Game #7: Mets 7, Phillies 2

On a night when national eyes were looking forward to an Ace on the hill, they got him. Just not the one they were expecting.

Matt Harvey lambasted the Phillies for seven innings and the Mets shelled Roy Halladay in a little more than four, taking the series opener in Philadelphia by a decisive 7-2 margin.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• Matt Harvey was pure electric under the lights at Citizens Bank Park, allowing a single earned run on 3 hits in 7 innings, walking 2 and striking out 9 on 110 pitches. Through two starts this season, Mr. Harvey has put a dent in the National League, sporting a 0.64 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.
• Mets fans have been used to seeing Roy Halladay do to them what Matt Harvey did to Philly tonight. But if revenge is a dish best served cold, New York was ready to bust out a Carvel ice cream cake.
• Marlon Byrd continued the party he started yesterday with a one-out double in the 2nd. After Lucas Duda was hit by the pitch, the red-hot John Buck went wild once again, hammering a three-run homer to the opposite field. Buck's 12 RBIs through 7 games are a franchise record, topping the great Darryl Strawberry's mark of 11 ribbys in 1987, and the Mets matched another '87 team record by leaving the yard in its first seven games.
• Duda added another run in the 3rd inning with a single to score Daniel Murphy. Then in the 5th, Murphy creamed a ground-rule double and came in on David Wright's single. Ike Davis chased Halladay with a single of his own, then four batters later with the bases loaded and two out, Ruben Tejada fought back from 0-2 against Chad Durbin to poke a full count single into left to plate two more runs. When the dust had settled, the New Yorkers had themselves a comfortable 7-1 lead.
• Josh Edgin allowed a run and a hit in two relief innings but was able to finish the game, giving the rest of the bullpen a nice night off.

The Bad Stuff:

• The leadoff spot in the Mets' order was the only one to go hitless on the night: Kirk Nieuwenhuis started and went 0-3 with a strikeout, and Collin Cowgill didn't fare much better in his two at-bats, striking out once as well.

Final Analysis:
Once a house of horrors for the rest of the NL East, Citizens Bank Park is suddenly becoming a home away from home for the New York Mets, who dominated from start to finish in their first game back in a venue they went 7-2 in last season. The future is now for Matt Harvey, who looked every bit the ace he is expected to be. John Buck continues to light it up for his new team; at this rate he'll match the production of a certain former #44 by the end of the month. All-in-all a phenomenal win in front of a national television audience, who know now the Mets' best days are ahead of them.

MM