs, and walked four in 5 2/3 innings.
The Phillies cannot expect to return to the postseason unless their rotation turns around. For now, they will take wins in any form.
"I think we're going to try to play the best Baseball we can and win games however we can," Moyer said. "Regardless of what the plan is each and every day, sometimes the plan doesn't work, and you have to make do with what you have and find a way to get through it.
"It's early May. There's a lot of Baseball to be played. I've got to believe we'll pitch better at some point."
The Phillies would like Raul Ibanez to just stay the way he is. He continued his torrid start with two more hits Saturday, including a game-tying solo homer off Mets left-hander Pedro Feliciano in the bottom of the sixth. Ibanez has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games, batting .394 during that stretch.
With the game tied again, the Phillies' bullpen and defense held New York off long enough for their offense to pull out the win. Clay Condrey, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge and winning pitcher Jack Taschner (1-0) combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Lidge's one inning was his first game action since right knee inflammation shut him down a week ago.
The defense pitched in during each of the final three innings. Jayson Werth threw out what would have been the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth. Second baseman Eric Bruntlett ran into shallow right field to catch a popup that would have driven in the go-ahead run had it fallen in the ninth. The Phillies also turned a 5-4-3 double play on Carlos Beltran with runners at the corners in the 10th, setting up their winning rally in the bottom of the inning that evened this three-game series.
"We have a lot of see-saw battles in our games [with the Mets]," Lidge said. "A lot of times it comes down to the bullpens and what our guys can do. Fortunately, tonight we got it done. Last night they got it done against us."
stephen.miller@mcall.com
610-820-6750
Phillies 6
Mets 5
Looking ahead: RHP Joe Blanton (0-2, 8.41 ERA) faces Mets RHP John Maine (1-2, 5.40) in the deciding game of the three-game set at 1:35 p.m.
