Final Score: Mets 8, Phillies 6—A soft slugfest

The Mets washed away the disappointment of their series against the Giants with a nervy 8-6 victory against the Phillies Friday night in Queens. The Mets knocked around Phillies starting pitcher Bailey Falter for seven runs in the first four innings, three of which driven in by Pete Alonso, who set the franchise record for most RBI before Memorial Day with 45. With Carlos Carrasco cruising through the Phillies lineup, the 7-0 lead and a series-opening victory looked safe.

And then the sixth inning happened. Four straight soft hits scored the first two runs for the visitors, and after Carrasco gave up an RBI groundout and walk, Chasen Shreve relieved Carrasco with two on and two outs. He then gave up a three-run home run to backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, cutting the lead to one and suddenly making it a close game.

Some more small ball in the bottom of the sixth gave the Mets a two-run lead, and shaky-but-scoreless relief from Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, and Seth Lugo preserved the lead in the seventh and the eighth. Edwin Diaz allowed a one-out base-hit to Alec Bohm to make Bryce Harper the tying run, and he then struck out Harper and Nick Castellanos to seal the victory.

The Mets will face the Phillies tomorrow at 7:15 with Taijuan Walker scheduled to square off against Zach Eflin.