Brandon Nimmo's solo home run powers Mets to 2-1 win over Phillies

Brandon Nimmo’s solo home run powers Mets to 2-1 win over Phillies

Brandon Nimmo hit a tie-breaking solo home run off former teammate Zack Wheeler and Edwin Diaz got a six-out save Sunday night as the Mets beat the Phillies, 2-1, in the finale of a four-game set at Citi Field.

Tylor Megill threw four sharp innings and the bullpen provided five shutout innings – two from Phil Maton, one from Jose Butto and two from Diaz. Even playing without their best player, Francisco Lindor, the Mets won three of the four games against the NL East-leading Phils. The Mets’ victory prevented the Phillies from clinching the division.

The win meant the Mets maintained their two-game lead over the Braves for the last NL Wild Card spot with a three-game series in Atlanta looming. After an off-day Monday, the Mets face the Braves in what could be the series that decides their playoff fate. The Mets have won 18-of-their-last-23.

Here are the main takeaways…

– Diaz got the final six outs for his first two-inning save of the season, though his outing had some drama. Diaz worked through the dangerous top of the Phillies order in the eighth, allowing one hit, and then pitched around two walks in the ninth. It was his 20th save of the season. One blemish: The Phillies stole four bases against him, which might be something to watch in October.

– Tylor Megill kept up his fine recent run of pitching by allowing one run and four hits in four innings. He threw 83 pitches, 52 for strikes, and came out of the game just as the top of the Phillies lineup was coming up to face him for the third time. Megill, who struck out six and walked two, got 13 swings and misses on the night, 11 on his four-seam fastball. The fastball averaged 95.9 miles-per-hour and got as high as 97.3 mph, according to MLB’s Statcast.

If you’re wondering about Megill coming out after 83 pitches, that’s about in line with his recent workload – he threw 94 pitches in his last start and 88 the time before that. Over that span, Megill has a 0.56 ERA, allowing two runs (one earned) and seven hits over 16 innings while striking out 19 and walking six. Overall, his season ERA is 3.98.

– Megill pitched out of trouble in the first inning after giving up a run on a two-out RBI single by Alec Bohm. The Phillies loaded the bases afterward on a single by Nick Castellanos and a walk to Bryson Stott, but Megill got JT Realmuto to fly out to center.

– Megill’s work also kept the Met rotation on a roll. Since Sept. 1, Met starters are 9-2 with a 2.28 ERA, allowing 31 earned runs in 122.1 innings. Since June 13, the Mets rotation has an ERA of 3.41.

– Jose Iglesias continues to hit. He extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single up the middle in the first inning. It is the longest active hitting streak in the majors. Entering the night, Iglesias had been hitting .414 (24-for-58) over the length of the streak.

– Former Met Zack Wheeler, one of the favorites for the NL Cy Young Award, was terrific, allowing two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings. He struck out eight and walked one. Wheeler has 24 starts this season with at least six innings pitched and two earned runs or fewer, the most in the majors.

– The Mets scored their first run of the night in the second inning, tying the score at one. Mark Vientos, coming off a five-strikeout game on Saturday, doubled with two outs and scored on a single to left by Tyrone Taylor. Luisangel Acuña got an infield single on a dribbler up the third-base line, but Wheeler struck out Iglesias to end the threat.

– Maton threw two spotless innings of relief, covering the fifth and sixth innings, for the Mets. Butto threw a 1-2-3 seventh, meaning the two Met setup men retired all nine batters they faced and then Carlos Mendoza brought in Edwin Diaz with a 2-1 lead to try for a six-out save.

– Pete Alonso, a pending free agent who might have played his final home game at Citi Field, got a warm standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 43,139. He acknowledged it by tipping his batting helmet. Fans chanted “Pete Alonso” as he dug in to face Wheeler, who struck out Alonso looking at a nifty, 96-mph fastball at the top of the zone. It was one of several ovations Alonso got during the night, including one during his final at-bat in the eighth inning. If it was Alonso’s final appearance at Citi Field as a Met, it was one to mostly forget, at least individually. Alonso struck out three times and hit into a fielder’s choice to finish 0-for-4.

– JD Martinez struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, running his hitless streak to 0-for-32.