The New York Mets were ambushed out of the gate as Philadelphia Phillies Designated Hitter Kyle Schwarber smacked a home run over the left field fence on the second pitch of the game. He extended his own MLB record with his 15th leadoff home run of the 2024 season. New York Mets Catcher Francisco Alvarez responded with a solo home run of his own in the bottom of the second to tie the game and Shortstop Luisangel Acuna blasted another solo shot to give NY a 2-1 lead after two innings at Citi Field.
The solo home run barrage continued when Phillies Right Fielder Nick Castellanos knotted the game at 2 in the top of the fifth. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when the New York Mets scored three runs. A Brandon Nimmo RBI single and a two-run double from Alvarez gave NY a 6-3 lead. Each team would score in the eighth inning and the Mets walked away with a 6-3 victory. Philadelphia’s “magic number” to clinch the National League East remains at one. Will the New York Mets be able to carry this momentum into Sunday’s game?
New York Mets Come Up Clutch
The New York Mets were hitless with RISP until Nimmo’s RBI single in the seventh inning. They finish the game 3-of-12 with RISP, but most importantly, came up clutch when it was required. New York’s pitching was also great this afternoon. Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea turned in another solid start surrendering three earned runs over seven innings of work. Reed Garrett and Edwin Diaz combined to toss two scoreless innings to clinch the important victory.
New York remains two games clear of the Atlanta Braves for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. They are also half a game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second wild card spot. Arizona is currently facing the Milwaukee Brewers.
The final game of this four-game set will pit Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitcher Zack Wheeler(16-6, 2.56 ERA) against New York Mets Starting Pitcher Tylor Megill(4-5, 4.08 ERA). Wheeler has been one of the league’s best pitchers this season as he is third in the league in wins, third in ERA, sixth in ERA, and third in WHIP. Wheeler is riding high as he has picked up a victory in his last four starts and dominated his last time out against the Milwaukee Brewers. He surrendered one earned run over seven innings of work and punched out six.
Wheeler will also look to exact revenge on his former ballclub as he was a member of the New York Mets from 2013-2019. Megill is coming off a strong start of his own tossing six scoreless innings on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. After a rough patch midway through the season, Megill has found his footing with a 1.69 ERA over his last four starts. The Philadelphia Phillies have an edge on the mound tomorrow afternoon and will look to leave “The Big Apple” with a series split against the New York Mets.
