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NEW YORK -- A.J. Ellis didnt wait long to endear himself to the Philadelphia Phillies. All he needed was three at-bats.Ellis got a big hit in his Philadelphia debut, breaking a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double Sunday that sent the Phillies to a 5-1 victory over the New York Mets.Philadelphia salvaged the series finale after getting outscored 21-5 in the first two games.Regardless of whats happened the last four days, it feels good to drive in runs, Ellis said. It feels good to help put your team ahead and contribute to a team win.Ellis was acquired Thursday from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade for longtime Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. The veteran backstop, the longest-tenured Dodgers player in the organization at the time of the deal, arrived Saturday and started getting to know his new teammates and pitching staff.We heard about his disappointment in L.A., but the minute he got here and I talked to him, he put it behind him, he was fine, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. It was great to see him get that big hit, for himself and for the team. Im sure he feels more comfortable now.Ellis didnt just help at the plate. He guided young starter Vince Velasquez and four relievers as they quieted a streaking Mets lineup that was minus ailing sluggers Yoenis Cespedes (quad) and Neil Walker (back).It was a lot more fun catching those guys than hitting against them, Ellis joked.New York also lost shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning. He exited with soreness in his left knee, a problem area that sidelined him twice earlier this year.Mets manager Terry Collins indicated that his three injured players might require daily checkups for the remainder of the season.Well have to continue to monitor how they feel each day, he said. But with the way all of a sudden weve played here in the last four or five days, it took a little air out of the balloon.The score was 1-all in the seventh when Philadelphia loaded the bases with nobody out on singles by Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Jimmy Paredes off Robert Gsellman (1-1), who was very effective to that point in his first major league start.Hansel Robles came on in relief and Ellis drove the right-handers fourth pitch over Curtis Grandersons head in left field, scoring Joseph and Altherr with his first hit for his new team.Ellis struck out and grounded out in his first two at-bats.Pinch-hitter Peter Bourjos was hit by a pitch from Robles with the bases loaded, forcing in another run.Cesar Hernandez added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.David Hernandez (3-3) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.Philadelphia squandered two chances to score early in the game, when Freddy Galvis was thrown out at home on a failed squeeze attempt and Altherr was cut down at the plate on Paredes fourth-inning RBI double.Velasquez allowed five hits in five innings while striking out seven. The 24-year-old right-hander had struggled of late, allowing 19 runs and 25 hits over his previous 16 1/3 innings. But he improved on his success against the Mets, lowering his ERA versus New York to 1.76 (three earned runs in 15 1/3 innings).Talking to A.J. when he got here, and just today before the outing, he was like, `Just trust your stuff, Velasquez said.Philadelphia had lost the previous seven games Velasquez started, dating to July 19.At (24) years old, hes got a lot to learn, but hes got the stuff to be really good, Mackanin said.The Mets entered having scored 31 runs over their last three games, including three homers by Cabrera during that span.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies: Bourjos was hit by a 97 mph fastball on the left wrist. After crouching down in pain behind home plate, he went to first base.Mets: LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) threw a bullpen and is expected to throw another one before coming off the disabled list to start Thursday against Miami rather than Wednesday, Collins said.UP NEXTPhillies: RHP Jake Thompson (1-3, 9.78 ERA) opens a three-game series against NL East-leading Washington, his fifth major league start. Hes failed to reach the sixth inning in any of his previous four. Tanner Roark (13-7, 2.99 ERA) pitches for the Nationals.Mets: RHP Rafael Montero (0-0, 11.57 ERA) has the difficult task of facing All-Star RHP Jose Fernandez (13-7, 2.91) in his first big league start of the season as the Mets begin an important four-game series with Miami at Citi Field. Montero will be recalled from Double-A Binghamton on Monday and last pitched in the majors on April 19. He struggled at Triple-A Las Vegas, but had a 1.70 ERA in eight starts at Binghamton. 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Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Against South Africa in Adelaide, Australia made five changes and named three debutants in one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the national side since World Series Cricket. They won, but a dead rubber only, and now face the expectation of winning a series against Pakistan. But Steven Smiths men have much schooling ahead of them in international cricket, with many lessons to learn. And if Mickey Arthur has taught the Pakistanis anything, they will punish Australia if they havent done their homework. So, here are six subjects that Australias new-look squad might (or might not) benefit from studying.Ancient historyOne of the most enduring records in Australian cricket is the teams unbeaten run at the Brisbane Cricket Ground - nicknamed the Gabbatoir for their slaying of opposition dreams at the venue. Last time Australia lost a Gabba Test was in 1988. Smith wasnt even born then, and nor