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PHILADELPHIA -- Jay Bruce and Robert Gsellman made scoreboard-watching irrelevant for the New York Mets.Bruce homered for the third straight game and drove in three runs, Gsellman threw six sharp innings and the Mets moved closer to securing a wild-card berth with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.The defending NL champions reduced their magic number to one with two games remaining. The Mets began the night atop the wild-card race, with San Francisco one game back and St. Louis two behind.Manager Terry Collins and players in the clubhouse didnt pay any attention to televisions airing the Pirates-Cardinals game. Collins said the team had no plans to celebrate regardless of the outcome in St. Louis.We had to take care of our own business and weve done that and we have to keep doing that, Collins said.Gsellman (4-2) scattered seven hits and struck out seven in another strong performance. The rookie right-hander has allowed only three earned runs in his last four starts.I think Ive done a good job blocking it out, Gsellman said of pitching in a playoff race. Im focusing on having fun and doing what I do.More Mets fans were inside a half-empty ballpark on a wet, chilly night when Ryan Howard began his final series in front of the home crowd. The blue-and-orange faithful screamed Lets Go Mets and their Bruuuuuce chants drowned out boos from Phillies fans.Stuck in a slump for nearly two months since being acquired from Cincinnati, Bruce extended his hitting streak to six games. He finished 3 for 4.I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in my team, Bruce said. I want to contribute and help the team get to the World Series. Its come at the right time.Philadelphia starter Alec Asher (2-1) retired the first 11 batters before he ran into trouble with two outs in the fourth when Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson hit consecutive singles.Bruce and T.J. Rivera followed with back-to-back RBI singles for a 2-1 lead.Ive pitched like I know I should, Asher said. I just want to carry on next year.Bruce connected in the seventh, sending his 33rd homer the opposite-way to left field. The Mets added two runs, including another RBI single by Bruce.He changes our whole lineup, Collins said. Its nice to have him swinging the bat well. Hopefully he stays hot.Earlier in the inning, Howard let Cespedes infield pop fall untouched near the first-base bag, allowing a runner to score from third.Howard hit a double to deep center his first time up and was 1 for 4. Cameron Rupps sacrifice fly followed Howards double and put the Phillies ahead 1-0.Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, is the last player remaining from the 2008 World Series championship team. The Phillies plan to pay him a $10 million buyout rather than exercise a $25 million option for 2017.STATSBruce is 10 for 20 with four homers and eight RBIS in his last six games. ... Mets are 15-2 after an off day. ... Mets tied a franchise record with 106 homers on the road. They already have a franchise-best 217 homers.TOSSEDPhillies manager Pete Mackanin was ejected for the first time this season in the eighth inning by first baseman umpire Will Little. Mackanin perhaps thought Cespedes swung at an inside pitch from Michael Mariot and was tossed once he walked onto the field.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies: SS Freddy Galvis left the game because of tightness in his right hamstring.LOOKING AHEADMackanin emerged from a long meeting with coaches and front-office executives hopeful the team will add a veteran hitter in the offseason. I would like to get a good solid proven hitter somewhere on the field, he said. Where that is right now will be determined by who is available and what kind of a deal, if any, they could make.UP NEXTRHP Bartolo Colon (14-8, 3.42 ERA) starts for the Mets against RHP Phil Klein (0-1, 8.22) for the Phillies. Colon is 10-5 vs. Philadelphia. 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One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. MIAMI -- Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda figures to be a rested and dangerous pitcher on Sunday against the Miami Marlins.Maeda will be pitching on six days rest, which was pretty much his schedule in his native Japan.The 28-year-old is 14-8 this season with a 3.29 ERA. But in starts where he pitches on at least five days rest, he is even better (3.14 ERA in 89 innings).With the extra day, Kenta has performed, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. But whatever situation we put him in, he is going to perform.Indeed, if not for Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, Maeda would likely be the National League Rookie of the Year. Seager is hitting .318 with 39 doubles, three triples and 66 RBI.It has been 20 years since the Dodgers have had one of their players win the NL Rookie of the Year award.Consider that two-decade drought over. It will be Seager.Perhaps it is fitting that Seager and Maeda are considered the NLs top two rookies this year because the Dodgers have prided themselves on their minor-league system for decades.Starting in 1992, the Dodgers organization burst with pride, producing five straight Rookie of the Year winners. That fab five consisted of first baseman Eric Karros in 92 followed by catcher and eventual Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, outfielder Raul Mondesi, pitcher Hideo Nomo and outfielder Todd Hollandsworth.Since the NL started honoring its top rookies in 1949, no other organization has ever won that award more than two years in a row.In fact, the Dodgers had streaks of more than two in a row twwice -- 92-96 and also 79-82.dddddddddddd That latter streak included pitchers Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe and Fernando Valenzuela as well as second baseman Steve Sax.Seager and Maeda fit in just fine with all those names. And Maeda has fit seamlessly into the rotation of the Dodgers, who have gone 17-10 in games he has started.Another win could be coming Sunday as the Dodgers face Marlins rookie right-hander Jose Urena, who is 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA.Urena lost his most recent outing 4-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.It seemed like Jose was up in the zone more than we had seen in his previous couple of outings, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. He had more unfavorable counts, more off-speed up in the zone -- stuff like that.If stuff like that continues Sunday, that could be another loss for the Marlins (70-72), who already have been projected to have less than a two percent chance of making this years playoffs. Miami has lost 11 of its past 15 games.Meanwhile, the Dodgers (80-61) have a comfortable lead in the NL West, and they just got outfielder Andre Ethier (broken leg) off the disabled list for the first time all year.Its possible that the left-handed-hitting Ethier could make his first start of the year against Urena.The return of Ethier is a boost to the Dodgers, who have placed 28 different players on the disabled list this year, the most in the majors since at least 1987. ' ' '