The New York Mets (12-10) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (12-10) by a score of 5-1 on Monday night at Citi Field to begin their home stand (Box Score).

After waiting an hour and 35 minutes to start the game due to a rain delay, Steven Matz made his first start since allowing eight runs in Philadelphia last week. Unlike his last start, Matz picked up the win pitching well going six innings allowing one run on three hits to go along with six strikeouts and two walks.

Although Jake Arrieta dominated the Mets lineup in their last meeting and recorded seven strikeouts tonight, he proved to be mortal allowing three runs on six hits over six innings.

The Mets bats collected five runs on nine hits, including Jeff McNeil‘s first home run of the season. This run support would be all the team needed to get back in the win column tonight.

The team pitching was very promising tonight overall retiring 16 Phillies in a row to end the game. They also struck out nine batters and only surrendered three total hits. The Mets are now tied for first place with the Phillies atop the N.L East.

Bryce Harper got tossed from the game in the fourth inning after arguing balls and strikes. Harper became the first Phillies player to be ejected since 2015.

Pitching

Matz had a strong 1-2-3 first inning with two strikeouts, including one from  Harper to end the frame.

The left-handed pitcher came back in the second and set the Phillies down in order again, while picking up his 3rd strikeout to end the inning.

Matz would run into trouble in the third after allowing a leadoff double to Cesar Hernandez and a walk to Aaron Altherr. In the next at-bat, Arrieta moved the runners over to second and third with a sac-bunt.

Matz fought out of the jam by coming back to strikeout Andrew McCutchen and then inducing a J.T Realmuto groundout to end the threat.

In the fourth inning, Matz would give up a home run to Rhys Hoskins, which got the Phillies on the board. Harper led off the inning by getting rung up again on strikes and disagreed with the call. Harper was still not pleased as the inning progressed and was thrown out for screaming at the umpire from the dugout.

The Phillies had runners on first and second following the home run, but would ultimately strand them after Altherr grounded out to Frazier.

Matz would come back to pitch quick fifth and sixth innings by retiring seven Phillies hitters in a row to finish off his impressive outing.

Seth Lugo relieved Matz in the top of the seventh inning and strikeout Phil Gosselin to get things started. In the next at-bat, he would get some help defensively as Pete Alonso made a diving stop to rob Hernandez of a single. Lugo then capped off his nine pitch 1-2-3 inning by getting the next batter to ground out to end the frame.

Despite his recent struggles, Jeurys Familia pitched the eighth inning and had a nice bounce back appearance. Familia set the Phillies down in order 1-2-3 and struck out Realmuto to end his scoreless frame.

Mets closer Edwin Diaz was used in the ninth inning in a non-save situation. Diaz would once again slam the door shut by striking out the first two batters he faced and then induce a game ending groundout to retire the 16th straight batter.

Offense

The Mets had a different looking lineup tonight with Robinson Cano OUT after getting hit in the hand on Sunday and Amed Rosario sitting with the flu. McNeil started at second base, Luis Guillorme made his first start at shortstop, and Todd Frazier made his season debut at third.

The team would threaten in the first inning with runners on first and second, after a McNeil single and a Pete Alonso walk. With two outs, Wilson Ramos grounded out to third base to end the threat.

In his first game back, Frazier singled in his first-at bat of the season to start the top of the second. He then stole second base on a failed hit and run, but the Mets wound up stranding him there.

Brandon Nimmo led off the bottom of the third with a single to right field. After a McNeil fly out, Alonso smashed an RBI double to plate Nimmo and put the Mets on the board 1-0.

Despite a Michael Conforto strikeout, the team was not done scoring in the inning as Ramos drove in Alonso with a single up the middle to make the score 2-0.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, McNeil crushed his first home run of the season into the right field bleachers off of Arrieta. This solo shot extended the Mets lead to 3-1.

Juan Lagares singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh off of Arrieta. Mickey Callaway would then bring out Cano to pinch hit, which pushed Gabe Kapler to remove Arrieta from the game and go to his lefty Jose Alvarez.

Callaway countered this move by pinch hitting J.D. Davis instead of Cano. Davis lined a ball off of the pitchers glove, which deflected to Hernandez, who threw the ball away at second. This put runners on first and third with no outs for Brandon Nimmo.

Nimmo sent a shallow fly ball into right field, but it was not deep enough to score Lagares. McNeil  then goy plunked on his fingers in the next at-bat to load the bases with one out. Despite being hit pretty hard, McNeil stayed in the game.

Kapler pulled Alvarez for reliever Juan Nicasio, who would follow his predecessors lead by hitting Alonso to score a run and extend the Mets lead to 4-1. Conforto then drove in the Mets fifth run with a sac-fly to center field.

The Phillies opted to intentionally walk Ramos to face Frazier with two outs. This move would temporarily stop the bleeding as Frazier grounded out to short to end the inning.

McNeil: 2-for-4 with an RBI (10th multi hit game of the season), Lagares 2-for-4 with a run scored, Alonso 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

On Deck 

Zack Wheeler will look to make it two wins in a row for his club against Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin. First pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on SNY.