The Mets didn’t exactly play a crisp one, but they did what they needed to do and walked out with a 6-3 win over the Phillies.
Zac Thornton gave them the kind of start that steadied everything. He opened the game by hitting Kyle Schwarber with a pitch, putting the first man aboard, but then settled right in. Thornton struck out Treat Turner and Bryce Harper before getting Luis Arraez to ground out, and from there he kept the Phillies from turning that early traffic into damage.
New York grabbed control right away against opener Tim Mayza. Francisco Lindor opened the game with a double, Bo Bichette followed with a single to move him to third, and Carson Benge singled him home for a 1-0 lead. Mark Vientos then walked, which ended Mayza’s night and brought in José Urquidy.
Urquidy’s first test was rough - he allowed a two-run single to A.J. Ewing in his first at-bat - but after that he settled in and gave the Mets exactly what they needed. He worked four and two-thirds innings, allowed no runs on five hits, and struck out six.
The Phillies got one back in the bottom of the second when Bryston Stott doubled off of Ewing’s glove in center field, scoring Edmundo Sosa. Then the game went quiet until the sixth, when Sosa changed it again with a solo homer to left-center.
That set the stage for Juan Soto to blow it open in the bottom of the sixth. With two on, he launched a towering three-run homer to right-center, pushing the Mets ahead 6-2. It was Soto’s 26th homer of the year, an impressive number considering how long he was on the shelf.
Thornton’s line backed up the win on the mound. He went six innings, allowed two runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out five.
The Phillies added one more on Derek Hill’s solo shot off Nate Lavender, though Lavender was otherwise solid over one and two-thirds innings. Dedniel Nuñez finished it off, throwing the last inning and a third and retiring all four batters he faced.
Tomorrow - Carlos Beltrán day, as the schedule notes - Christian Scott will face Andrew Painter at 4:10 p.m.
Big winner: Juan Soto, +18.0% WPA
Big loser: Brett Baty, -4.0% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +21.0% WPA
Total batter WPA: +21.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s three-run home run, +20.9% WPA
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