Anthony Recker snapped out of his slump in a big way.
Recker hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer, Jonathon Niese pitched seven sharp innings and the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Monday.
Recker was in an 0-for-18 skid when he connected off reliever Justin De Fratus, who had retired 17 straight batters before allowing a single to the first batter he faced after replacing David Buchanan in the seventh.
"It felt great. I needed it real bad," Recker said.
The backup catcher is from nearby Allentown, but his family and friends didn't see him play this weekend.
"They were here (Sunday)," Recker said. "They came to the wrong game."
Darin Ruf hit a two-run shot for the last-place Phillies.
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Niese (6-8) gave up two runs on five hits to earn his first win since June 28. The lefty was 0-4 with a 6.04 ERA in his previous five starts.
"It seems that I lose with my good stuff and win with my bad stuff," Niese said.
Buchanan (6-6) allowed three runs and four hits in six-plus innings.
Buchanan ran into trouble when he walked Juan Lagares to start the seventh. Matt den Dekker lined an RBI double to right-center to tie it at 2. De Fratus entered and gave up a single to Wilmer Flores.
"That late in a game, you can't walk guys to start an inning," Buchanan said.
Recker then hit a full-count fastball 424 feet into the left-center field stands to make it 5-2.
With two outs in the Phillies ninth, pinch-hitter Chase Utley lined a 1-2 pitch off Jeurys Familia deep to right. A fan reached over with his cap and lifted the ball into the air and into the stands. The hit was initially ruled a two-run homer, but was overturned to an RBI double following a replay.
Ben Revere then flied out to end it.
The Mets took three of four in the wraparound series and are 13-3 in their last 16 games in Philadelphia.
The Phillies' bullpen had allowed one earned run in 24 2-3 innings before Recker, a .187 hitter, took De Fratus deep.
Daniel Murphy led off the fourth with a double to right and David Wright followed with an RBI single up the middle to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Ruf hit a two-run homer into the bushes behind the center-field wall to make it 2-1 in the bottom half.
