By: Matthew Mack
The Philadelphia Phillies faced the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series. The Mets walked into South Philly struggling to hold on to the last Wild Card spot in the National League and were seven games out in the NL East. The Phillies, meanwhile, are the team the Mets are chasing in said division.
On Monday night, the Phillies struck first blood in the second inning with an RBI single by Nick Castellaños to right. Max Kepler, who was on third, scored the run. After that, it was all the run production that was had. Aaron Nola pitched 6 scoreless innings while striking out 7 on three hits and two walks. The bullpen did the rest including Jhoan Duran shutting the door to get his 28th save of the season and securing the 1-0 win for the Phightin’s.
Tuesday night, more runs would score in this one. Castellaños started the scoring for the Phillies again by doubling to left to score two in the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Phillies 3rd baseman Otto Kemp celebrated his birthday with a solo homer to extend the lead. Then Harrison Bader sent a bomb to send the score 4-0 on the very next at bat. Ranger Suárez had a start to remember as he went six innings in his outing. In it, he struck out a career high 12 batters. 3 of them belonged to the $51 million dollar a year man Juan Soto. When Suarez was out of the game, the Mets finally put up a run on the board thanks to Mark Vientos solo home run in the seventh. The Phillies responded giantically. With runners on first and second, Kyle Schwarber did Kyle Schwarber things by slamming his 50th home run of the season. The second Phillies player to hit 50 home runs in franchise history. Ryan Howard was the first when he slugged 58, which set a franchise record in 2006. The chants of “MVP! MVP!” for Schwarber didn’t go unnoticed as he acknowledged the fans with a curtain call. In the next inning, the Mets chipped away at the 7-1 Mets deficit by a RBI single by Soto in the top of the eighth. Phillies counterpunched with a Bryson Stott and Bader RBIs to give the Phillies more insurance runs. Though Jeff McNeil brought home a run in the ninth, the Phillies still got the win 9-3
On Wednesday night, the Phillies picked where they left off with a J.T. Realmuto RBI in the first inning of the game. In the same inning, with the bases loaded, Max Kepler was plunked with a pitch to force home a run the extend the lead 2-0. In the top of the fourth, Starling Marte cut the lead in half for the Mets with an RBI single to score Soto. The Phillies response was loud and commanding. They scored seven unanswered runs in three innings. Brandon Marsh and Kepler both cranked RBIs in that span in two of their at bats in that span. Kemp sent the ball to right for a sacrifice fly to score a run and Bryce Harper pulled one to left for his 25th home run of the season. By the time you look up, it was a 9-1 and the demoralization of the Mets continued. Soto hit his 39th homer off of Jose Alvarado in the eighth. The Phillies weren’t having it as Kepler returned the favor by getting the run back in the bottom of the eighth with a home run. His 16th of the year. Then an RBI by Donovan Walton to extend the lead to 11-2. In the ninth, the Mets tried it. Brett Baty hit an RBI single to score a run but nothing more as the Phillies won this one 11-3, pushing the Magic Number to 7.
The last game of the series, the Phillies are looking for a sweep and can smell blood in the water going into this one. However, Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Lazardo gave up four runs in the first inning to give the Mets the lead. Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, and Marte all produced RBIs to spot them a 4-0 lead. After that, the Mets offense died. Lazardo and Duran combined to pitch a no hitter from the second inning on. As both pitchers did their thing, the Phillies climbed back to take the lead by chipping it away. Kemp with a two run homer in the fourth. Harper with his 31st double of the season to send in a run in the fifth. Kemp and Bader hit RBIs to take the lead in sixth. In the same inning, Harper singled in a run to extend the lead 6-4. Luzardo pitched eight innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. All five hits were surrendered in the first inning. The Phillies won the game and swept the Mets, expanding the National League East lead to 11 games, lowering the divisional Magic Number to 5.
The Phillies are getting hot at the right time in September. The Milwaukee Brewers being swept by the Texas Rangers, the lead for the best record in baseball goes to 2 games. The Phillies play the Kansas City Royals for a weekend series. Though the Eagles play the Chiefs on Sunday at 4:25, fans can hope that the Phillies can clinch the East before that time. However, the Royals are fighting for their postseason lives as they are 4 ½ games out of the final spot in the AL Wild Card race. Both teams have their respective businesses to take care of. For the Phillies, getting the NL East is the most important step. Worry about the best record later. The Royals? They have their work cut out for them, but they will not lay down.
Pitching Probables
Walker Buehler (7-7, 5.45) will make his Phillies debut in the first game of the series as he faces Michael Lorenzen (5-10, 4.63), who pitched the Phillies last no hitter. Ryan Bergert (2-2, 3.48) v. Tijuan Walker (4-8, 4.03) for Saturday night. In the Sunday matinee, Noah Cameron (7-7, 3.00) v. Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24)
