In a collapse for the ages, the Philadelphia Phillies (11-15) blew a six-run ninth-inning lead on Thursday night and lost at home 8-7 to the New York Mets (19-9) in the series opener.
They will have to bounce back quickly as the Mets avoided just their second losing streak of the season. Game two of the four-game series is set for 7:05 p.m. ET Friday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, televised locally in both markets.
The Mets will send RHP Max Scherzer (4-0, 2.61) to the mound against Phillies RHP Zach Eflin 2-1, 2.93) on Friday night. The Mets lead the season series 5-2 after taking two-of-three in Philadelphia in the first week of the season and again last week in New York. These teams will meet again in New York on May 27-29.
Mets Hitting Gets Going Just in Time
The Mets had just three hits against starter Aaron Nola on Thursday and were held scoreless until Starling Marte hit a solo home run in the sixth inning.
Down six in the ninth, Francisco Lindor homered before Mark Canha drove in a run, and Brandon Nimmo tied the game with a single. Marte’s double gave the Mets an 8-7 lead as they won a game in which they started the ninth inning with a 1.3% win probability.
McNeil leads the Mets with a .348 batting average, while Canha is batting .333. Lindor has a team-leading five home runs while Marte has driven in 20. The Mets had eight hits in the final three innings on Thursday and the Mets. The Mets are now 10-4 on the road this season, 10-5 against NL East opponents, and 17-5 against right-handed pitchers.
Scherzer has already faced the Phillies twice this season, including last Sunday. In that contest, he allowed an early home run to Kyle Schwarber and gave up four runs in six innings but got the win with nine strikeouts. On April 13, he struck out seven and allowed just one run on five hits over five innings in a road win.
Herrera is 16-for-56 (.286) with two career homers off Scherzer and Harper is 4-for-17 with a homer against his former teammate.
J.T. Realmuto has three homers but is batting just .109 in 55 at-bats against Scherzer, while Castellanos is hitting .143. Schwarber had the home run against him Sunday and is now 3-for-8 with two homers off Scherzer.
Phillies Streaking the Wrong Way
The Phillies are 8-8 at home this season and just 3-8 overall against the NL East. They are 7-12 against right-handed pitchers, and Thursday’s collapse extended their losing streak to four games. Thursday’s game marked the second time in four games they have scored at least six runs against the Mets but still lost.
Philadelphia knocked Taijuan Walker around on Thursday with four runs in the first inning and seven in the first three frames, but they didn’t score against the Mets bullpen.
Harper and Castellanos hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, and Castellanos drove in three before leaving the game for a pinch-runner. Jean Segura had three hits, while Schwarber and Harper both had doubles.
Herrera had two hits Thursday and is leading the Phillies with a .321 average, while Castellanos is hitting .308, and Alec Bohm is at .304. Schwarber is batting just .195 but leads the team with six homers, while Harper has five and Castellanos four.
Gibson took a no-decision against the Mets last Saturday, allowing one unearned run on two hits over 4⅓ innings while walking a season-high five. Last season he faced the Mets twice, allowing four runs in 12 ⅔ innings while going 1-1. Gibson has gone at least 5 2/3 innings in three of his five starts this season and has 26 strikeouts in 27 ⅔ innings.
Lindor is 15-for-45 against Gibson, dating back to when both were in the AL. Nimmo (2-for-10) and McNeil (3-for-10) both have homers off the righty. Alonso is hitless in nine at-bats against the right-hander while Marte is 1-for-5.
Betting Analysis
- New York Mets -1.5 run line (+125). -140 Money Line
- Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 run line (-145). +120 Money Line
- Run Total: 7. Over -110. Under -110.
Blowing a lead like Thursday’s is never easy to bounce back from, especially facing an ace like Scherzer. The veteran is 16-4 lifetime against the Phillies, 2-0 this season, and has success against most of their hitters.
The Mets had been 0-330 when trailing by six runs or more in the ninth inning before Thursday; it may be time to acknowledge there’s something special going on in Queens.
Betting Pick: Mets -1.5 runs (+125)
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