Phils' DH split vs. Mets sums up 2022 so far

PHILADELPHIA -- More than 60 hours had passed between the Phillies’ ninth-inning collapse to the Mets on Thursday and Kyle Gibson’s first pitch to the Mets in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies needed the time. Two rainouts provided it.

“Hit the reset button,” Gibson said after a 3-2 victory in Game 1.

The Phillies put Thursday’s defeat behind them by sending Mets right-hander Max Scherzer to his first loss since May 30, 2021, and his first loss to the Phillies since Sept. 2, 2020.

But baseball makes no sense sometimes, so only minutes after Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez threw his first pitch in Game 2, New York slugger Pete Alonso launched a two-run home run to left field to set in motion a 6-1 Mets victory in the nightcap.

The Phillies split the doubleheader to lose their third consecutive series to New York in a month. They are 3-6 against their NL East rivals and 12-16 overall.

“We’ve given way too many opportunities to them,” Jean Segura said. “I feel like in every series we’ve had a chance to win every game. Even in the no-hitter in New York, there were a lot of good at-bats, a lot of walks, a lot of lineouts. It just feels like it’s their moment. When baseball turns around it’s going to be our moment. Watch out, because we’re going to win a lot of baseball games.”

In a sense, the latest Mets series summed up the Phillies’ season. They blew a six-run lead in the ninth inning on Thursday, which is something that almost never happens. It was just the fifth time it happened in franchise history, only the second time it happened to them since 1937 and the first time it happened to them since 1994.

So, of course, the Phillies rebounded in Game 1 against a future Hall of Famer by playing one of their best games of the season.

Scherzer was 15-0 with a 2.55 ERA in his last 24 starts. He was 16-4 with a 2.60 ERA in 27 career starts against the Phillies. The Phillies scattered 10 hits against him in six innings. It was only the third time since Sept. 2, 2015, that Scherzer allowed 10 or more hits in a game, a remarkable run of 179 starts.

Harper ripped a two-out solo home run to right in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. He hit a two-out single in the third to take a 2-0 lead. The Phillies made it 3-0 in the fourth when Bryson Stott hit a two-out single to score another run.

Gibson pitched well in six innings. Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado and Corey Knebel pitched three scoreless innings to save it.

Knebel was on the mound when the Mets took the lead on Thursday. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.

It couldn’t have gone better.

“I liked the way we bounced back,” said Segura, who hit his 100th career homer in Game 2. “A lot of good things happened today. I know we lost the series. But I’m kind of happy because the way we lost that first game [on Thursday], it was embarrassing for us. I know everybody in the locker room felt embarrassed. But it’s how you come back after those tough situations, those tough losses. I think the boys did a really good job.”

Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt held the Phillies in check in Game 2. The Phillies were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners on base.

“We can stand here and say woulda, coulda, shoulda, right?” Harper said. “It’s in the past now. It is what it is. The homestand is done. … We’ve got a tough task ahead with Seattle and L.A. But we need to have all of our focus on Seattle for three days.”

The Phillies open a seven-game road trip on Monday against the Mariners. Then they play four against the Dodgers. It already was a challenge, but they might also be without Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin, who were placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Sunday.

But at least they get away from the Mets, and won't play them again until the end of the month.

“I'm glad we won't see them for a little while,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said, surprisingly. “At some point, somebody's going to pay the price. We know they're gonna win; it's a given, for us, that they're going to be a force in our division.”