Martinez becomes unlikely hero for Phillies

NEW YORK - You play 162 games over six months and you are bound to win some and lose some in a variety of ways.

There is also likely to be an evolution of the way players are used and who contributes at any given time during the course of the long season.

The good teams keep winning regardless of the circumstances, and, after the Phillies took another three-game series by beating the New York Mets, 8-5, Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, you can continue to call them the best team in baseball.

Since matching a season high with four straight losses in early June, the Phillies have gone 25-11 and won 10 of their last 11 series. Despite losing players such as Roy Oswalt, Shane Victorino, and Placido Polanco to injuries, they have taken two out of three games in seven straight series.

The Phillies had the unlikeliest of players to thank for the weekend wins over the Mets.

While two aces - Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee - rested after their All-Star Game appearances and the other one - Cole Hamels - lost again Saturday to the team that typically gives him fits, Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick combined to allow two runs in 121/3 innings. They were each rewarded with victories.

And while Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went a combined 2 for 22 in the weekend series, John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Martinez combined for nine RBIs to trigger the offense in the two wins. Martinez delivered the biggest hit in the series finale, a three-run home run over the right-field wall in the top of the fifth inning.

The diminutive utility man came through by turning on a 2-0 fastball from Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. It was the first home run of Martinez's major-league career, and the 28-year-old rookie wore a huge grin afterward.

"It felt good," Martinez said with the help of third base coach Juan Samuel's translation. "It was a very close ball game, 1-0, and with that home run I gave us some breathing room. I'm not a power hitter, so I was surprised the ball left the yard."

Mayberry and Martinez also combined for seven hits and four RBIs the previous Sunday in a rout of the Atlanta Braves, so maybe Phillies manager Charlie Manuel should stick to an NFL schedule with those two.