Mets take R.A. Dickey off the hook

R.A. Dickey had one of his most inconsistent and difficult outings of the season in the Mets' 6-5 comeback victory over the Phillies Thursday night at Citi Field.

Dickey, who was taken off the hook when the Mets scored twice in the ninth inning, allowed five runs and a career high-tying 11 hits in seven innings, walking one, hitting a batter and striking out seven. It was the third time the knuckleballer allowed 11 hits and the first time since May 14, 2011, in Houston.

"A lot of those runs are on me,'' Dickey said. "I didn't deserve to get a no-decision. I deserved to lose the game tonight, and the guys were just phenomenal.

"I didn't have my best knuckleball tonight," he said. "I was stinky for a few innings. But I fought as hard as I could, as we all did, and you saw the result."

The National League Pitcher of the Month for June -- not including a tough start against the Yankees, he allowed one earned run and 24 hits in 562/3 innings from May 22 to June 29 -- gave up a run in the first inning for the first time this season when Shane Victorino singled home Juan Pierre with two outs. Jimmy Rollins' RBI double in the second made it 2-0.

"I just took some time to get the feel of it. You don't feel great every night," Dickey said. "Tonight I just didn't feel great. My body wasn't cooperating, my mechanics were a little bit askew, but I tried to correct them over the course of the game . . . I was throwing strikes with it and I didn't feel like they were covering a ton of balls. I feel like I was giving up some weaker hits. You just take that and you try to build off of it even when you don't have your best night."

Hunter Pence's two-out RBI single in the fourth put Philadelphia on top 3-2. David Wright's two-run homer in the fifth gave the Mets a 4-3 lead, but Dickey again was unable to hold the lead as Rollins tripled home a run and scored on Pierre's sacrifice in the sixth to put the Phillies ahead 5-4.

"I feel like I didn't show a lot of control early," Dickey said. "They were a little more patient. I was falling behind in some counts. I gave up some two-strike hits that I shouldn't have.''

It was just the third time this season Dickey (12-1) has allowed five or more runs. Afterward, he put his night of struggle in perspective.

"It just wasn't consistent, as consistent as I'm used to," he said. "And look, if seven innings, five runs and keeping us in the game is my worst outing, then it's been a good year."