The top two NL East contenders squared off again, and this time, the Philadelphia Phillies outshone the Mets. After a tough 10-2 loss against the Phillies in the series opener, the New York Mets were riding high with a resounding 11-4 rebound victory, thinking their losing streak of seven games had ended—until the Sunday game. Once again, Queens’ bats couldn’t roar, not even Juan Soto‘s.

From the opening pitch, the Phillies were fantastic. Their strategy seemed to have one goal: to break the Mets’ morale. Did the Mets respond? No, they looked clueless at the plate. The pitching was so good that all the Mets could do was react after being struck out. At least that’s what Soto did.

In the top of the sixth inning, Soto tried to hit a 98 mph fastball from Jesus Luzardo. Instead, he was struck out, and there, all he could do was smile, shaking his head as he left the plate. Some found his reaction quite strange, given how serious the situation was. He wasn’t being defiant. It wasn’t even anger. It was the face of a slugger who knew Luzardo was pitching well. He was helpless, struggling even to hit the ball.

Both teams were scoreless in the first three innings. Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber hit a 432-foot solo home run to center field. It stopped the Mets’ momentum right away. Otto Kemp‘s single with an RBI and Edmundo Sosa‘s three-run moonshot off an 84 mph slider made the score 5–0.

In the meantime, Luzardo was almost impossible to hit. He pitched six and two-thirds shutout innings, giving up only three hits, striking out seven, and walking one batter. This effectively stopped the Mets’ bats. And Rob Thomson praised his pitching, saying, “he was really good tonight.”

The Phillies scored two additional runs in the seventh inning, bringing the score to 7–0. Alec Bohm hit a sacrifice fly, and Nick Castellanos hit an RBI double. In the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run, which was the Mets’ only run.

Philadelphia had 10 hits overall, with Sosa going 3-for-4 and Schwarber, Turner, and Castellanos all having multiple hits. The Mets, on the other hand, only got four hits, one of which was Lindor’s home run, and they struck out a lot, mainly because Luzardo was so good. Interestingly, this wasn’t the only game in which the Phillies played well. Looking back at their June games, they have been impeccable.

Wave of wins, Phillies’ June surge

In June, Philadelphia has been on fire, going 6-1 since June 12 and moving up in the NL East standings. They started by sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in three games at home and keeping up a blistering .880 win rate during that time.

And in the final game against Toronto on June 15, the Fightin’ Phils won it by 11–4. Complete dominance! Castellanos’ bat hit his tenth grand slam of the season. He wasn’t alone; Schwarber also contributed, reaching base four times. At the same time, pitching was top-notch. Kemp went 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. And Zack Wheeler gave a great show on the mound, striking out nine batters in six innings and giving up only one earned run. A team effort, indeed.

After sweeping the Blue Jays, they carried the same momentum into the series with the Marlins. On June 17, they won it by 5-2, marking their sixth consecutive win. This time, it was Trea Turner who led the way with three hits, including a homer and two RBIs. Starter Mick Abel pitched five strong innings, giving up one run. For the Phillies, it was like a new day, a new team, new heroes, and another win.

Even though they lost to the Mets 11–4, they came back strong on Sunday and won 7-1. That remarkable comeback not only placed the Phillies back in first place but also showed they are doing well in every area. The timings couldn’t be better, with the playoff race getting more crucial.