Wasted trip: Phillies get swept by Mets

NEW YORK - The bit of momentum built by the Phillies a week and a half ago officially dissipated Wednesday with a 7-0 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.

The Phillies departed for their 10-day road trip riding a five-game winning streak. They return home as losers of four straight and seven of their last nine.

The Phillies (19-30) are off to their worst start since 2000, when they finished 16 wins shy of a .500 record. Manager Ryne Sandberg said a four-game losing streak was not the way he wanted to finish the road trip, especially after opening it with a win.

"We'll get back home," Sandberg said. "We've played good baseball at home and have rebounded at home and that needs to be the case again."

Sean O'Sullivan allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 52/3 innings. He yielded four home runs, including one to Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard. O'Sullivan has allowed a team-high nine homers over six starts. He has given up 18 runs, 14 of which have come on homers.

The righthander was unable to keep his pitches down. His off-speed pitches lacked movement. They were flat, he said. The Mets batters did not let him slide. He was the first Phillies pitcher to allow four home runs and at least seven runs in a start since Vicente Padilla in 2005.

"Seven runs is equally frustrating no matter how they get them," O'Sullivan said. "I just made sure I wasn't walking people. It was one of those days where I couldn't afford to be putting people on base. I just tried to give my team the best effort that I could, get as deep as I could to save some arms down there."

Syndergaard struck out six batters without a walk in 71/3 scoreless innings. It was the rookie's first start against the Phillies. He scattered six hits. The 6-foot-6 righthander pitches with a presence. Catcher Cameron Rupp, who finished 1 for 3 with two strikeouts, said the pitcher threw hard and was tough to hit.

Syndergaard's first 10 fastballs averaged 98.3 m.p.h. His last 10 averaged 95.7. He threw 101 pitches and seemed to lose little touch.

"He had his pitches today," Rupp said. "He had a hell of a day for him, even at the plate. It was just his day."

The Phillies' second, third, and fourth hitters combined to go 1 for 12. The lone hit was Andres Blanco's pinch-hit double in the ninth. By then the game was all but finished. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were each lifted after going 0 for 3 against Syndergaard. Sandberg called the pitcher a "one-man show."

"Some of the hitters said it looked like he was right on top of them because of his size," Sandberg said. "He really maintained his fastball and stuff all the way through the outing."

The Phillies packed their belongings in a quiet clubhouse after the loss. An oversize speaker remained silent. It was given another day off. There recently has been little need for postgame music. The players boarded a bus at 4:50 p.m. and headed home without the momentum they brought with them on this trip.

@matt_breen