Phillies take over NL East after victory over Mets: Phillies 4, Mets 2

Newly acquired Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Gibson had his second strong start in as many tries when he threw a one-run over six innings while allowing just four hits.

Gibson helped build on the momentum the Phillies gained in the last five games of Game 1 of an ever-important three-game series against the New York Mets.

In addition to his solid outing on the mound, Gibson also got a single RBI in the fifth inning to make it 2-1. The Phillies’ first of the runs came from a solo shot to the second bridge from right field from Didi Gregorius, who also had a solid night at home.

Hector Neris came in relief in the seventh inning and should have faced a minimum of three batters. However, third baseman Alec Bohm initially threw wide at Brad Miller, allowing Jeff McNeil to take the first with two strikeouts.

Bohm, who has looked proficient defensively lately, made two mistakes on the evening in what should have been routine play. This calls into question Joe Girardi’s decision not to pitch Ronald Torreyes, especially when Gibson leans on a solid defense behind him. It also leaves one wondering why he wasn’t part of a double switch to start the seventh. Either way, Neris came out of the sleeve unscathed and seems to have taken a step forward now that he’s not in such a high leverage position.

The bottom of the seventh was relatively calm for the Phillies bats at the bottom of the order. The only way to explain it correctly is this lady:

Archie Bradley came in at the start of the eighth and, like Heris, looked good. His fastball hit 96 mph with his fastball, which is an encouraging sign given his speed issues earlier in the season. He capped his appearance with strikeouts from Javier Baez and Michael Conforto to keep the game 2-1 late in the inning.

In the late eighth, Bryce Harper continued his scorching streak as he threw a two-point moon shot down the dead center, his MVP case only getting stronger by the day. His timely strikes, especially in big situations and winning games, lend credence to his MVP argument. Where it goes, this team too.

Ian Kennedy was called up nearby and immediately gave a home run to Kevin Pillar to reduce Philadelphia’s lead to 4-2. However, Kennedy was able to do a quick job on the next three hitters and score his first save as a Phillie.

The biggest news of the night, however, is that Philadelphia is now number one in the NL East by 0.5 games. They will seek to widen this lead on Saturday afternoon.