Mets No-Hitters history at NoNoHitters.com

0 not enough for Johan

Johan Santana limited the Philadelphia Phillies to just two runs on three hits, but it wasn’t enough as his team couldn’t score him a single run during a 2-0 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

Santana lost his no-hitter on the opening batter when Jimmy Rollins homered to left, advancing our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,563 New York Mets games without a no-hitter. It was the 53rd time a leadoff hitter opened a game against the Mets with a homer (visit our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details.)

The game’s only other run came in the sixth inning, when Chase Utley homered to right.

The Mets’ only hits were a single by Jeremy Reed, a bunt single by Santana and a pair of single by Luis Castillo.

Citi Field homerfest

Johan Santana gave up four round-trippers but used his bat to help his team retake the lead Tuesday night as the Mets topped the Phillies 6-5 in rare Citi Field homerfest.

With runners and first and second with one out in the sixth, Santana faked a two-strike sacrifice bunt and drove a hanging slider down the right field line for an RBI double to tie the game at 4. Alex Cora followed a couple batters later with a single up the middle to give New York a 5-4 lead.

Santana (7 IN, 4 ER, 2H, 2 BB) also helped with his glove, snagging a Shane Victorino liner in the seventh and throwing to first for the inning-ending double-play.

But he got the yank in the eighth after Chase Utley led off the inning with a homer, the night’s fourth off Johan. Santana made it clear he didn’t want to give up the mound, but Mets’ skipper Jerry Manuel forced him to turn it over to the bullpen, which did its job to earn Santana his eighth victory of the season.

The Mets got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when David Wright blasted a home run over the left-center field fence, his first dinger in about a hundred at-bats.

Santana lost his no-hitter in the third inning when Pedro Feliz hit a leadoff double to left (making it 7,528 New York Mets games without a no-no), but Johan was able to escape the inning unscathed.

The Mets rallied for two more runs in the third with a rally kicked off by Alex Cora, who drove an inside fastball into the right-field corner for a double. Beltran then blasted the next pitch (a hanging curve) over the left-field fence to make it 3-0. The Mets tried to extend the rally by loading the bases with one out, but neither Ryan Church or Omir Santos could drive runners home.

The Phillies got a couple back in the fourth on back-to-back homers by Ryan Howard and Ibanez. Howard took a hanging slider for a ride well past Citi Field’s cavernous right-center field, and Ibanez lined a homer over the MoZone in right. Then, with two outs in the top of the sixth, Santana hung a high change-up down the middle, and Jimmy Rollins shot it over the left field fence to make it 4-3 Phillies.

Fernando Tatis led off the bottom of the sixth with a double off the left-center field wall and Church was ready to bunt him over to third, but Tatis got the base for free on a failed pickoff attempt by catcher Carlos Ruiz. Tatis headed home on Church’s grounder to first and he clearly slid under Ruiz’s juggling glove, but he umpire unfortunately didn’t see it that way.

The Mets, however, still rallied to retake the lead.

Ryan Church got the Mets an important sixth run in the bottom of the seventh by hitting Citi Field’s first homer into the new apple, just past the center field fence. It didn’t do any damage, as the apple still was able to rise.

After Bobby Parnell gave up a single after Santana was pulled in the seventh after, lefty Pedro Feliciano was called upon to pitch to Howard and Ibanez. Feliciano got Howard to hit into a 4-6-3 double-play and Ibanez to ground out to second.

K-Rod let Rollins reach base on a leadoff single but got a strike out, a fielder’s choice and another strikeout for the save.

The Mets are now two games back of the Phils in the N.L. East standings.

Pitching school is in session

The Mets’ Johan Santana and the Phillies’ Chan Ho Park allowed a total of just three hits during their starts Wednesday night as New York nipped Philadelphia 1-0 in a classic National League Pitcher’s duel.

Santana allowed just two hits and three walks over his seven innings while striking out 10. The first one, a third-inning single by Jimmy Rollins, advanced our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,508 New York Mets games without a no-hitter. The second was a leadoff ground-rule double in the seventh by Raul Ibanez, but Santana pitched out of the pickle to keep the game scoreless.

Park allowed just one hit – a Daniel Murphy fifth-inning double – and walked two while fanning five over six innings.

The Mets’ second and final hit, a seventh-inning Fernando Tatis single off reliever Chad Durbin, resulted in the game’s only run.

After Carlos Delgado drew a leadoff walk, Tatis hit a broken-bat slow-roller to third that Pedro Feliz fielded nicely but overthrew first base. He should have held the ball, as he had no chance of getting Tatis.

Carlos Delgado, still recovering from a sore hip, lumbered all the way home from first, and Phillies’ outfielder Jayson Werth hesitated before throwing home, allowing Delgado to score.

Pedro Feliciano faced trouble in the eighth when Shane Victorino blooped a double over first base, but Feliciano pitched out of the jam beautifully and stranded him at third. Francisco Rodriguez earned his eighth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Great game.