Three Things We Saw

1. Blanton deserved better. Joe Blanton pitched 6 2/3 strong innings but left only to watch the Phillies bungle a rundown and eventually allow the Mets to take a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. Blanton threw 108 pitches and wasn’t as sharp as his last outing, but the Phillies couldn’t hold an early 4-0 advantage. The defense and relievers — Chad Qualls and Antonio Bastardo — really let Blanton down.

2. Chooch still rules. Catcher Carlos Ruiz is worthy of his first All-Star Game appearance. Not only is he hitting well above. 300, his defense may be the best it has ever been. And that’s saying something. Ruiz threw out his eighth base-stealer to close out the eighth. Chooch deserves to be in the Midsummer Classic.

3. Hunter stays hot. Hunter Pence slammed his team-high seventh home run, a two-run blast into the left-center field seats in the first. After some early-season struggles, his stroke has become much more consistent in recent games. That bodes well for the short-handed Phillies, who could sure use some extra pop.