PHILADELPHIA -- Before Orlando Hernandez had thrown his first pitch, he was issued a challenge.

Whether real or perceived, it may have been enough to propel him to his first June win.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel contended Hernandez had an excessive amount of rosin and dirt on the back of his cap. The umpires conferred and ruled there was nothing illegal about El Duque's New Era headgear.

The Mets right-hander didn't seem to know what the commotion was about and claimed afterward that he didn't understand the English being spoken.

No matter what language you process it in, from his teammates' account, Hernandez was upset.

"He was speaking Spanglish," catcher Ramon Castro said after Hernandez responded with six strong innings and the Mets had held on to win, 6-5, in the first game of Friday's day-night doubleheader.

Mets manager Willie Randolph said what Manuel did may have been in response to an incident with the Mets involving Phillies pitcher Freddy Garcia in May, when the umpires made him remove his glove because it was the wrong color.

"Maybe it was tit for tat," Randolph said. "It fired up El Duque, so I guess it's fine."

Hernandez was winless in his past four starts before Friday.

The Mets' lineup took advantage of the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park, though, and was facing a pitcher fresh from the Minor Leagues in the Phillies' J.D. Durbin.

It wasn't that El Duque had pitched poorly in June.

He had two scoreless outings during the month -- the first a three-hit shutout against the Phillies on June 6 -- but didn't get the run support he needed. The Mets manufactured a total of three runs during Hernandez's previous June gems, both of which ended in no-decisions.

The Mets took advantage of the Phillies' inexperience on the mound Friday. Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes blasted home runs, and the Mets piled up five extra-base hits off Durbin.

"We just made a couple of adjustments out there," said Delgado, who finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. "You can't score enough runs in this ballpark."

Hyperbole? Maybe, but it was accurate to a degree.

Hernandez allowed just three hits in six innings, two of which were solo homers. He left after just 97 pitches, and the Phillies began to climb back.

Guillermo Mota relieved Hernandez and gave up a quick two-run homer to Wes Helms to start the seventh before retiring the next three batters.

Pat Burrell singled in the eighth to score Michael Bourn and draw the Phillies within a run.

But the ninth inning belonged to Mets closer Billy Wagner. The former Phillies reliever struck out the side in the ninth, keeping Philadelphia's hitters off balance by mixing his slider and fastball.

Helms, Rod Barajas and Shane Victorino each struck out in the ninth.

"They're the toughest hitters in the National League," Wagner said of his old team. "You have to pitch perfect."

It was the first time Wagner earned a save by striking out the side since July 27, 2002. He's done it 11 times during his career.

And for the record, Wagner said he agreed with Manuel's controversial ploy.

"It sounds bush league," Wagner said. "But if you get the guy rattled, why not? I would've done it."

Hernandez wasn't the only one to get upset.

Reyes believed he had his 39th stolen base this season in the seventh inning. Replays appeared to show Reyes sliding in well before Jimmy Rollins' tag, but he was called out by second-base umpire Dale Scott.

Gatorade cups flew when Reyes returned to the clubhouse, and he said after the game he was glad a grounder didn't come his way in the bottom of the inning, or it may have found its way to the stands.

"He likes his stolen bases," Delgado said. "What can I tell you?"

It proved to be a moot argument, though. The bullpen that abandoned the Mets when they were swept by the Phillies in early June slipped, but Wagner didn't suffer a repeat of the June 7 game, when Burrell homered off him in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings.

Wagner admitted he was utilizing his slider more than he had two weeks ago, and to good results.

"His fastball is still his life tool, but you have to mix in sliders, and he threw a couple really good ones to Victorino," Randolph said. "When he doesn't overthrow it, it comes out of his hand really nicely."