Phillies waste great Zack Wheeler start, squander opportunities in loss to Mets

Final Score: Mets 2, Phillies 1

A day after scoring three runs on four hits, the Phillies struggled at the plate again on Sunday. Just like Saturday, they scored a run in the first inning, but couldn’t do much more. Not being able to do much more wasted a great start by Zack Wheeler.

Mets’ starter Tylor Megill was able to get through four innings by using mostly fastballs. The right-hander held the Phillies to four hits and that one run he allowed in the first. Phil Maton was first out of New York’s bullpen. He faced six hitters and retired all of them. José Buttó tossed a 1-2-3 seventh.

With a one-run lead and the top of the Phillies’ order due up, Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza opted to use closer Edwin Díaz for the eighth inning. Trea Turner got 90 feet from home — he singled and stole his way to third base — but a Bryce Harper strikeout and Alec Bohm groundout ended the inning. Díaz remained in the game for the ninth, and after Bryson Stott got to third after a walk and two stolen bases, Kody Clemens couldn’t come through with two outs, striking out to end the game.

While the offense was far from it, Wheeler was excellent. The right-hander pitched seven innings and allowed two runs. He struck out eight Mets and walked one. Sunday’s was Wheeler’s 10th straight outing in which he finished at least six innings and allowed no more than two earned runs. It’s the longest such streak for a Phillies starter since Aaron Nola in 2017.

The Phillies had a great shot at clinching their first division title in 13 years at Citi Field heading into the weekend. Then, they lost three of four to the Mets. Rob Thomson’s club will now head home to begin a series against the Cubs on Monday, where they hope to finally win the NL East and have the big party they’ve been waiting to have for most of the season.

Highlights

• An RBI single by Bohm gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

• Nick Castellanos singled and Stott walked to load the bases in the first after Bohm’s single, but J.T. Realmuto lined out to center field to end the inning.
• The Mets tied the game on a two-out RBI single by Tyrone Taylor in the bottom of the second.
• The bottom of the fifth came to a close on a strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play.

• Brandon Nimmo gave New York a 2-1 lead with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

• Wheeler stayed in the game to start the eighth inning but was pulled after giving up a leadoff single to Jose Iglesias. Matt Strahm then entered the game and retired three straight Mets hitters to end the inning.

Notes

• The Phillies’ magic number to clinch the NL East remains one.
• With their loss, the Phillies now trail the Dodgers by a game for the top seed in the NL. They have what’s essentially a four-game lead over the Brewers for the No. 2 seed.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Monday, Sept. 23 vs. Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park
• 6:40 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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