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 NEW YORK (AP) - The Philadelphia Phillies overpowered Pedro Martinez and remained on top in the NL wild-card race. Chase Utley hit two of Philadelphia's four homers off the New York Mets' ace, Brett Myers pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies bounced back from an early deficit for an 8-2 victory Wednesday night.
Ryan Howard and Mike Lieberthal also connected for Philadelphia, which stopped a three-game skid and sent New York to its fourth loss in 12 games. The Phillies (71-62) began the day tied with Florida atop the wild-card standings.
Martinez (13-6) had a 2-0 cushion at steamy Shea Stadium and a chance to push the Mets ahead of their NL East rivals — but he couldn't do it. The four home runs he gave up matched a career high, set twice in consecutive starts for Boston in June 1998. Martinez gave up five runs and eight hits in seven innings, dropping to 1-3 in his past seven starts.
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