Phillies’ ninth-inning rally falls short in 5-4 loss to NL East rival Mets
Francisco Lindor haunted the Phillies again on Monday, just as he did in the playoffs last year. He homered twice, including a three-run shot in the seventh inning.
NEW YORK — Just over six months ago, Francisco Lindor ended the Phillies’ 2024 season with a home run.
A grand slam, to be exact, off former Phillies reliever Carlos Estévez that sank the Phillies into a hole they couldn’t dig out of in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
On Monday, with the Phillies at Citi Field for the first time since that October night, their rivalry against the Mets officially renewed, it was the worst kind of déjà vu as Lindor hit two home runs to lift the Mets to a 5-4 victory.
The Phillies, who had managed three hits over the first eight innings, put together a rally in the ninth to make things interesting, but still came up short.
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Max Kepler hit a leadoff double — the Phillies’ first extra-base hit — and an RBI single by J.T. Realmuto spoiled the Mets’ shutout. Alec Bohm also singled to bring in Mets closer Edwin Diaz, before Bryson Stott hit a three-run homer to pull the Phillies within one. But it was too little, too late as Trea Turner and Bryce Harper struck out to end the game.
“We’ve all played a lot of baseball,” Turner said. “We’ve all played very well for a long time. So when it’s not going well, you know it’s in there, and it’s hard not to try harder. But it’s easier said than done. You hit three line-drive outs, and then you want to add more, and then next thing you know, you chase strike three.”
Lindor got things started for the Mets early with a leadoff homer in the first inning. Phillies starter Aaron Nola put a knuckle curve down and in on Lindor, but not as low as he intended, and Lindor sent it over the right-field wall.
He struck again with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Reliever José Ruiz left a four-seam fastball middle-middle, and Lindor didn’t miss.
Meanwhile, the Phillies offense was as stagnant as it had been in the 2024 postseason. They struck out 10 times against Mets starter Tylor Megill.
“Big guy, big arm angle, feels like,” Turner said. “And then the velocity is really good. It gets you kind of out in front and try and cheat to that fastball. And the offspeed’s good enough to get you out. Gotta battle. Felt like we got some traffic out there, just couldn’t get the hit to give us the lead.”
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The Phillies loaded the bases in the third with two out, stringing together a bloop single by Stott and walks to Harper and Turner, but Kyle Schwarber chased a changeup in the dirt to strand all three runners.
It wasn’t the cleanest of outings for Nola. He gave up another leadoff home run in the second inning, this time to Jesse Winker on a 90.7 mph four-seam he left over the heart of the plate. Nola allowed the leadoff man to reach base in each of the first four innings.
“I feel like my fastball is not where I need it to be right now,” Nola said. “I hope the velocity starts to kick up here soon. I mean, curveball, changeup felt pretty good tonight. Those balls over the plate, they’re not missing them right now.”
The home crowd — and, at first, the umpires — believed Juan Soto had hit his first home run as a Met at Citi Field in the third inning, when he sent a sinker down the right field line. Soto had already completed his home run trot before replay review determined the ball had stayed outside the foul pole. He came back to the plate and grounded out to Nola.
Nola’s velocity stayed down over his outing — his sinker averaged 89.8 mph and his four-seam averaged 90.8 mph — but the Phillies turned two double plays, including an unassisted one by Harper, to help him hold the Mets off the scoreboard until the seventh.
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson attributed Nola’s diminished velocity to the cooler weather.
“It won’t stay like this,” Thomson said. “He’ll pick it up.”
With a depleted bullpen — Matt Strahm and José Alvarado had pitched two days in a row — Nola was sent back out with his pitch count up to 89, but he allowed a single to Luisangel Acuña and a walk to Brett Baty. Ruiz took over with two inherited runners.
A ground ball nearly bailed out both Nola and Ruiz, but Tyrone Taylor beat out the throw to first to break up the potential double play, bringing Lindor to the plate for his three-run homer.
Nola fell to an 0-5 record to start the season. He has a 6.43 ERA.
“That’s pretty brutal,” Nola said. “I’m going to keep working and trying to have good weeks leading up to my next starts, and prepare the best I can and stay healthy. Keep believing that things can turn around soon, and just go out and compete.”