PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jesús Luzardo retired 22 straight batters after giving up four runs in the first inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies stormed back to beat the reeling New York Mets 6-4 on Thursday night to complete a four-game sweep.
Otto Kemp homered and had three RBIs for the Phillies, who have won eight of 10 overall and are poised to secure their second straight division title. The victory pushed their NL East lead over the Mets to 11 games with 15 to play, and they could clinch this weekend against Kansas City.
New York dropped the last six games of a 3-7 road trip, trimming its lead over Cincinnati and San Francisco to 1 1/2 games for the final National League wild card.
Luzardo (14-6) fell behind 4-0 in the first but did not allow a baserunner over the next seven innings. Jhoan Duran struck out all three batters in the ninth for his 29th save, as the final 25 Mets batters were retired.
Kemp, who cooled off and was sent to the minors after a hot start to his rookie season, has returned to the big leagues with a big bat. He hit a two-run homer in the fourth off starter David Peterson to make it 4-2.
Bryce Harper added an RBI double in the fifth before the Phillies capped the rally with a three-run sixth.
Kemp added a tying double to center field that seemed to confuse Jeff McNeil, and Harrison Bader continued to torment the Mets with a go-ahead single. Harper hit a scorcher deep behind first base with the bases loaded that Pete Alonso couldn’t handle for an infield single and a 6-4 lead.
Reed Garrett (3-6) took the loss in relief.
Key moment
Luzardo fanned Francisco Lindor in the eighth for his 10th strikeout of the game and 200th this season.
Key stat
The Phillies topped 3 million fans in attendance for the third straight season.
Up next
The Mets return home for a three-game series against Texas and go against a familiar face on Friday night. Jacob deGrom is set to face New York for the first time since leaving in free agency after the 2022 season.
The Phillies welcome Kansas City for a three-game series. RHP Walker Buehler (7-7, 5.45 ERA) makes his first start for the Phillies. Michael Lorenzen (5-10, 4.63) goes for the Royals and returns to the mound where he threw a no-hitter in 2023 with the Phillies.
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