Christmas has come in June, and the present is the Phillies defense.

The Mets notched their second walk-off win in as many days Saturday when a Michael Conforto sacrifice fly scored Billy McKinney for a 4-3 win. It’s the sixth straight one-run game the two teams have played. (The Mets are 4-2 in those games.)

The walk-off inning began with an error by Rhys Hoskins that allowed Travis Blankenhorn–called up from Triple-A–to reach first base. A Billy McKinney walk and Kevin Pillar infield single loaded the bases with no outs against the stocking fodder known as Héctor Neris. The Phillies demoted Neris from the closer role two days ago, but the doubleheader Friday and the taxing of the bullpen caused the team need to use Neris in a critical spot.

Luis Guillorme walked next, tying the game, on a tight at-bat that made to a 3-2 count. Ball four was on a borderline down-and-in splitter.

Two batters later, Michael Conforto lifted a splitter to center field, bringing Odubel Herrera‘s momentum backward. He couldn’t get enough on the ball going home, and McKinney scored.

It was Neris’ fourth blown save in his last seven chances, and it’s his eighth loss in his career to the Mets. Most of those came in blown save situations.

The excitement of the end of the game overshadowed how the game began: with a Jacob deGrom start. He carried the team through six innings of two-run ball and left the game down 2-1–a usual occurrence over deGrom’s career. But Kevin Pillar took deGrom off the hook with a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning.

The first run off deGrom came on a bit of small ball by the Phillies. Andrew McCutchen singled off deGrom’s butt, stole second base and scored on a Nick Maton single in the second inning.

DeGrom’s worst threat came in the sixth inning–his last. He loaded the bases with no outs, but he was able to get out of it allowing just a run on a sac fly. He came into the game allowing just a .172 batting average with the bases loaded. That number improved today.

He appeared pretty gassed (and upset) after the inning, and his 88 pitches is the most he’s thrown in a game in nearly two months.

DeGrom allowed two runs in a start for the first time this year, and it turned out to be his worst start all year. Read again: he threw six innings, allowed five base runners, struck out five, and gave up two runs, and it was his worst start all year. He threw 88 pitches, hit one batter, went 1-for-2 at the plate, and it was his worst game all year. DeGrom is providing new meaning to the term “worst,” at least in this context.

The ace’s ERA is now 0.69. The Mets are now 10-3 in deGrom’s starts this season–a welcome change of pace from the first six-plus years of his career. His next start lines up to be Thursday in Atlanta.

The down for the team Saturday was the Phillies ran wild on the Mets with five stolen bases. Two of them (both by Andrew McCutchen) led directly to runs. The Mets had come into the game having allowed just 31 stolen bases in the first 71 games. They almost allowed a sixth, but Luke Williams was called out on replay in the top of the ninth after the Phillies took a 3-2 lead on a sac fly off Edwin Diaz, who struggled once again in a non-save situation.

After Aaron Loup and Seth Lugo provided scoreless innings to get the ball to Diaz in a tie game, his control was off today, and the Phillies brought home a run on a walk, stolen base, wild pitch and then the sac fly. Thankfully for Diaz, the Mets (and Neris and the Phillies defense) saved the closer from completely giving up the game.

The Mets’ old pal Zack Wheeler will start the final game of the series for the Phillies as the Mets try to win the four-game set. If not for deGrom’s year, Wheeler would likely be surrounded by Cy Young Award chatter. He’s been the Phillies’ best pitcher with a 2.36 ERA (2.42 FIP) over 99.1 innings. He’s accumulated the third-most fWAR (3.5) among starters behind deGrom and Corbin Burnes.

Wheeler has already started two games against the Mets this season on April 14 and May 1. He combined to allow seven runs and 17 in 13.1 innings.

The Mets haven’t announced who will start Sunday’s game, but it’s assumed it will be Marcus Stroman, who left his last start due to injury. Stroman left with hip soreness after three pitches in the second inning, but he’s progressed each day since the leaving the game and has avoided the injured list.