Mets lose to Phillies as fading playoff hopes take another blow

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius, right, throws to first to complete a double play after forcing out New York Mets' Pete Alonso (20) off a hit by Michael Conforto during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in New York.
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With just 15 games left in the season and only three remaining against the Phillies, this weekend’s series served vital importance for the Mets’ chances of making a miracle push for a playoff spot.

Their quest to make up ground on the Phillies in the standings got off to a rocky start on Friday.

The Phillies pushed the Mets’ postseason hopes into further despair with a 4-3 win at Citi Field in New York. The Mets trailed by three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and rallied for two, but they stranded the potential tying run at second base.

The loss dropped the Mets six games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East, while they now trail the second-place Phillies by 3.5 games. The Phillies moved 2.5 games back of the Braves, who were still in action on Friday night, playing the San Francisco Giants on the West Coast.

The Mets’ but the frame ultimately went down as a massive missed opportunity to seize control of the game. A Javier Baez single with the bases loaded tied the game at 1-1, and the Mets still had the bags full with one out.

But Jeff McNeil flew out to center — not deep enough to score Pete Alonso from third — and James McCann lined out to abruptly end the Mets’ best chance at a rally.

The Phillies took the lead right back in the top of the fifth inning, when Miller hit a solo home run to centerfield for a 2-1 advantage.

That would be all Mets starter Taijuan Walker surrendered. He exited the game after five innings, where he allowed two runs on three hits.

The bullpen let the Phillies tack on insurance runs. Vierling hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning, and Didi Gregorius pushed the lead to 4-1 with a RBI double in the eighth inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Francisco Lindor led off with a double before scoring on a Michael Conforto double. Kevin Pillar drove in Conforto with another double with two outs, but McCann struck out to end the inning.

The Phillies opened the game’s scoring when Freddy Galvis hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the second inning.

Next up

Saturday: RHP Aaron Nola (7-8, 4.58) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-2, 5.59), 7:15 p.m.

Sunday: RHP Kyle Gibson (10-7. 3.49) vs. LHP Rich Hill (6-7, 3.88), 7:08 p.m.

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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com.

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