Cole Hamels’ difficult season continued in a 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Friday night.
Hamels suffered his 11th loss, the most in the majors. He is the first Phillies’ pitcher to lose 11 games before July since 1937 when both Wayne LeMaster and Claude Passeau did it.
The Phillies gave Hamels a 3-0 lead in the second inning, but he could not hold it. Three of the four runs he allowed came with two outs.
The Phillies are 2-14 in Hamels’ 16 starts. Last year, they were 21-10 in his starts.
The Phils have lost nine of their last 13 to fall to 35-39.
Starting pitching report
Hamels did not allow a hit or a run in the first three innings. He then gave up seven hits and four runs over the next three innings and left the game trailing, 4-3. Three of the four runs that Hamels allowed came with two outs.
Hamels is 2-11 with a 4.50 ERA.
Mets’ right-hander Jeremy Hefner entered the game with an ERA of 15.68 in four career games against the Phillies. He allowed 10 hits in six innings, but just three runs in getting the win. He is 2-6 on the season.
Hefner pitched out of trouble in the fifth, getting Delmon Young on a line out to third with one out and Carlos Ruiz on a hard liner to center with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Bullpen report
Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman and Mike Stutes kept it close for the Phils.
Scott Rice, Carlos Torres and Bobby Parnell (12th save) closed it out for the Mets. The trio did not allow a hit.
At the plate
The Phils took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The rally was highlighted by back-to-back doubles by Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown. Howard had two doubles in the game. Seven of the Phils’ 10 hits were singles.
The Phillies left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
Ben Revere had a bunt hit and an infield hit. He has hit in 11 straight games.
Eric Young Jr., recently designated for assignment by Colorado and picked up in a trade by the Mets, led off the fourth inning with a double and scored his team’s first run. Young tied the game at 3-3 an inning later when he laced a two-out, two-run single up the middle on a 2-2 fastball from Hamels. Juan Lagare put the Mets ahead with an RBI double in the sixth. The hit scored Lucas Duda, who had reached on a one-out walk.
Transaction
The Phillies activated Chase Utley from the disabled list and sent Michael Martinez to Triple A.
Up next
The two teams play again Saturday afternoon at 4:05. Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.40) and Dillon Gee (5-7, 4.56) are the pitchers.