NL RECAP FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Paul Byrd continued to baffle his former team with 7 2/3 strong innings and Mike Lieberthal homered and drove in four runs as the Philadelphia Phillies ripped the New York Mets, 9-3. Byrd (6-2) allowed three runs and six hits, walking two and striking out five in winning his fourth straight start. He has beaten the Mets twice in the last seven days, allowing five runs over 14 innings. He is 4-0 lifetime versus the Mets, for whom he played from 1995-96. "I thought I could always be a starting pitcher that could keep his team in the game. Today was a big day for me because it was my second time against the Mets," Byrd said. "I think it builds my confidence, the more teams I face. But I know my limits as well. "Had I gotten guys out in Atlanta, I'd still be a middle reliever and watching games for a living," he added, referring to a brief stint with the Braves. After Yorkis Perez allowed a hit and walk in relief of Byrd, Wayne Gomes struck out pinch-hitter Brian McRae to end the eighth inning. Jeff Brantley got the side in order in the ninth. "We told him he was going to pitch because of the save situation. Then we stretched (the lead) out and decided to keep him in," manager Terry Francona said of Brantley. "I thought he simplified his delivery, which I like. The more we can pitch him, and he feels good, the better off we are because I think he's going to start locating better." Philadelphia improved to 11-1 in day games, including a 7-0 mark on the road. "Our guys must not go out," Francona joked. "I know when I woke up, I felt like (crap). I'm glad I wasn't playing." Mets starter Bobby Jones (3-3) was rocked again, allowing five runs and six hits over 2 2/3 innings. He is winless in six starts and has allowed 20 runs and 27 hits over his last 13 2/3 innings. "Myself, I think it's tendinitis. That's not an excuse for why I wasn't good (today)," Jones said. "The thing that I noticed was my velocity was down. Whether that's the cause of it, I don't know." New York catcher Mike Piazza went 0-for-4 and had his string of consecutive games with a homer snapped at four. The Mets had a chance to break on top in the first when recently activated Rickey Henderson walked and went to second on a wild pitch. But Byrd retired the next three batters to end the threat. Philadelphia then broke loose for four runs against Jones after two were out in the second. Lieberthal and Desi Relaford stroked consecutive triples and Byrd helped his cause with a soft single to left. After Doug Glanville walked, Anderson doubled to right for a 4-0 advantage. Bobby Abreu's two-out homer on an 0-2 pitch in the third put the Phillies up 5-0 but the Mets narrowly averted disaster with the next batter. Lieberthal lofted a fly ball down the right-field line and Benny Agbayani gave chase. Agbayani, who is hitting over .500 since filling in for an injured Bobby Bonilla, slid feet first into the wall. He was carted off the field but X-rays later in the game revealed just a bruised left patella. "I'm sure a few pitches, he didn't have that extra pop that he wanted -- the home run ball to Abreu," Piazza said of Jones. "They weren't very good two-strike pitches. Mahomes came on for Jones at that point and surrendered a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Lieberthal. New York finally broke through against Byrd in the sixth when Cedeno beat out a bunt back to the mound. He went to third on a single by John Olerud, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games. After Piazza fouled out, Ventura lined a single off the glove of Anderson at second base. The Mets rallied to within 6-3 on a two-run single by Luis Lopez in the eighth. New York sent McRae to the plate as a pinch-hitter representing the tying run in that same inning but Gomes struck him out to end the threat. "We have to try to hang in there," Piazza said. "We had a couple of clutch two-out hits, kind of wiggled our way closer, but we couldn't get back in the ballgame today. It was frustrating." Philadelphia put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth when Ron Gant and Abreu singled and Lieberthal launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right-center field for his ninth homer. --=-=-- 