Mets Shutout Phillies To Get 75th Win Of Season & Complete Successful Homestand

 

Chris Bassitt rears back to throw one to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets shutout the Philadelphia Phillies for the second straight game, and this one was a 6-0 win led by Chris Bassitt on Sunday afternoon.

Bassitt earned his 10th win of the season as he threw five innings, and he has now gone 24 innings without surrendering an earned run. He allowed just four hits and two walks, while striking out five, as he lowered his ERA (earned run average) to 3.27. He got out of massive jams in the fourth and fifth innings before the Mets blew it open.

The Phillies scored in the first inning Friday night, and their only run the rest of the weekend was in the 10th inning of that game when they brought in the "ghost runner" to earn a 2-1 win in that one. Jacob deGrom shut them out for six innings on Saturday night as the Mets won 1-0.

This was the Mets' 75th win, and caps a homestand in which they won nine out of 11 games, including two of three against the Phillies this weekend. Their record is now 75-40, and they maintain their 5 1/2 game lead over the Atlanta Braves (70-46) in the National League East, after the Braves completed their four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins with a 3-1 win.

The Mets wasted no time getting to old friend Zack Wheeler, as Brandon Nimmo led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored on a single by Francisco Lindor, which gave him 82 RBI on the season, which is the new record for a Mets shortstop, passing the 81 Jose Reyes had in 2006.

Bassitt cruised through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth when Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm led off the frame with singles. J.T. Realmuto then struck out, Nick Castellanos flew out to center field, and Darick Hall grounded back to Bassitt to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Mets made Philly pay, as Pete Alonso doubled with one out and he scored on a two-out single by Mark Canha. Luis Guillorme then singled home Canha, and after Jeff McNeil walked, James McCann got a single to score Guillorme, and McNeil, alert as always, saw the Phillies tossing the ball around at second while he was at third base, and he bolted for the plate to make it 5-0 Mets. McCann got one RBI on the hit, and McNeil's run came in a fielder's choice.

Guillorme was evidently limping as he came around third, and he exited the game with left groin tightness and will have imaging done on Monday.

Mark Canha connecting on his RBI single to right field. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Phillies tried to get back into it in the fifth inning, as Jean Segura reached on an error by Alonso, and then Brandon Marsh hit a double into the left field corner. Matt Vierling and Bryson Stott both struck out, and then Rhys Hoskins drew a walk to load the bases. Alec Bohm then hit a soft liner to second base to end the threat, and that closed Bassitt's afternoon.

The Mets put it away in the sixth when Daniel Vogelbach hit a blast to right field to make it 6-0. That was Vogelbach's 15th homer of the season.

Wheeler exited after the sixth, as he was touched up for all six Mets' runs on nine hits and a walk, with just one strikeout, as he fell to 11-6, and his ERA jumped to 2.92.

The Mets' bullpen delivered again, as Trevor Williams pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk; Mychal Givens pitched a scoreless eighth, striking out two and working around a hit; Joely Rodriguez got the first two outs of the ninth, but gave up two hits, so they brought in Adam Ottavino for the final out of the game, which was a strikeout of Bohm.

The Mets now hit the road for a pivotal 10-game road trip, as they have four in Atlanta from Monday to Thursday, followed by four next weekend in Philaelphia, and two against the Yankees at The Stadium on Monday, August 22 and Tuesday, August 23.