PHILADELPHIA – Who’s in whose head now?
The Phillies, known so painfully last year as the team the Mets couldn’t beat, suddenly find themselves on the other foot after the first-place Amazin’s stretched their series win streak to four here yesterday with a 4-2 decision.
Those nine straight losses to their NL East rivals from June of last year through this season’s home opener suddenly seem like a faded memory for the surging Mets, who have won five in a row overall and eight of their last 10.
Thanks to timely contributions from a take-your-pick list that included Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez, Jose Reyes, David Wright and Billy Wagner, the Mets quieted a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park for a second day in a row.
They also seem to have their swagger back, if the dance routine a jubilant Reyes performed in the dugout after his two-run homer in the seventh was any indication.
“We were always confident against the Phillies,” manager Willie Randolph said. “We lost some games last year in that so-called streak that we should have won, so we didn’t lack confidence. We didn’t fall into thinking we were hexed or something.”
Perez (2-0) did his part to give the Mets confidence, taking the baton from Johan Santana’s superb effort the night before and stifling the Phillies for 52/3 innings to out-duel Jamie Moyer (1-1).
Perez was wild at times, walking five, but the young left-hander used an effective slider and a fastball in the mid-90 mph range to strike out seven. Most important for Mets, Perez kept his focus and didn’t get distracted.
“They have a really good lineup, so I had to be careful,” Perez said. “I got outs when I needed to. I saw a couple of times on the gun that I was in the high 90s a few times, so I knew I was having a good day.”
With Perez and the bullpen in a groove, the Phillies saw Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell combine to go 0-for-14 while Philadelphia stranded 12 men.
Three of those stranded Phillies came in the decisive eighth, when Heilman – shaking off a three-run homer he allowed Friday night to Greg Dobbs – struck out Geoff Jenkins and Werth in succession with the bases loaded.
“Bullpens are going to be shaky at times, but you have to live and die with each other,” said Randolph, who had publicly backed Heilman after Friday’s woes. “You have to be tough-minded in the bullpen, and Aaron is as tough as they come.”
Reyes, meanwhile, might want to take a knee to the helmet more often after the way he bounced back yesterday.
Just hours after a collision with Chase Utley on Friday nearly gave him a concussion, the All-Star shortstop was the Mets’ sparkplug on offense with a 2-for-4 day that included the decisive homer, a double, two runs scored and his third stolen base of the season.
Reyes also took his teammates’ advice and let his emotions show again after the homer, doing an elaborate handshake with Carlos Delgado on the top step before breaking out some dance moves in the dugout.
“That’s the old Jose Reyes,” Reyes said.
After watching Wright stay hot with a two-run double in the first inning and ex-Phillie Wagner stay perfect in the ninth on the way to his fourth save of the season, the Mets are hoping they have turned the tide against their one-time nemesis.