PHILADELPHIA — At this rate, the Mets have a better chance of catching the Nationals in last place in the NL East than the Braves at the top of the division.
The Mets lost another sloppy game on Friday, this time a 5-1 defeat to the Phillies, marred by a first-inning error by Brandon Nimmo leading to an unearned run and Francisco Lindor inexplicably bailing on a pop-up in the sixth that fell for an RBI single by Brandon Marsh.
It was the Mets’ third loss in a row, and they’ve also dropped five of six to fall a season-high seven games under .500 (34-41).
Kodai Senga, pitching again on five-days’ rest, was inefficient and couldn’t overcome the mistakes by his teammates.
Senga got into trouble immediately in the bottom of the first, as Nimmo misplayed Kyle Schwarber’s fly ball to shallow center to lead off the inning.
Trea Turner walked, and after a strikeout of Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper singled to left to score Schwarber.
Senga walked J.T. Realmuto to load the bases with one out and Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0.
Senga settled down after the first inning and didn’t allow more than one baserunner in an inning again until the sixth, when Stott and Alec Bohm singled with one out to put runners on the corners and send Senga packing.
Josh Walker entered and got Marsh to hit a pop-up to shallow left.
Lindor drifted back and appeared ready to make the catch, but he ducked out of the way of the ball, even with Tommy Pham not calling for the ball.
After Walker walked Schwarber with two outs, Jeff Brigham gave up a two-run single to Turner to put the Phillies up, 5-1.
The Mets’ offense couldn’t get much going against ex-Met Taijuan Walker, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Phillies in the offseason and had been superb over his previous three starts.
Following a shaky start to the year, the right-hander allowed just one run over 21 innings in those outings.
Facing his former team, Walker had another strong start, giving up one run in six innings.
After wasting a leadoff double by Pete Alonso in the second, the Mets got to Walker in the third, as Nimmo hit his 10th homer, a solo shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Jeff McNeil stranded a pair of runners to end the top of the fourth.
