Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a series victory for the New York Mets (31-17), who defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (21-26) by a score of 8-2 on Saturday night. The Mets got just enough from their starting pitching, and the offense broke the game open in the middle innings, vaulting the team to a comfortable win.

The Mets were first to get on the board, scratching out a run against Phillies’ starter Zach Eflin in the second inning. Dominic Smith drove in Eduardo Escobar via a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Mets an early 1-0 lead.

Taijuan Walker allowed just two baserunners through his first three innings of work, but he ran into some trouble in the fourth. He allowed singles to Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos to open the frame and walked the bases loaded with just one out. A two-run single from J.T. Realmuto put the Phillies on top 2-1. Walker walked the bases loaded again with two outs, but he got Kyle Schwarber to fly out to center field to limit the damage.

The Mets struck back immediately in the bottom of the fourth. With two runners on, no outs, and the rain falling at Citi Field, Jeff McNeil crushed a three-run homer to the seats in the second-deck of right field. It was McNeil’s third home run of the year, and it made the score 4-2 in favor of the Mets.

New York kept the scoring going in the fifth inning. Luis Guillorme started the inning with a perfectly-placed bunt single that hugged the third base line. Guillorme hit in the lead-off spot for the first time this season, and he reached base in each of his four plate appearances. He collected three hits and a walk.

Two batters later, Francisco Lindor launched a ball to the warning track that fell between two outfielders, resulting in a two-run triple. With that hit, Lindor has driven in a run in six consecutive games for the first time in his career. Pete Alonso made it 7-2 with a sacrifice fly for his 46th RBI of the season, good for second in the majors behind only Jose Ramirez‘s 48.

Walker’s night was done after five innings, and he was probably fortunate to only give up two runs as he allowed nine batters to reach base against him (six hits and three walks). However, he got big outs when he needed them, and he was rewarded for his efforts with his third victory of the season.

Since being called up to the majors earlier this month, Colin Holderman has been lights out. He had yet another impressive outing on Saturday, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three. Through his first six career appearances, Holderman has tossed eight scoreless innings with ten punch-outs.

In the seventh inning, Guillorme singled to right field for his third hit of the night, and Lindor brought him home with a single for his third RBI of the evening. Guillorme is hitting .409 in the month of May, and he is now sitting at an .890 OPS on the season.

Adam Ottavino and Seth Lugo combined to get the final six outs of the game. The Mets walked away from Saturday night’s game with an 8.5 game lead in the National League East.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game: Francisco Lindor

Lindor has flat-out raked this past week, establishing himself as the cornerstone hitter that the Mets are paying him to be. He has collected 14 RBI in his last six games, and his 37 RBI on the season has him tied for the fifth-most in the majors.

Final line: 2-for-3, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO

On Deck

The Mets will look to sweep their series against the Phillies when the two teams match up on Sunday night at Citi Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 P.M. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. The Mets will have Chris Bassitt on the mound, while the Phillies will run out former Met Zack Wheeler.