The New York Mets threw the first punch — figuratively — in a seven-round September fight with the Philadelphia Phillies.
New York and Philadelphia will continue their three-game series on Saturday afternoon with the visiting Mets looking to continue making a dent in the Phillies’ National League East lead.
With their 11-3 victory Friday in the series opener, the Mets (81-66) closed to within seven games of the first-place Phillies (88-59). The teams have only 15 games remaining, although the Mets have plenty of opportunities to inch closer — the Saturday and Sunday contests in Philadelphia, then a four-game set against the Phillies in New York next weekend.
“Right now we’re in a good race,” said Jose Quintana, the winning pitcher on Friday. “We have a lot of confidence in us. Every game’s a new test.”
New York had a long list of standout performers in the series opener. Quintana pitched seven scoreless innings, and the Mets hit four home runs: three-run shots by Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader, and a solo blast from Pete Alonso.
New York, which holds the third and final NL wild-card position, is 12-2 in its past 14 games. The Mets have a good chance to reach 90 wins for the third time since 2007.
“We’re playing well,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We know we’re a good team, and there’s a lot of things we’re doing well.”
One potential issue, though, is the injury status of star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The NL MVP candidate left the Friday game with a sore back, although Mendoza downplayed the injury.
“Not really (any concern),” Mendoza said. “It’s day-to-day. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna tell me to put him in the lineup (Saturday). We’ll see.”
As the Phillies, Brandon Marsh’s three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning Friday marked the first time all game that the hosts had a runner reach third base.
Marsh likely will be back in the lineup Saturday against Mets right-hander Luis Severino (10-6, 3.74 ERA). Severino has allowed just two runs in 13 2/3 innings this month and has a 3-0 record with a 1.95 ERA over his past five outings.
“I think for us right now, we’re not worrying about who’s winning, who’s losing,” Severino said after his most recent outing. “Right now we just need to win series.”
Severino will face Philadelphia for just the second time in his career. On June 26, 2018, he beat the Phillies by throwing seven scoreless innings as a member of the New York Yankees.
Kolby Allard (2-0, 3.50 ERA) will be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start for the Phillies on Saturday. Philadelphia has struggled to find a consistent fifth starter behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nolan, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez.
Allard, a left-hander, has pitched well over 18 major league innings this season. He gave up two runs in five innings against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 25 in his latest start at the big-league level.
“The changeup was really good today,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Allard that night. “The first two guys get on in the first inning and he works himself out of it. That tells me something about him.”
Allard will oppose the Mets for the first time.
The Phillies have won four of their seven meetings with the Mets this season. The rivals have never met in the postseason.
“I think this series is going to (continue to) be very similar to playoff baseball,” Nimmo said.
–Field Level Media