Phillies a little closer after beating Mets

PHILADELPHIA -- Aaron Rowand’s swinging bunt trickled to a dead stop about 45 feet down the third-base line. Ryan Howard’s hefty cut went about 400 feet and sent the Phillies faithful into a frenzy.

Both hits had the same result: crucial runs that led to a victory for Philadelphia.

Howard’s two-run home run off Guillermo Mota in the 10th inning won it after Rowand’s dribbler in the eighth tied the score and helped the Phillies to a 4-2 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

The Phillies are back in the thick of the NL East race, trailing the division-leading Mets by four games after taking the first two of a pivotal four-game series.