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PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Mets and Jacob deGrom decided the right-hander's All-Star break would be better spent relaxing than joining the National League squad in San Diego earlier in the week. "As he showed, the rest did him good," Mets manager Terry Collins said of deGrom, who recorded his first career complete game in scintillating fashion. DeGrom allowed just one hit in New York's 5-0 victory over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon.
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The 28-year-old, who lowered his ERA to 2.38, improved to 6-4 on the year after striking out seven and walking one. DeGrom, who has fanned at least six in 10 straight starts, faced one batter over the minimum.
"He did everything you are supposed to do," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Throw strikes, work fast, keep the ball down, change speeds."
The Mets (49-42) scored all of their runs with two outs.
In the second inning, Juan Lagares was nearly caught looking at a fastball from Phillies starter Zach Eflin on a 2-2 count, but the pitch was ruled just off the plate. Lagares then belted a RBI triple to right field, scoring James Loney to open the scoring.
Curtis Granderson launched a solo shot in the third for his 16th homer of the season.
DeGrom helped his own cause in the fifth. With two outs, the pitcher singled up the middle, setting the stage for Jose Reyes' run-scoring double to extend the lead to 3-0.
Asdrubal Cabrera blew the game open in the top of the eighth, belting a two-run home run off Andrew Bailey to right field for a 5-0 lead.
"We haven't been doing that, but tonight was one of those situations where we got some two-out hits which were very big," Collins said. "Really big. ... That's something that, as you can see, when you get them, they win a lot of games for you."
Eflin allowed three runs on five hits in six innings to take the loss. He walked and struck out two hitters.
"I left some balls up that shouldn't have been up," Eflin said. "I didn't have my best stuff today, but I was able to battle and limit the damage."
Eflin was the only Phillie to get a hit - a third-inning single - off deGrom.
"I knew who got the hit off me," deGrom said with a smile. "Once he got the hit then (the thought of a no-hitter) is out of your mind. Then you're going for the shutout."
Eflin's single stood as the Phillies' only base runner until deGrom walked Ryan Howard to lead off the eighth inning.
But deGrom didn't allow Howard - or any other Phillie for that matter - to get into scoring position. He struck out Cameron Rupp and then induced an inning-ending double play ball off the bat of Freddy Galvis.
For the first time in his career, he was going to get a shot at going the distance.
"I think every time you go out there you want to go as long as you can," deGrom said. "Today I kept my pitch count down and I was fortunate enough to be able to go back out for the ninth."
"Honestly (I) wasn't thinking anything different," deGrom said of walking out to the mound in the ninth. "Today, for some reason, every time I went out there I was just acting like it was the first inning and just trying to get three outs and get back in the dugout."
Fittingly, deGrom threw a perfect ninth inning, blowing a 95-mph fastball by Odubel Herrera to end the game.
"I definitely wanted a strikeout there, too," deGrom said.
The Phillies (43-50) quite simply had no answer for the rested right-hander.
NOTES: The Mets waited a bit to announce their starting lineup for Sunday afternoon's game with respect to Yoenis Cespedes (right quad), who made his return to the lineup for the first time since leaving a July 8 game. Cespedes went 0-for-3 with a walk ... Philadelphia entered play Sunday 13-6 in its last 19 games, tying the Washington Nationals for the best record over that stretch. ... The Mets have won 11 of their last 13 series against the Phillies. ... The Phillies begin a four-game series at home against Miami starting Monday. ... The Mets head to Chicago to take on the NL Central-leading Cubs Monday.
