Sept. 20 – Brandon Nimmo hit a tie-breaking homer in the third inning and finished with three RBIs on Thursday night for the red-hot New York Mets, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-6 in the opener of a four-game series between the National League East rivals.
Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso hit back-to-back homers in the first inning and Francisco Alvarez hit a three-run shot in the fourth inning for the Mets (85-68), who scored at least 10 runs in a third consecutive game for the first time in franchise history. New York beat the Washington Nationals 10-1 on Tuesday night and followed that up with a 10-0 win on Wednesday night.
Vientos had two RBIs while Luisangel Acuna hit a run-scoring triple in the seventh, leaving the Mets tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the last two N.L. wild-card spots. Both teams are two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves.
Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader had two hits each.
Trea Turner hit a two-run homer in the third to briefly tie the game while Bryce Harper had a two-run double for the NL East-leading Phillies (91-62), who missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth. Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber each had an RBI.
Luis Severino (11-6) got the win for the Mets, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks and striking out seven in six innings. The Phillies scored three times against Danny Young in the seventh before Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz limited Philadelphia to one hit over the final 2 2/3 frames.
Taijuan Walker (3-7) took the loss, giving up eight runs on six hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. The former Mets hurler, making his first start since Aug. 28, gave up all four New York homers, including Nimmo’s blast on just six pitches in the third inning.
–Field Level Media
