Mets hit four homers, rock Phillies for fourth straight win
Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias, left, and outfielder Brandon Nimmo celebrate after scoring on Nimmo’s two-run homer against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning of a game Thursday at Citi Field. Credit: Noah K. Murray
If a baseball season is a marathon, what remains for the Mets is more like a 400-meter dash.
The distance is much shorter, but the intensity is higher than ever. There is no time to sit back or cruise. This is the longest of the sprints, an agonizingly all-out quarter mile, a race so grueling that Brandon Nimmo — Wyoming high school state champ in 2011 — used to get sick after crossing the finish line.
What the Mets are doing lately, including in a 10-6 win over the Phillies on Thursday night at Citi Field, looks like a heck of a finishing kick.
Mark Vientos, Pete Alonso, Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez hit home runs — all off Taijuan Walker, all in the first four innings — and the bullpen survived a brief scare to hold onto the late lead. They scored double-digit runs in a third consecutive game for the first time in franchise history.
“You empty the tank every single day. And then whatever you got the next day, you empty that tank,” Nimmo said. “And so definitely at this time of the year, with the veteran guys that we have and the young guys that we have — that good mixture — you’re going to see guys leaving it all out on the field. How can you not, in that atmosphere?”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said, reiterating a sentiment he expressed even during the Mets’ worst times: “We know we’re good.”
The Mets (85-68) have won four consecutive games without Francisco Lindor, who remains sidelined with a back injury, and have taken 16 of the past 20 overall. They and Arizona are two games ahead of Atlanta for the final two NL wild-card spots.
The Mets just might be playing their best ball when it matters most.
“I believe so,” Alonso said. “We’ve done a great job responding to the challenge, especially late in the year. We’ve put ourselves in position, but we just need to finish.”
In what looks like a difficult four-game weekend set, this was the game the Mets needed to have, based solely on the starting pitcher matchup: Walker versus Luis Severino (six innings, three runs).
Walker, a former Met, has a 6.91 ERA this season, one of the worst marks by a starting pitcher in the history of the Phillies. As recently as last week, Walker had been relegated to the bullpen; he returned to the rotation only because Philadelphia (91-62) has had a mess of a time trying to fill that No. 5 spot.
Over the next three days, the Phillies will roll out Cristopher Sanchez (3.24 ERA), Ranger Suarez (3.13) and Zack Wheeler (2.56). The Mets will counter with David Peterson (2.85 ERA), Sean Manaea (3.26) and Tylor Megill (4.08).
The Mets opened the lead for good with a five-run fourth inning. The highlight: Alvarez’s three-run homer, a no-doubter to leftfield. It was his fourth home run in eight games — after he had just six in the previous 85.
Mendoza lifted Severino after 87 pitches because he appeared tired.
“But he found a way to give us six innings,” Mendoza said.
Severino said: “I felt pretty good. I threw 80-something pitches. I feel like I could’ve gone one more [inning]. But this is an important series for us. The bullpen was fresh. I understand that. I went out there and gave everything I got.”
All that came in front of a loud crowd of 35,982, contributing to what Nimmo called a “playoff-type atmosphere.”
Nine games remain in the Mets’ regular season. They’re about to hit the back turn on their last lap around the track.
“All those aches and pains and everything you’ve gone through, it all comes down to this,” Nimmo said. “You definitely do have a little more energy, a little more adrenaline for these games.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
