PHILADELPHIA - Afforded extended auditions at the end of the Philadelphia Phillies' dreadful season, right-hander Jerad Eickhoff and first baseman Darin Ruf have taken full advantage.

Eickhoff combined with two relievers on a six-hit shutout and Ruf hit a two-run homer as the Phillies beat the New York Mets 3-0 on Thursday afternoon, completing a sweep of the three-game series.

Third baseman Andres Blanco also homered for the Phillies, who have won four straight.

"It's nice to sweep these guys," said manager Pete Mackanin, whose team dropped 14 of 19 to New York this season. "As much as they beat up on us all season, it feels good to sweep them."

It was the Phillies' first sweep of the Mets since April 2013, and their first sweep of New York in Philadelphia since July 2009.

"We talked about the importance of coming here and winning games and then we didn't win any," said Mets manager Terry Collins, whose team is in a virtual tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for homefield advantage in their National League Division Series. "We can't worry about today. It's over. Focus on tomorrow."

Eickhoff, facing a lineup of Mets reserves, went seven innings and allowed four hits to improve to 3-3 in eight starts with the Phillies. Acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Cole Hamels trade on July 31, the rookie struck out 10 for the second straight game and walked one.

Eickhoff joined Hamels as the only Phillies rookies to record back-to-back double-digit strikeout games since 1964. He also became the first Phillies rookie to work seven innings or more and allow two earned runs or fewer in four straight starts since Ben Rivera in 1992.

"He's on his way to becoming a complete pitcher," Mackanin said. "He's got that presence on the mound. I can't praise him enough."

Mackanin remembered Eickhoff laboring through six shutout innings in his first major-league start, a 7-1 victory at Miami on Aug. 21. He has progressed ever since, holding opponents scoreless in 27 of the last 30 innings he has worked.

"The biggest thing was, I just wanted to compete, no matter what the numbers show," he said.

That was most apparent when he faced Mets center fielder Juan Lagares with two outs and two on in the seventh inning, when the Phillies led 2-0. Mackanin visited the mound, but only to tell Eickhoff the game would remain in his hands. Eickhoff also paused before the at-bat to gather himself, knowing this would be the last hitter he would face this season.

Then he won a nine-pitch battle with Lagares, striking him out with a 3-2 curveball.

Getting that out, Eickhoff said, is "just a whole culmination of the season. ... It just all kind of came together. It's just a great, great feeling. It's hard to describe. Just everything bottled up into one pitch."

Jerome Williams worked a scoreless inning in relief, and Luis Garcia pitched the ninth for his second save.

Right fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis had three of the Mets' hits.

Sean Gilmartin, making his first major-league start, took the loss for New York. Gilmartin (3-2) went five innings and allowed two runs and three hits, while striking out three and walking one.

The game, originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, started at noon because of the threat of inclement weather. It was played before an announced crowd of 13,238, the smallest in the 12-year history of Citizens Bank Park.

Gilmartin did not allow a hit until Phillies right fielder Jeff Francoeur doubled with two outs in the fourth. Ruf followed by hammering a 3-2 slider down into the left-field seats, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. It was Ruf's 12th homer of the season, and helped improve his OPS against left-handed pitchers this season to 1.122, best in the majors.

Ruf, who has played more since Ryan Howard was lost for the season to a knee injury on Sept. 14, is hoping to have a more prominent role next season.

"I don't know how my play is evaluated," he said. "I just go out there and try to do the best I can - every day, put together quality at-bats. If that impresses people, that's great. If it doesn't, I can continue to just go do my thing."

Blanco added a solo shot off reliever Dario Alvarez in the eighth inning. It was Blanco's seventh homer of the season.

NOTES: The Phillies activated 3B Maikel Franco from the 15-day disabled list before the game. He had missed the previous 44 with a broken bone in his left wrist. ... Seven Phillies relievers combined to work 8 1/3 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Mets, which according to the Elias Sports Bureau is the Philadelphia bullpen's longest stint without allowing a run since four relievers pitched nine scoreless innings against the Mets on April 25, 1991. ... The Mets and Phillies combined to use 17 pitchers Wednesday, the most in a major-league game since Pittsburgh and St. Louis used a record 18 on Sept. 30, 2007.