The Sports Xchange
Aug 10, 2017
PHILADELPHIA -- A trip to Citizens Bank Park was just what the slumping New York Mets needed.
The Mets slugged four home runs among 13 hits in a 10-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night. New York is 4-0 this season in Philadelphia, hitting 14 homers in those contests.
Wilmer Flores and Michael Conforto hit three-run homers, and Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson also went deep. That was plenty of offense behind a nearly unhittable Jacob deGrom.
The Mets scored only 10 runs in their previous five games and were shut out in two of those games.
Flores made sure that would not happen with a towering, three-run homer to straightaway center field off Phillies starter Vince Velasquez in the first inning. Yoenis Cespedes and Conforto had doubled and walked, respectively, with two outs. It was Flores' 14th home run of the season.
Velasquez came out of the game after the 32-pitch first inning because of numbness in his right middle finger. His fastball velocity sat below its normal 94 mph during his brief outing.
Walker made it 4-0, lining the first pitch of the third inning from Mark Leither Jr. over the right field fence for his 10th homer of the season.
Conforto broke the game open in the seventh. With two on and two outs, the left-handed-hitting All-Star hit a slicing line drive off the left field foul pole. The 24th home run of the season for Conforto came against Phillies reliever Jesen Therrien.
Granderson capped the long ball display with a two-run shot in the ninth inning against Luis Garcia.
DeGrom (13-5) struck out nine and did not walk a batter during 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced and allowed only four hits.
It was the last hit -- a Nick Williams line drive that struck deGrom on his right arm -- that forced him out of the game with two outs in the seventh. The team announced deGrom had a contusion on his right triceps, but X-rays were negative.
It was the first scoreless outing for deGrom since May 19, and it marked the 10th time in 23 starts this season that he recorded at least nine strikeouts.
Leiter struck out seven batters in five innings while allowing one run on four hits and no walks.
Maikel Franco's double in the second inning was the only extra-base hit for the Phillies, who were shut out for the eighth time this season.
NOTES: Phillies LF Rhys Hoskins went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a walk in his major league debut. ... The Phillies honored Darren Daulton with a video tribute and a moment of silence before the game. It was the team's first home game since Daulton died of brain cancer at 55 on Sunday night. Daulton spent nearly all of his 14-year major league career, and the catcher is part of the Phillies Wall of Fame. ... The Mets have 51 home runs in their past 23 games at Citizens Bank Park.