Phillies remain unfazed after latest stumble at Citi Field

NEW YORK -- On Monday afternoon, the Phillies arrived at Citi Field with a seven-game cushion in the National League East, which equaled their largest division lead of the season. A three-game series with the Mets presented an opportunity to bury their rivals in the standings.

That didn’t happen.

On Wednesday night, the Phillies (76-57) mustered next to nothing in a sobering 6-0 loss to the Mets (72-61), silenced by rookie Nolan McLean -- making just his third MLB start. Philadelphia was swept at Citi Field, where it has now lost 10 consecutive games, including the postseason. The Phils’ division lead is down to four games.

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Afterward, players and coaches described the series as disappointing.

“Who likes to lose? No one likes to lose,” said Kyle Schwarber. “But there’s nothing that can really faze us. We’ve been swept before this year. We bounced back. We’ve got to do the same thing. I’m not worried about it.

“... They beat us. Tip the cap. They beat us.”

That they did, in rather convincing fashion, too. The Mets outscored the Phillies by 17 runs (25-8) across the three-game set. They knocked out Philadelphia’s de facto ace, Cristopher Sánchez, in the sixth inning on Monday. They rapped four straight hits off star closer Jhoan Duran on Tuesday. They held Schwarber hitless over his 11 at-bats, trapping the NL MVP candidate in an 0-for-20 funk.

“We know that we need to play better,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Just got to flush it and move on.”

The script for Wednesday mirrored Monday and Tuesday. The Mets strung together five consecutive hits off right-hander Taijuan Walker in the third inning -- a three-run frame reminiscent of the rallies that doomed Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo earlier in the series. Four of the hits were struck at 95 mph or more off the bat. But the one that wasn’t was the key -- a pushed bunt by No. 9 hitter Hayden Senger that eluded Walker, turning the lineup over with two on and nobody out.

“I make that one play, get the ball, it could be a different story,” Walker said. “But like I said, it’s just one of those games where it kind of wasn’t going our way.”

One of those series, too.

The Phillies managed four hits -- all singles -- against McLean, who pounded the zone with a six-pitch mix and operated with a low pitch count. He became the first starting pitcher to throw eight scoreless innings against Philadelphia since the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara on Aug. 1, 2023. Absent their usual thump, the Phils were held without an extra-base hit for the first time since June 26 against the Astros.

“I don’t think it’s pressing as much as it is not seeing [McLean] before,” Thomson said. “There are times I think that guys try to do too much, but I kind of chalk it up to not seeing him.”

On Tuesday, Thomson praised his team for battling back, buoyed by Harrison Bader’s cathartic eighth-inning home run. There wasn’t much in the form of resilience on display Wednesday.

The Phillies’ best opportunity came in the top of the eighth inning, staring down a 6-0 deficit after Tanner Banks surrendered a two-out, two-run home run to Mark Vientos in the bottom of the seventh. Alec Bohm and Max Kepler teamed up for back-to-back singles to begin the eighth against McLean, leaking oil for the first time.

Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott followed with popups to the outfield, neither deep enough to score Bohm from third. Bader tapped a comebacker to McLean. The Citi Field crowd roared.

“It’s one series,” Thomson said. “I know it’s against the Mets. Admittedly so, we need to play better. We will. We got a good club. That’s not gonna change.”

The baseball calendar -- especially in a pennant race -- offers no breaks. The Phillies head back home to the comforts of Citizens Bank Park for a four-game set with the Braves, whose subpar record (61-72) is misleading. Atlanta has won 14 of its past 20 games. Aaron Nola, on the heels of an encouraging start, will try to set the tone on Thursday night.

“We’ve got to be able to turn the page, go out there and play the Braves,” Schwarber said. “... When we show up tomorrow, it’s a new day. We’ve got to be able to walk out of the clubhouse and expect to win the game.”

Internally, the confidence level remains high.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt at all,” Walker said. “We know we’re a good team. We’ve proved it all year.”