NEW YORK – Oh, it’s real. Whether it’s the play of the New York Mets, the frenzied fans, something about Citi Field, or just the Phillies themselves. There might be a curse the Mets have over the Phillies that isn’t as easily explainable as the team and the manager want us all to believe.
How else do you explain Jesús Luzardo’s lack of composure when things get choppy? Or center fielder Harrison Bader, a Gold Glove winner, needlessly attempting a throw out at home instead of hitting a cutoff? How do you explain Mets starter Sean Manaea – who allowed 17 earned runs over his past 19 1/3 innings – striking out eight of the 14 batters he retired? Or how Jhoan Duran blew his second save in less than a week?
Don’t try to make sense of it because it’ll have you praying to the baseball gods for answers, and it doesn’t seem like there are logical ones. The Mets belted four consecutive singles off Duran in the ninth inning to take a 6-5, walk-off win – their second in this three-game series. The Phillies’ lead in the National League East is still at five games, but the momentum factor between these two teams leans heavily in New York’s favor.
It was the Mets’ ninth consecutive win over the Phillies at Citi Field and their 23rd in the last 29. Are the Phillies more frustrated than they would be after a routine loss?
Starter Cristopher Sánchez beat up a trash can when he left the game in the sixth inning on Monday. Jesús Luzardo shouted at home plate umpire Willie Traynor during his exit in the fifth and was ejected.
If you need a bit of a silver lining, Harrison Bader briefly provided it. In the eighth inning, he crushed a Ryan Helsley pitch deep into the seats score him and Nick Castellanos for a 5-5 tie. But that only delayed what has been inevitable of late … and that’s the Mets finding a way to win again on their home field.
“I don’t ever think that way,” said Rob Thomson of everything seemingly going wrong lately against the Mets in New York. “I’m always looking from a positive aspect.
“I’ve been asked that numerous times since we’ve been here. It’s not the building. They’ve been playing good and we played well today, too. We battled back. They get the five-spot in the fifth and I was proud of our guys the way they battled. We come out here tomorrow and do it again.”
As they did Monday, the Phillies jumped out to a lead when Bryce Harper – who was three hits on the nigh – drove in a pair with a single in the fifth inning. All that did was seem to awaken the Mets, who hadn’t done much of anything against Luzardo up to that point.
But Luzardo began the fifth by hitting Luis Torrens and then gave up a single to Francisco Lindor and an RBI single to Juan Soto. Luzardo and catcher J.T. Realmuto both questioned a ball call on Marte, who eventually walked to load the bases, and that was it for Luzardo, before for the arguing. He was also miffed in the first inning when he was called for stopping his windup against Juan Soto, allowing Soto to call time. After throwing the pitch, Luzardo walked towards home to have a word or two with Traynor.
Pete Alonso crushed Orion Kerkering’s second pitch to the left-center field wall for a pair of RBIs and a five-run, game changing inning was in full gear. And it didn’t look good, again, for the Phillies until Bader’s bomb in the eighth.
“Just a good baseball game, good teams on both sides, pretty familiar opponents on both sides,” said Bader, who played for the Mets last season.
“Every playing surface just has a different feel to it. Different batter’s box, different batter’s eye. Sometimes it’s just as simple as that, and you try to put your best swing forward. Whatever the numbers say you just going out there and competing and trying to win a baseball game. I can’t really speak to the history of the rivalry or the history of how the Phillies have played here. I’ve always learned growing up from my dad was to just kind of be emotionless because the ball doesn’t really have emotions. Try to just breathe through it.”
With the lead in the East trending down, is breathing a little bit harder now?
“I don’t think anybody got into this room by doing math,” said Bader. “Every game you just try to gather information from it. It is what it is. You just go out there and try to attack the pitcher, swing at strikes, take care of the baseball and just try to go from there.”
Attack Duran is exactly what the Mets did in the ninth in picking up those four consecutive hits to start the celebration near first base.
“I feel good. I threw the pitch where I want to throw it,” said Duran. “The got the ball past the defense. They had good luck today.”
It seems to be a theme. And becoming a very unnerving one at that.
“I think a little bit of both, really,” said Luzardo on his frustration with himself and others. “Obviously take accountability for three walks, two hit batsmen. Frustrated with myself after the hit by pitches.
“I felt amazing today. I’m not really an emotional guy, pretty calm out there, for the most part. When I think something is not fair, I’ll make sure to stick up for it. I didn’t think it was right.”
If the Phillies are going to break this skid while visiting the Mets, the star players are probably going to have to pull them through. Tuesday wasn’t the night for that, however. J.T. Realmuto struck out four times and left a couple runners on base, Trea Turner struck out twice and left two runners in scoring position and Nick Castellanos struck out twice and left a runner on.
“It was really tough for these guys to back the ball up on the lefty (Manaea),” said Thomson, explaining his team’s 15 strikeouts.
“There was some chase but just out front. The slider he’s got is a really good pitch and very deceptive when he mixes off that fastball. You have to really, really stay opposite-field oriented against him.”
As they all said, tomorrow is another day. They can only hope it isn’t like many before it at Citi Field.
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