PHILADELPHIA — Lucas Duda was under the microscope Saturday night to produce against a tough lefty starter. That he won the game against a respectable lefty reliever should count for something.
With Duda’s RBI single against Antonio Bastardo in the 11th inning responsible for the go-ahead run, the Mets beat the Phillies 2-1 at Citizens Bank Park for a second straight victory.
Duda had a single in three at-bats against Cole Hamels, which is all manager Terry Collins could have asked when he constructed Saturday’s lineup. Duda entered 1-for-13 (.077) lifetime against Hamels.
But it was the hit against Bastardo that carried the Mets. Eric Campbell had walked to load the bases with one out before Duda delivered with a single to right, scoring Curtis Granderson.
“I was lucky enough to elevate a ball and sneak it over the second baseman’s head,” Duda said.
Collins said he liked the entire approach by his first baseman, who entered batting only .149 against lefties this season.
“You watch the swings,” Collins said. “And if they are swinging at stuff that is not close, they are guessing and not seeing the ball. Lucas didn’t do that, and that’s why I was very impressed with his approach at the plate.”
Dillon Gee (4-4, 3.54 ERA) stared his demons in the face and conquered them, holding the Phillies to one run over seven innings, but it wasn’t enough to get him the victory.
Considering Gee entered with a 7.11 ERA lifetime in his previous 12 appearances against the Phillies, the Mets couldn’t have asked for much better.
Carlos Ruiz homered with two outs in the seventh to ruin Gee’s shot at recording the win. The blast tied the game at 1-1, and Gee was finished after retiring Grady Sizemore for the third out.
The performance was among Gee’s best of the season and a vast improvement over his recent outings. Gee was 1-3 with a 5.52 ERA in his previous five starts since coming off the disabled list on July 9.
Hamels lasted seven innings for the Phillies and allowed one run on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. It was a second straight strong performance by Hamels against the Mets, who had beaten the lefty in 14 of his 22 decisions against them.
The Mets loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth against Hamels, but managed just one run, on Wilmer Flores’ RBI fielder’s choice. Duda and Lagares singled in the inning, around a walk to Travis d’Arnaud.
Hamels didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, when Granderson bunted for a single, but the Mets ran themselves out of the inning, with Daniel Murphy — who had reached on a fielder’s choice — thrown out attempting to steal third.
Before the game, the Mets ushered in another component of their youth movement, with Matt den Dekker’s arrival from Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old den Dekker, who did not start, was leading the Pacific Coast League with a .334 batting average, and his .407 on-base percentage ranked third. He will become the Mets’ primary left fielder, after Chris Young was designated for assignment Friday night.
Flores became the Mets’ starting shortstop Friday, as the team began deemphasizing 2014 in favor of evaluating the younger players.
Den Dekker spent three weeks with the Mets in June, but played sparingly. He returned to Las Vegas and almost immediately began to thrive.
“I have made a lot of adjustments in my swing since spring training,” den Dekker said. “I think I’ve shortened up my swing a lot more. I use my hands a lot more. I spread out a little bit more and it’s a lot simpler than it was at the beginning of the year.”