Flores’ grand slam powers Mets

NEW YORK » Wilmer Flores launched a grand slam, Asdrubal Cabrera homered from both sides of the plate and even Bartolo Colon had two helpful hits while pitching the New York Mets to a 9-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

Jose Reyes and Cabrera opened the Mets’ half of the first inning with consecutive home runs, only the second time the franchise has accomplished the feat. Trying to make a significant move in the crowded NL wild-card race, New York (65-63) opened a 10game homestand by winning for the fifth time in its past six.

The 43-year-old Colon (12-7) carried a two-hitter into the eighth inning and took over the team lead in wins. He also lashed two sharp hits that delighted the crowd, a leadoff double in the fifth and a line-drive single in the sixth.

The pudgy pitcher scored both times, first ahead of Flores’ third career slam and then in front of Cabrera’s second homer of the night. The switch-hitting shortstop became the first Mets player to go deep from both sides in one game since Carlos Beltran at Colorado on May 12, 2011.

Colon gave up four straight hits to start the eighth but walked off the mound to a warm ovation and acknowledged the crowd by patting his glove and pointing two fingers.

Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (1-8) gave up two homers on his first five pitches but recovered from that shaky start. He was trailing 2-1 when Neil Walker, just back from the paternity leave list after the birth of a baby girl, worked a nine-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs in the fifth.