The Mets traveled to Philadelphia to take on the first place Phillies in a three game weekend set. This was a critical series for New York and their playoff chances, as they are locked in a Wild Card race with the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Braves. They lost the rubber match in the bottom of the ninth, with their star closer on the mound, after a gem of a start by their starting pitcher. It will be important for manager Carlos Mendoza to rally his troops, as he has all season, to regain momentum moving forward.
Approaching the playoffs, and in the playoffs, pitching becomes extremely important. This has been a recent bright spot for New York. The Mets had three strong outings from their starters in the hitter friendly confines of Philadelphia. Jose Quintana (seven innings), Luis Severino (six), and David Peterson (7.2 innings) all went toe to toe with the powerful Phillies lineup.
The Mets will return home to take on the Washington Nationals next. They will look to get healed up from a potentially critical injury, and correspondingly welcomed a heralded prospect to the team while they were in Philadelphia.
When Francisco Lindor went down with back soreness, he missed the second game of the series. This was the first game that the Iron Man missed all season. The corresponding move that David Stearns made was to call up Luisangel Acuna. Acuna got the start in Saturday’s game and produced two hits in four at-bats. Lindor was back in the starting lineup on Sunday, but left the game early again due to back discomfort. Ideally, Lindor will continue to produce at his MVP level and Acuna can supplement the middle infield of Lindor and Jose Iglesias with his speed through the rest of the pennant race.
Additionally on the injury front, starting pitcher Paul Blackburn is still injured, with a back injury as well. In an injury that sounds worse than it is (according to Stearns), Blackburn has a spinal fluid leak. He remains out of the rotation.
Here is a rundown of the games against the Phillies:
Game 1: Mets 11, Phillies 3
The Mets made a statement to open the series with a no-doubter. New York hit three different three-run home runs in support of a masterful start by Quintana.
The three-run home runs were delivered by Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo, and Harrison Bader. Lindor added an RBI double, and Pete Alonso a solo home run (his 32nd homer of the season, this one off a position player in the ninth) for the other New York runs. Every starter produced a hit in the Mets lineup.
Quintana threw a gem in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. Over seven shutout innings, he allowed only three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. The win even his record at 9-9, and lowered his ERA to 3.91. Phil Maton worked a scoreless eighth, while Alex Young surrendered a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth.
The Phillies version of the three-run home run was produced by Brandon Marsh. The other three Philadelphia hits were from Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Johan Rojas.
Getting the start for the Phillies was Aaron Nola. Over 4.1 innings, he was charged with six runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Jose Ruiz went the next 0.2 inning to finish the fifth, and was not charged with a run. Max Lazar covered the next 2.2 innings, and his ledger held three runs. Tyler Gilbert had the next 0.1 inning and was charged with a run. Kody Clemens, a first baseman, pitched the ninth inning and surrendered a run on the Alonso home run.
Game 2: Phillies 6, Mets 4
A much closer game than the first, Philadelphia came back in this game to pick up the win and even the series. The Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead but could not hold on, in the first game of the season that Lindor did not appear in. It was only New York’s third loss in the last 15 games.
Starling Marte was the offensive star for the Mets, driving in three runs. He walked with the bases loaded in the first to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Then, in the third, Marte drove in two more with his third triple of the season. In addition to Marte, the Mets got multiple hits from Acuna in his big league debut, Iglesias, and Mark Vientos.
Getting the start for New York was Severino. Over six innings, he gave up three runs on three hits and a walk, with five strikeouts. Danny Young came on in relief, and took the loss while being charged with two runs. That loss was courtesy of a blown save by Reed Garrett, his fifth of the year. Ryne Stanek took the eighth inning and gave up an insurance run.
For the Phillies, it was a power display from Harper. He hit two home runs off of Severino, a solo shot and a two-run home run. Trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Cal Stevenson delivered a two-run double to give the Phillies a lead they would not relinquish. J.T. Realmuto had an RBI double in the eighth to provide the final margin.
Kolby Allard started for the Phillies, and went three innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He was relieved by former Met Taijuan Walker, who went the next three innings out of the bullpen without allowing a run. This was followed by subsequent scoreless innings from Orion Kerkering (who picked up the win), Jeff Hoffman, and Carlos Estevez who picked up his 26th save of the season.
Game 3: Phillies 2, Mets 1
A pitcher’s due between Peterson and Cristopher Sanchez ends with a walk-off victory for the Phillies, courtesy of a hit by Realmuto off of Edwin Diaz.
Tyrone Taylor gave the Mets the lead, breaking the scoreless tie with a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. It was his seventh homer of the year and 32nd RBI. This would be the only run they score all game.
Peterson continued a very strong campaign in 2024. He went 7.2 strong innings, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Maton came on in relief to finish off the eighth inning. Diaz started the ninth, and gave up the game-winning hit with two outs, for his fourth loss of the season.
For the Phillies, their bats were also silent until the bottom of the eighth. Buddy Kennedy delivered an RBI double to tie the score, and Realmuto ended it in the ninth.
Sanchez was masterful for the Phillies into the eighth inning, before Taylor’s home run was followed by a Bader single. His final line was seven innings, allowing one run on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. He was replaced by Kerkering, who pitched a scoreless eighth. Ruiz followed with a scoreless ninth.
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