PHILADELPHIA — Daniel Murphy and LaTroy Hawkins were the Mets’ anti-comeback kids.
Jeremy Hefner was mainly to blame for the Mets’ 7-3 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park last night, but Murphy and Hawkins were killers too. Murphy inexcusably was doubled off second base to ruin a scoring chance, and Hawkins surrendered a game-sealing two-run homer in relief.
The Mets were down 5-0 in the bottom of the first inning, so they were basically trailing from the start. But in the second inning, John Buck blasted a solo homer — who else and what else? — and in the fourth, Lucas Duda slammed another solo homer, cutting the lead to 5-2.
In the fifth, Jordany Valdespin led off with a bunt single, Murphy walked and although David Wright struck out, both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
Ike Davis then lofted a shallow fly to center, which Ben Revere snared with a running grab. Valdespin tried to tag from third, but Murphy — who was hoping to score when Davis’ ball landed — was too far off second. Revere doubled him off, stopping Valdespin’s run from scoring and preventing Buck — the Mets’ hottest hitter — from getting a turn at the plate with a man on.
“It’s a bad play. It’s just a bad play,” Murphy said. “Picked the wrong spot to try to force the envelope.”
If not for Murphy’s gaffe, the Mets could have cut the deficit to 5-3 if Valdespin scored. They might have gotten even more.
This isn’t to excuse Wright’s strikeout in that inning or Davis’ pop-up. Those are the Mets’ two most dangerous bats, and both failed to deliver. But Murphy shouldn’t have been veering off second base on a questionable fly ball. It wasn’t a force play — even if the ball dropped, Murphy could have just stayed at second.
“We’re down three,” manager Terry Collins said. “Even though each run means something, he’s got to see that ball on the ground.”
While the score remained 5-2, the Mets still had four innings to catch up. But in the sixth, Hawkins entered and after retiring the leadoff man, the veteran righty allowed Erik Kratz’s single before Laynce Nix drove a two-run homer to right, making it 7-2 and essentially ending things.
The 40-year-old Hawkins was effective in spring training, permitting just two earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. But he’s now served up 10 hits and four earned runs in his 4 1/3 innings and five appearances this season.
Said Hawkins, “Just giving up hits.”