Philadelphia Phillies surge past New York Mets with six-run seventh inning, claim first place in NL East
Bryson Stott hit a bases-clearing triple in a six-run seventh inning and the Philadelphia Phillies surged past the slumping New York Mets into first place in the NL East with a 10-2 victory on Friday night.
Nick Castellanos homered for the Phillies, who opened the three-game set between division rivals with their eighth win in their last nine games.
Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil homered for New York, which has lost seven straight.
Reliever Reed Garrett (2-3) started the seventh for the Mets but failed to retire any of the five batters he faced after opening the frame by giving up doubles to Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner.
Alec Bohm's RBI single put Philadelphia in front 4-2, ending Garrett's night. Justin Garza then surrendered an RBI single to Castellanos before Stott's drive off the wall in left-center.
After Phillies starter Zack Wheeler could only get through five scoreless innings, New York took advantage against Taijuan Walker. Alonso opened the sixth by hitting a 90-mph cutter into the batter's eye in center for his 18th of the season. McNeil tied it with a drive to the right.
After Walker got an out and allowed a single, Tanner Banks (2-0) came in and blanked the Mets over 1 2/3 strong innings.
"We're playing good baseball right now."
Dusty Wathan has sent two runners simultaneously before, so when J.T. Realmuto is hustling behind Nick Castellanos and about to run into him on the base paths, it wasn't out of the ordinary.
Whether Wathan sent them or not, Realmuto already made the decision – he was going regardless.
"We were either gonna both be out or both be safe," Realmuto laughed. "Luckily, we both snuck in there."
Castellanos and Realmuto were both safe on a double that Bryson Stott hit off the wall deep in left center field, a bases-clearing hit that capped a six-run seventh inning for the Phillies in a 10-2 victory over the Mets Friday night. The double by Stott was his fifth hit in his last eight at-bats, but the highlight was the "Rookie of the Year" esque base running with Castellanos and Realmuto.
A fun moment in the dugout for a team that's having a lot of fun right now.
"It's one of those plays you never really prepare for," Realmuto said with a smile. "I was smiling the whole time. If Dusty thought Casty (Castellanos) was gonna be safe, I thought I was gonna be safe too."
The Phillies have righted the ship after losing eight of nine games from May 30 to June 8, the lowlight of the season being swept by the hands of the Pirates.
Since that sweep, the Phillies have won nine of their last 11 to seize control of the National League East for the first time since May 30. The Phillies lead by a game over the Mets, who have lost six in a row.
"We're playing good baseball right now," said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "Trust me, there's ups and downs to the season now, but I'm happy with where we're at right now."
Outside of the frolics from Castellanos and Realmuto, the Phillies received exceptional defense from their infield. Otto Kemp made several defensive highlights at first base, including a diving stop to rob Juan Soto of a hit in the top of the seventh inning with two outs. The Phillies have mentioned Kemp has provided a spark to the lineup and the clubhouse since he arrived, as that diving stop set the stage for the six-run bottom of the seventh.
"It was incredible, you know, first is a new position for him," said Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh, who finished with three hits on the night. "The dude can play anywhere, but with this being a new position for him, he's showing out. He's doing a phenomenal job, and we're gonna need that out of him."
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler battled through five scoreless innings, but threw 98 pitches. The Phillies relied on their bullpen to finish the job, as Tanner Banks entered in a 2-2 game after Taijuan Walker gave up back-to-back home runs from Pete Alonso, followed by a Luis Torrens single. With the game tied, Banks struck out Brett Baty and got Tyrone Taylor to line out to Kemp – another excellent defensive play from Kemp – to keep the game tied.
Banks went 1 2/3 innings and kept the game in the Phillies' hands. Max Lazar finished the job with two shutout innings.
"He's throwing the ball very well," Thompson said. "And we have put him in high-leverage situations, but he really set us up for the end. He did a great job."
