PHILADELPHIA _ The baseball landed in center field, an unlikely 5-4, 10th-inning win over the Mets was complete, and Jay Bruce kept running.
The Phillies limped through the first stages of Wednesday night's game at Citizens Bank Park, but they sprinted to the finish. The team charged out of the dugout, mobbed Bruce near third base, and soaked him with water after his walk-off double.
The Phillies have won three straight games, seeming to turn the tide after a miserable stretch that included a seven-game losing streak and six wins in 22 games. Brad Miller brought bamboo into the clubhouse on Monday afternoon, and the Phillies have yet to lose. The bamboo is here to stay.
Bruce's double followed singles by Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto. Roman Quinn replaced Hoskins as a pinch-runner and scored easily as Bruce's hit landed over the outstretched glove of Mets outfielder Juan Lagares. It was the Phillies' first walk-off win this season.
They rallied in the seventh inning and won for just the third time this season in 33 tries when they were trailing after six innings. They overcame a rough night from starter Nick Pivetta, finally reached the Mets' bullpen, and caught the Mets with a Cesar Hernandez double and a Jean Segura two-run single.
Pivetta allowed four runs before being lifted with two outs in the fifth. He struck out three, walked three, and allowed nine hits, including two homers. It was the fifth straight game that a Phillies starter failed to complete six innings.
Pivetta threw 41 four-seam fastballs, but both swinging strikes against the pitch came by opposing pitcher Jason Vargas. Pivetta had a 1.80 ERA in his first three starts after returning from Triple-A but has a 7.13 ERA in his last three starts.
Vargas mostly stumped the Phillies for six innings, limiting them to a solo homer by Segura, as he fooled them with his array of low-velocity pitches. The left-hander, who made headlines this week by offering to fight a New York beat writer, paired a low-80s fastball with a high-70s change-up and low-70s breaking ball. He threw 77 pitches, and the average velocity was just 79.5 pitches.
But his final few pitches were hit hard, which was enough for Mets manager Mickey Callway to leave the dugout and remove his starter. That was a welcome sight for the Phillies. They jumped all over reliever Seth Lugo, and five batters later they had a tie game.
Hernandez greeted Lugo with an RBI double. Miller kept the rally alive with a two-out walk, and Scott Kingery reached first base after what would have been an inning-ending strikeout bounced away from Mets catcher Tomas Nido. With the inning still going, Segura dropped a two-run double into right-center. Miller slid across home for the tying run.
Hours earlier, he delivered a ceramic pot to Gabe Kapler's office at Citizens Bank Park. Miller had stopped in Chinatown for the third straight day to purchase bamboo, which he believes has brought good luck to the team after a seven-game losing streak. It was a great gift, Kapler said. The manager was happy to have a plant for his desk. He was even happier to have another win.
