The New York Mets are back in the NL East race. Wednesday night at Citi Field, the Mets completed the three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies thanks to a 6-0 victory and pulled to within four games in the division. The win also clinched the season series and thus the tiebreaker for the Mets, so that four-game deficit is functionally a three-game deficit.
Rookie right-hander Nolan McLean, in his third MLB start, dominated the Phillies, holding them to four singles in eight shutout innings. He struck out six, did not walk a batter, and threw only 93 pitches. McLean has a 0.89 ERA through three big-league starts. The Mets will debut another touted prospect, Jonah Tong, when they host the Miami Marlins on Friday.
The Mets ambushed former Met Taijuan Walker in the third inning. They opened the frame with five consecutive hits, including two on the first pitch, to score three runs and take control of the game. The top five hitters in their lineup (Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos) went a combined 9 for 19 with 6 RBI.
Wednesday’s loss was the Phillies’ 10th straight at Citi Field dating back to last season, postseason included.
Philadelphia has been in sole possession of first place since Aug. 2 and it had a seven-game lead going into this three-game series against the Mets. They recently loss ace Zack Wheeler to season-ending thoracic outlet surgery, so even with what is functionally a three-game lead in the division, the Phillies are taking on some water right now.
These two teams won’t have to wait long to see each other again. They’ll play four games at Citizens Bank Park two weeks from now, Sept. 8-11. The Phillies are 5-2 against the Mets at home dating back to last year, which is a heck of a lot better than their 10-game losing streak in Queens.
Wednesday’s win improved the Mets to 72-61. They are four games up on the Cincinnati Reds for the third wild card spot. The Phillies are 76-57 and hold the National League’s second-best record behind the 83-50 Milwaukee Brewers.