The New York Mets saw any hopes of building momentum disappear early Saturday night as the Philadelphia Phillies rolled to a 15-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia improved to 41-35, while New York fell to 34-42 after Freddy Peralta endured the worst start of his season and allowed a career-high 10 earned runs.
The Phillies put the game out of reach quickly, scoring 11 runs over the first three innings against Peralta. Philadelphia collected 10 hits off the right-hander, who lasted just 2.2 innings while striking out two and walking one. Kyle Schwarber did much of the damage, launching three home runs, while Bryce Harper added a 4-for-5 performance that included hitting for the cycle within the first five innings.
With the Mets facing a massive deficit, offensive highlights were hard to find. Mark Vientos provided one in the fourth inning, drilling a solo home run for New York’s first run of the night. The first baseman finished 2-for-4 and has homered twice in his last four games.
Carson Benge also continued his solid rookie campaign, connecting on a two-run homer in the seventh inning. The blast was his eighth of the season and accounted for New York’s final runs.
The loss dropped the Mets to 8-9 in June and continued an inconsistent stretch that has prevented them from gaining ground in the National League playoff race.
The series concludes Sunday night in Philadelphia with first pitch scheduled for 7:20 p.m. David Peterson (3-5, 5.91 ERA) is expected to start for New York, while the Phillies will hand the ball to Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.01 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.