were half of his team. Not to mention this will be the first Gabba Test played with a pink ball under lights, and the first Gabba Test full-stop for up to five of Australias XI. And so, like most students, Australias cricketers will view this ancient history as irrelevant. We might as well be discussing who won the Punic Wars.Weve got a great record here and hopefully we can keep that up, but its a little bit different this year - the pink ball compared to the red ball, Smith said. Im not really paying much attention to that, its about going out here and making sure weve got our processes right and were playing good cricket. And if were doing that then hopefully the result will take care of itself.Modern historyAustralia and Pakistan have both been ranked No.1 in Tests this year, but have fallen to No.3 and 4 respectively after losing campaigns. Australia lost away to Sri Lanka and at home to South Africa, and Pakistan lost on the green seaming pitches in New Zealand. It is also worth noting that only four in Australias side - Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc - have played Tests against Pakistan. By comparison, 10 of Pakistans squad have played Australia. One of those is fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who skittled Australia for 88 at Headingley in 2010. That Test marked the beginning of an era in which Australias batsmen often suffered humiliating collapses against swing - an era that remains ongoing. Under lights with the pink ball, Amir could be a serious threat.I remember watching out in Australia in 2010 he bowled with really good pace, said Smith, the only current Australia player to have faced Amir in Tests. I think he was hitting 145-150 and in England he slowed it down and got his wrists right and swung the ball, so its great to have those sort of gears and those skills. No doubt he could potentially be a handful if its swinging around. Guys are just going to have to identify those difficult periods and adapt and show some resilience and things will get easier from there.GeographyIn 2014, Australia learnt a lesson about deserts. On the dry pitches of the UAE, Pakistans batsmen handled Australias fast men with ease, and their spinners with contempt. Pakistans slow bowlers were dominant, including legspinner Yasir Shah. On debut in that series, he claimed 12 wickets at 17.25 across the two Tests, more wickets than all of Australias spinners combined. But in Australia, where the pitches will offer far more bounce and pace, Smith hopes that the thhreat of Yasir will be diminished.ddddddddddddI guess the Gabba, youll get a bit of extra bounce as a spin bowler, Smith said. I guess that can play in your favour, and can also play against you. Your length has to be spot on. Generally there isnt too much turn - its more bounce, so length is crucial. And if youre slightly off your length, you can really cash in down the wicket and square of the wicket as well. So hes going to have to be pretty accurate. Physical educationAustralias new-look side boasts some fine fielders - Peter Handscomb pulled off a super catch at gully in Adelaide - but some aspects of working together require improvement. Australia will, for example, hope that wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and first slip Matt Renshaw have no further disagreements over who should go for a catch. Still, Australia will likely have the edge over Pakistan in the catching department. Pakistans batsmen might also find themselves up against some bouncer barrages as Australias fast men try to exploit the pace and bounce in the pitches, although the likes of Wahab Riaz are more than capable of returning the favour.Weve watched a little bit of the New Zealand series, just recently, and I think traditionally sub-continent sides that come over to Australia dont handle the pace and bounce, or arent as comfortable with the pace and bounce of our wickets, Smith said. You need to try and find ways to exploit that as much as possible and at times Im sure were going to see some short-pitched bowling to mess with their feet and be possible ways to get them out as well. We watched New Zealand pretty closely and they obviously did a good job, so hopefully our bowlers can replicate that.MathsCalculations are always important for a captain, whether setting targets or juggling bowling spells. But in day-night Test cricket an extra dimension is added, with the knowledge that batting can become harder as the floodlights kick in. In Adelaide, Faf du Plessis even declared South Africas first innings before the close of the first day, such was his desire to test Australia under the lights.I think if you look at all the pink-ball stats that have come out, most wickets have been lost in that final session so I guess it adds another dimension to the game, Smith said. Captains have to be switched on and possibly figure out different times to have a crack. If we get the opportunity and it might be about going out and trying to score a little bit quicker to get 10 overs with the new ball under lights, because weve seen it can do quite a lot. It throws some different strategies into the game.ScienceThis is where the lessons get complicated. At about 5pm on match eve, the Australians gathered around the 22-yard strip in the middle of the Gabba and tried to work out how it would perform. At Adelaide Oval, the curator had left six millimetres of grass on the surface to help protect the pink ball; at the Gabba, only two millimetres will be left on. Perhaps only in cricket do agriculture and sport combine to hold the attention of so many. The Gabba curator, Kevin Mitchell jnr, believes the pitch will perform like a typical Gabba Test surface. Whatever the case, Australias uncertainty was such that Smith was unable to confirm whether spinner Nathan Lyon would play. ' ' '