Five pitches into his Citi Field debut, Zach Thornton had allowed a run on a double and two singles. Given how the Mets’ starting pitching has fared over the last week, it looked like it could be another long night.

Instead, Thornton escaped trouble with a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a diving play by Jared Young on a sharp grounder down the first-base line.

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“You have to be pleased with the pitching tonight,” interim manager Andy Green said after the Phillies extended the Mets’ losing streak to seven with a 2-1 win in front of 39,077.

“Zach Thornton was really good. Especially talking about a young kid who gets barrelled up three consecutive times, gets to a mound visit and settles in and gives us six great innings.”

Thornton allowed one run on five hits, struck out seven, and walked one in his second career start. It was just the third time this season a Met threw at least six innings, struck out at least seven, and allowed one run or less. He held his own against ace Zack Wheeler, who threw seven innings of one-run ball and fanned five.

“He mixed effectively,” Green said. “I think he really attacked angle in with the heater on righties well. That speeds guys up and lets all of his stuff play. On the lefties, he pitched (Kyle) Schwarber carefully, probably rightfully so, as the game wore on. But I thought for the most part, the rest of the guys, he really attacked, he went after aggressively. I think that’s what you’re looking for in a young guy.”

Thornton pumped his fist after striking out Brandon Marsh to end the sixth on his 78th and final pitch. He got him swinging on an 85 mph cutter. He threw 54 strikes and left with the game tied at 1-1.

Thornton gave up four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings on May 20 in his big-league debut in Washington. The 24-year-old is ranked the team’s No. 12 prospect on MLB Pipeline. He was taken in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

“I got the nerves out in the first game, but now it’s just kind of come here and compete,” Thornton said.

Added Green: “I think we’ve known that that was inside of him and who he is and who he’s shown himself to be at every level. I think it was good, on this stage, for everybody to see that from him.”