Nothing happened at Citi Field for five innings. Then the Mets scored six times in two, and the game was over. New York defeated Philadelphia 6-2 on Saturday, turning a quiet deficit into a comfortable win on the strength of a late-inning surge that left 37,338 fans with something to cheer about.
Bryce Harper had given the Phillies everything they needed in the third inning. His two-run home run to left center — 378 feet, with Trea Turner scoring ahead of him — put Philadelphia up 2-0 and looked like it might be enough. Harper finished 2-for-4 with 1 home run and 2 RBI, carrying a .278 average with 19 home runs and 50 RBI on the season. Most nights, that kind of early punch holds up.
It did not hold up here. Francisco Lindor's triple to right in the sixth brought home Juan Soto and Bo Bichette to tie the game at 2-2. Two batters later, A.J. Ewing singled to center — Lindor scored and Jared Young scored — and the Mets led 4-2. That was the go-ahead hit, and New York never looked back. In the seventh, Soto tripled to center to score Carson Benge, and Bichette added a sacrifice fly to left to score Soto, pushing the final margin to 6-2.
Alan Rangel absorbed the damage. The Philadelphia right-hander lasted just 4.0 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts on 70 pitches, taking his first loss of the season to fall to 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. A.J. Minter worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for New York, allowing 1 hit with 1 strikeout, and earned his first win of the season to move to 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA.
The win did little to change the broader picture. New York improved to 34-48, still sitting fifth in the division. Philadelphia, which had won four straight entering the night, fell to 46-36 with the loss.