The New York Mets  (70-81) were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies (77-73)  tonight at Citizens Bank Park by the score of 5-2. Steven Matz was efficient on the mound but the bullpen melted down in the sixth inning to leave the southpaw with a no-decision.

Pitching:

Steven Matz pitched five solid innings, gave up no earned runs, struck out four, and walked five batters. He made a stellar play in the his last frame, catching a comeback liner and doubling off the runner at first to top off his day.

However, the bullpen, handed a 2-0 lead, couldn’t hold it for the lefty, as in the sixth they were tagged for five runs.

Fellow left-hander Jerry Blevins pitched the sixth inning and was charged with two earned runs after walking the lead off hitter and plunking the next batter.

He was removed in favor of Drew Smith who has been stellar overall this year. Smith did not have a good outing, giving up three earned runs including a three-shot from Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro.

Anthony Swarzak was the thrd pitcher that came in during the sixth, and miraculously got back-to-back strikeouts to stop the bleeding and retire the side.

Tyler Bashlor pitched a scoreless inning in the seventh, and collected a couple of strikeouts in the process. The hard-throwing right-hander gave us a glimpse into his potential. If he can just throw consistently and locate, he could be a strong tool for New York in next year’s bullpen.

Jacob Rhame, who was shuttled between New York and Vegas at least a dozen times this year, pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

Offense:

In the top of the third, Steven Matz provided himself with a little bit of run support as he launched a home run to left field.

It was his second home run of the season, and gave the Mets a then 1-0 lead. Matz is the third New York Met in history to hit home runs in back-to-back starts. Ron Darling last accomplished the feat in 1989.

The Mets scored their second run of the game in the top of the fth on a RBI double from Dominic Smith which scored Brandon Nimmo.

In the sixth with the game tied at two apiece, New York had the bases loaded but failed to execute, as Wilmer Flores struck out to retire the side. In hindsight, an inning that looms large in the scheme of the game.

On Deck:

New York will be playing the finale of their three-game series against Philadelphia tomorrow night. Noah Syndergaard will be looking to build off his dominant start against Boston. Game time will be at 6:05 p.m. EST.