The All‑Star break ended with a bang for the New York Mets. The Mets‑Phillies series opened Thursday night with a 4‑1 Mets victory, as Francisco Alvarez homered twice and Brett Baty also went deep under a hazy sky from Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into the region. Christian Scott pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Mets, striking out seven while allowing only three hits. Kyle Schwarber nearly tied the game in the sixth, but his long fly ball hit the railing atop the right‑field wall and bounced back for a double.
Aaron Nola (3‑7) cruised through six innings, allowing one run on three hits. Interim manager Don Mattingly sent him back out for the seventh at 90 pitches. Nola served up back‑to‑back homers to Baty and Alvarez. Juan Soto exited in the eighth with left calf soreness. Trea Turner homered for the Phillies in the eighth, the first home run by a right‑handed hitter off Mets reliever Luke Weaver this season. Devin Williams secured his 100th career save.
Phillies bounce back with a statement win
Saturday’s middle game belonged to Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies defeated the Mets 6‑1 behind a dominant outing from All‑Star Jesús Luzardo (9‑4). Luzardo allowed one run on two hits—both by Tyrone Taylor—and two walks while striking out seven over five innings. He has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last four starts.
Kyle Schwarber gave Phillies a lead they never relinquished with a two‑run homer in the first inning, his MLB‑leading 33rd home run of the season. Trea Turner homered in the fifth—his second round‑tripper in as many games—and Alec Bohm followed with an RBI single. Bryce Harper capped the scoring with a two‑run single in the sixth. Turner finished 3‑for‑4 with a walk and three runs scored.
Mets starter Sean Manaea (2‑5) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. The Mets committed three errors and managed only three hits. Francisco Lindor went 0‑for‑4 with three strikeouts and committed his third error in three games. The Mets finished 0‑for‑3 with runners in scoring position and have gone 1‑for‑33 in those situations over their last five games. Tyrone Taylor provided the Mets’ only offensive highlight with a 406‑foot solo home run in the second inning.
Weather impacted both games. Thursday’s opener was moved up an hour due to low air quality from wildfire smoke. Saturday’s start was pushed to 3:05 p.m. because of forecasted thunderstorms, with a 48‑minute rain delay in the seventh.
What Sunday’s finale holds
The Mets‑Phillies series concludes Sunday at 1:35 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. Nolan McLean (6‑6, 3.52 ERA) is expected to start for the Mets against Alan Rangel (0‑2, 4.19 ERA) for the Phillies. The Phillies (55‑44) sit second in the NL East. The Mets (41‑58) remain in last place.
The Phillies have now won 41 of 14 games started by Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, or Cristopher Sánchez. The Mets‑Phillies series has delivered drama, defensive miscues, power hitting, and a reminder that even a last‑place team can spoil a contender’s momentum. Sunday’s rubber match will determine which side takes the season series and carries that energy into the second half.
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