Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith tied their career highs with four hits apiece and Max Scherzer extended his unbeaten streak to 24 starts despite giving up three homers Sunday night as the New York Mets won another series by beating the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, 10-6.
The Mets have won a franchise-record seven straight series to open the season. The Phillies lost for just the second time in seven games.
McNeil went 4-for-5 with two singles and two doubles in his last four at-bats, his ninth four-hit game. His past four four-hit games have all come against the Phillies. McNeil’s last hit, an RBI double in the eighth, scored Brandon Nimmo with New York’s final run.
Smith entered Sunday 6-for-36 (.167) this season amidst speculation he could lose his spot on the roster Monday, when teams must pare down from 28 players to 26 players.
However, he singled and scored in the second, laced a game-tying RBI double in the fourth, delivered a two-run single in the fifth and singled again in the seventh for his second career four-hit game and his first since collecting four hits against the Phillies on Sept. 6, 2020.
Starling Marte had three RBIs — a run-scoring groundout in the second and a two-run single in the seventh — and Luis Guillorme had an RBI double in the second for the Mets, who took the lead for good when Francisco Lindor raced home on a passed ball in the fifth.
Scherzer (4-0) allowed four runs on five hits in six innings. He surrendered a solo homer and a two-run shot by Kyle Schwarber and a solo homer by Bryce Harper. The right-hander walked one and struck out nine, fanning the first five batters he faced.
The three homers were the most allowed by Scherzer since he gave up four homers against the Atlanta Braves on April 6, 2021.
Scherzer’s streak of consecutive starts without a loss is the longest since Gerrit Cole went 28 starts without a loss from May 27, 2019 to Aug. 19, 2020.
Schwarber has 16 homers in 36 games against the Mets.
Phillies shortstop Johan Camargo hit a two-run homer in the ninth.
Philadelphia starter Zach Eflin (1-2) took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
