Mets Vs. Phillies: Mike Pelfrey, Joe Blanton Both Rocked As Hosts Prevail

Armed with a starting rotation that features four aces, the Phillies really only give their opponents a break once every five days. On Wednesday, the Mets took advantage of one such break, knocking Joe Blanton out of the game in the fifth. The only problem? Their own starter had been knocked out in the third.

Mike Pelfrey lasted just 2+ innings and allowed seven runs in his second consecutive ineffective start as the Mets dropped their game against the Phillies Wednesday night by a 10-7 final.

Philadelphia stormed out to an early 7-0 advantage, powered by a four-run third that featured a Ryan Howard home run. New York actually managed to come all the way back and tie things up in the fifth with a five-run, six-hit inning, but then it became a battle of the bullpens, and the remaining Phillies' arms were able to get the job done while the Mets' arms were not.

Blaine Boyer immediately allowed the Phillies to re-take the lead in the bottom half of the fifth when he allowed two runs to score. Then he only made matters worse the next inning when Ben Francisco took him deep to push the score to 10-7. That's where it would remain, as Antonio Bastardo, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras combined to toss 4.2 shutout innings of mostly high-leverage relief. Contreras was able to pick up his first save of the season.

Now the Phillies get to turn their rotation back over to the top again, and the Mets get to sit in the corner and think about their missed opportunity. They will still have a chance to win the series in a Thursday matinee, but that's a game that'll pit Jon Niese against Roy Halladay, so their odds are longer than a really long stick.