Glavine shuts down Phillies in matchup of aging pitchers

Mets 5, Phillies 3

NEW YORK (AP) -- A little in-game adjustment went a long way for Tom Glavine on Thursday night -- all the way to his 292nd win.

Glavine settled down after a rocky start to throw six innings in the Mets' 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, getting it done in the oldest matchup of left-handed starters in major league history with his arm and his bat.

Jimmy Rollins homered twice in the first two innings but that was it for the Phillies as Glavine (2-1) fixed a little mechanical issue by improvising between innings.

"I was rushing in my delivery and rushing to try to make pitches," he said. "After the second inning, when I threw my warmup pitches in the third inning, I kind of tried to make a little conscious adjustment and it felt good. It felt like my pitches were a little bit better during the warmup and just tried to go with it, and it seemed to work."

Old Man Down The Road
When Phillies starter Jamie Moyer and the Mets' Tom Glavine took the mound Thursday night, they were the oldest left-handers to face each other in 14 years. But they're not the oldest combined starters ever.
Date	Starter	Starter	Combined age
7/29/93	Charlie Hough, Marlins	Frank Tanana, Mets	85 years, 232 days
4/12/07	Jamie Moyer, Phillies	Tom Glavine, Mets	85 years, 163 days
5/2/88	Jerry Reuss, White Sox	Tommy John, Yankees	83 years, 299 days

Jamie Moyer and Glavine hooked up in the oldest matchup of lefty starters (85 years, 163 days) in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Yankees' Tommy John and White Sox pitcher Jerry Reuss on May 2, 1988, were the previous record holders (83 years, 299 days).

Moyer (1-1) allowed four runs, three earned, and four hits in six innings.

"I pitched myself into some jams today," said the 44-year-old Moyer, who also hit three batters with pitches. "I probably deserved what I got."

Jose Reyes hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the fourth for New York, and Moises Alou had three hits.

The defending NL East champion Mets took two of three in their first series against Philadelphia, which finished second last year and is off to a slow start again. The Phillies have lost seven of their first nine.

"We need to win some series," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We need to take two out of three. We need to play better."

Their inability to knock out Glavine after his slow start was the biggest difference in the latest loss. The 41-year-old Glavine allowed three runs and four hits. He struck out four, walked three and helped out with two important sacrifices.

Alou scored in the second inning when third baseman Wes Helms threw wildly to first on Glavine's bunt down the line. Glavine's second sacrifice advanced runners to second and third in the fourth, and Reyes followed with his go-ahead hit.

"He's going to compete. That's something I love about Jose," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "When the game is on the line, I think most managers see that, he's going to compete real hard."

Billy Wagner got three outs for his second save and the 326th of his career, tying Roberto Hernandez for 10th on the career list.

Rollins, who boasted in spring training that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East, drove in three runs as the Shea Stadium crowd continued to boo him every time he came to the plate.

"I love it," Rollins said. "It's just a lot of fun. They give you energy whether they realize it or not. I thrive on the booing."

Glavine and Moyer likely haven't started many colder games. The first-pitch temperature was 44 degrees after it rained for much of the day, and there were puddles on each dugout. Many of the fans pulled the hoods on their coats and sweatshirts tight around their ears and sat with their arms folded to keep warm.

Both pitchers struggled early. Glavine went to 3-1 on Rollins, who hit his 18th leadoff homer. Glavine then walked three of the next four hitters but catcher Paul Lo Duca threw out Shane Victorino trying to steal second and Helms ended the inning by striking out with two on.

Moyer allowed three straight singles starting the bottom half, with Carlos Beltran's hit tying it at 1. But Moyer struck out Carlos Delgado and got David Wright to ground into an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.

Wright bounced back in the seventh. He hit a one-out triple to extend his career-best hitting streak to 21 games and scored on Alou's single.

Game notes
Moyer and Glavine's matchup was the oldest since LHP Frank Tanana of the Mets and Florida RHP Charlie Hough pitched on July 29, 1993 (85 years, 231 days). ... Moyer fanned Alou in the fifth for his 2,000th career strikeout. ... Glavine is the career leader among pitchers with 206 sacrifices, according to Elias. ... Beltran slammed his bat after ending the sixth by striking out with two on. ... Umpire Jerry Layne (family reason) had to leave before the game so a three-man crew worked the matchup. ... Mets RHP Juan Padilla will have surgery on his right elbow Friday to repair a partial tear of his flexor tendon. He could miss the rest of the season. ... Lo Duca turned 35 on Thursday. ... Glavine's four strikeouts gave him 2,489, moving him into 29th place and within 13 of tying Christy Mathewson for the 28th spot. Glavine passed Don Drysdale (2,486). ... The Mets optioned OF Lastings Milledge to Triple-A New Orleans and called up RHP Mike Pelfrey, who is to start Friday against Washington.