The New York Mets closed out their weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies in convincing fashion on Sunday, cruising to a 6-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park behind another dominant outing from rookie right-hander Nolan McLean and a stellar offensive performance from Francisco Lindor.
McLean continued his remarkable stretch on the mound, striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and two walks. The impressive performance earned the right-hander his seventh victory of the season, improving his record to 7-6, while lowering his ERA to an outstanding 0.75 across his last four starts. Throughout the afternoon, the Phillies struggled to generate any offensive rhythm as McLean consistently overpowered their lineup with a mix of command and swing-and-miss stuff.
Lindor provided plenty of offensive support, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate while drawing two walks and driving in three runs. The veteran shortstop delivered the game’s biggest early blow with a towering two-run home run in the first inning—his sixth homer of the season—after Bo Bichette worked an 11-pitch walk to keep the inning alive.
The Mets continued to pile on in the second inning against Phillies starter Alan Rangel. Brett Baty opened the frame with a single before Luis Torrens doubled him home to extend the lead. New York then loaded the bases, and Lindor lined an RBI single to right field to make it 4-0. Carson Benge followed with a sacrifice fly, giving the Mets a commanding five-run advantage before Philadelphia had a chance to settle into the game.
Rangel endured another difficult outing, falling to 0-3 after surrendering five runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. Although he recorded four strikeouts, the Phillies right-hander was unable to slow New York’s aggressive offense, which took control early and never looked back.
The Mets added another run in the sixth inning to effectively put the game out of reach. Luis Torrens, A.J. Ewing, and Juan Soto opened the inning with consecutive singles against reliever Tim Mayza. Max Lazar entered from the bullpen and limited further damage, but New York had already stretched its lead to 6-0.
While the Mets’ offense continued to apply pressure, McLean remained firmly in control on the mound. He retired the side in order in the first inning, escaped the second with a timely double-play grounder, and struck out two batters during a flawless third inning. In the fourth, he retired three consecutive Phillies All-Stars, showcasing the poise that has fueled his recent success.
The right-hander carried that momentum into the fifth, striking out both Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto, before working through minor trouble in the sixth. After allowing two baserunners, McLean ended his outing by striking out Bryce Harper, preserving his scoreless performance and drawing another impressive chapter in his breakout campaign.
Philadelphia finally broke through in the seventh inning when Alec Bohm launched a solo home run off Mets reliever A.J. Minter, preventing the shutout. However, it proved to be the Phillies’ only offensive highlight of the afternoon, as Huascar Brazobán handled the eighth inning before Cionel Pérez closed out the victory in the ninth.
The convincing win allowed New York to claim the decisive game of the three-game series while continuing its strong play heading into the second half of the season. For the Phillies, the loss underscored ongoing offensive struggles as they failed to capitalize on home-field advantage and were held in check by another outstanding performance from one of baseball’s emerging young pitchers.
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