By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
Mets reliever Jeff Brigham hit Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner with pitches with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to force in the tying and go-ahead runs after third baseman Brett Baty committed a key throwing error in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-6 win against New York on Sunday.
Trailing 6-3 in the eighth, the Phillies scored four times against the bullpen and rebounded to take two of three against their division rivals.
Josh Walker let the first three batters reach base and left the bases loaded for Brigham (0-2). The reliever got Alec Bohm to hit a taylor-made double-play ball to Baty, but he had trouble getting the ball out of his glove and his throw to second pulled Jeff McNeil off the bag to make it 6-4.
With new life, Brandon Marsh walked with the bases loaded and it was 6-5. Brigham then plunked Schwarber on his left knee to to tie it at 6. Brigham then buzzed Turner with consecutive pitches before finally hitting the star shortstop for the improbable winning run.
To sum up, the Phillies walked three times, were hit twice, reached on an error and had just one hit in the four-run inning.
Even by the Mets’ sometimes-comical standards, that was an amazin’ meltdown.
Mets manager Buck Showalter was ejected in the ninth as another sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park went wild in delight.
The Mets seemed poised to win their first series since they completed a three-game sweep of the Phillies on June 1. Pete Alonso hit his 24th home run and had three RBIs, Francisco Lindor homered and the Phillies wasted chances to blow the game open.
Alonso, just one behind Atlanta’s Matt Olson for the NL home run lead, provided the bulk of the offensive damage against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. He hit a two-out, two-RBI blooper just beyond the outstretched arm of Turner in the third inning for a 2-1 lead. Alonso went deep on a line shot off Jose Alvarado into the right field seats in the seventh for a 6-3 lead.
That should have been enough.
Jeff Hoffman (1-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth for his 11th save.
ROUGH OUTINGS
Neither starter fared well.
Carlos Carrasco walked two and gave up five hits over just four innings. He has pitched less than five innings in each of his last three starts.
Wheeler gave up nine hits, five runs (and struck out eight) and walked two. He was chased after Nimmo lined a single off the right field wall, one of several rockets gave up in his stint.
UP NEXT
The Mets send RHP Justin Verlander (2-4, 4.50 ERA) to the mound Monday against Milwaukee RHP Colin Rea (3-4, 4.88 ERA) in the first of a four-game series in New York.
After an off day, the Phillies send LHP Ranger Suarez (1-2, 3.50 ERA) to the mound when they open a four-game series in Chicago. The Cubs have not named a starter for Tuesday’s game.
