PHILADELPHIA – Another improbable Mets victory turned into a blowout Sunday night.
In short, the Mets couldn’t survive the bottom of the ninth after Mark Ventus’ second homer of the game before the half-inning had his team dreaming of heading to Queens within a victory of reaching the NLCS.
But Tylor Megill surrendered an RBI single to Nick Castellanos in the bottom of the inning, leading the Mets to a 7-6 loss to the Phillies in Game 2 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.
Miguel, who walked Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, entered the game in the eighth after Edwin Diaz collapsed.
The great wild card in this Mets rise to the postseason and early success has been a version of Diaz who will show up any day or in any round.
There was Diaz, who exploded in the eighth inning last Monday in Atlanta before begging for a ball in the ninth inning and closing the door to propel the Mets into the playoffs. There was Diaz who three nights later stifled the Brewers and allowed the Mets to rally for victory in the NL Wild Card Series.
Then there was Sunday night, when it came full circle for the right-hander. Diaz, after getting the final out in the seventh and one out to start the eighth, struck out again.
Bryson Stott’s triple in two rounds against Diaz was the knockout blow.
The Phillies’ go-ahead walk began with Harper drawing a walk in the eighth against Diaz before Castellanos singled with a 98 mph fastball that put runners on the corners. Stott, on the sixth pitch of his bat, hit a slider into the right field corner for a triple that put the Mets in a 5-4 hole. Diaz left for Megill and JT Realmuto’s RBI fielder’s choice brought the insurance run.
But after Francisco Lindor’s single in the ninth inning, Ventus went deep against Matt Strahm to tie the score at 6-6.
After Luis Severino built a 3-0 lead by allowing back-to-back homers of Harper and Castellanos in the sixth to tie the game, Brandon Nimmo restored the lead for the Mets with a solo shot in the seventh.
Severino’s final streak over six innings (91 pitches) included three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. It was the second straight start in the postseason in which the right-hander surrendered three earned runs in six innings (also in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday in Milwaukee).
Vientos hit a two-run homer against Christopher Sanchez in the third inning to account for the first runs of the game. Francisco Lindor singled in the inning before Ventus went to the opposite field, just clearing the fence for his first career postseason home run.
A Starling Marte throwing error in the third inning allowed Johan Rojas to advance to second on a Kyle Schwarber sacrifice fly. Rojas stole third but was stranded. Turner stole second and third in the Phillies’ first inning before Severino struck out Harper and retired Castellanos.
Stott singled with two outs in the fourth and was thrown out by Francisco Alvarez trying to steal second.
Pete Alonso opened the sixth inning with a homer against Jose Ruiz that extended the Mets’ lead to 3-0. The blast was his second in three games — his ninth homer Thursday in Milwaukee saved the Mets’ season.
The lefty Sanchez lasted five innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk on five strikeouts.
Severino stamped in the sixth, throwing a 99 mph fastball that Harper crushed for a two-run homer to pull the Phillies within 3-2. The next batter, Castellanos, jumped on a sweeper in the strike zone for a 425-foot homer to left-center that tied the game.
Nimmo’s homer came with two outs in the seventh, after Orion Kerkering singled out Lindor and Vientos to start the frame.
Jose Boto grounded Realmuto in the seventh and allowed a single to Rojas before Diaz came in to strike out Schwarber.
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