Realmuto, Bohm power team to series victory
Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto each hit a three-run homer, Rhys Hoskins had a solo shot and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Wednesday.
The Phillies took two of three from their division rivals after opening the season with a three-game sweep of three-time defending NL East champion Atlanta.
Phillies ace Aaron Nola lasted only four innings, pitching out of trouble the final two. He allowed one run and six hits, striking out five.
Connor Brogdon (3-0) got five outs to earn his third win in six games. Three relievers pitched the final 3 ⅓ innings.
Mets starter David Peterson (0-1) surrendered six runs and seven hits in four innings.
Hoskins launched an opposite-field drive just over the right-field wall in the first. Bryce Harper lined the next pitch off the fence for a double. After Realmuto walked, Bohm blasted a fastball deep into the left-center field seats for a 4-0 lead.
Pete Alonso’s RBI single in the third cut it to 4-1 but Nola escaped further damage by striking out Dominic Smith and Jonathan Villar to leave runners on first and third.
Nola got out of another jam in the fourth, freezing Michael Conforto with a backdoor curve to leave the bases loaded. Before Conforto came up, Francisco Lindor took an 0-2 curve off his foot after ripping a liner down the right-field line that just hooked foul.
Realmuto connected on the first pitch thrown by reliever Jacob Barnes in the fifth, sending an opposite-field shot out to right to make it 7-1.
Lindor, the four-time All-Star shortstop acquired from Cleveland in the offseason and signed to a team-record, $341 million, 10-year contract extension last week, was 2 for 11 with one RBI in his first series with the Mets.
He was taunted by Philly fans with chants of “overrated” in his last at-bat.
STRONG PITCHING
Philadelphia’s starters have a 2.18 ERA in the first six games. The bullpen is at 3.27.
SLUG IT
Hoskins hit two doubles along with his homer and became the fourth Phillies player with seven extra-base hits in the first six games. He joined Ryan
Howard (2010), John Kruk (1993), and Del Ennis (1950).
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: 3B J.D. Davis wasn’t in the lineup because of swelling in his bruised left hand. A 91 mph fastball hit his hand Tuesday night. A second set of X-rays were negative. He remains day to day.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Taijuan Walker starts the home opener Thursday against Miami. Walker spent last season with Seattle and Toronto, going 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA. The Mets had their season-opening series at Washington wiped out because of a coronavirus outbreak among the Nationals.
Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Atlanta.
AROUND THE NL EAST
Atlanta pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval drove a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark off a Washington reliever who took over after Stephen Strasburg’s six scoreless innings Wednesday, lifting the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals and a doubleheader sweep.
Sandoval drove a 96 mph fastball from Tanner Rainey (0-1) more than 400 feet following Dansby Swanson’s two-out single in the seventh and final inning.
Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in Game 2, and Sean Newcomb got three strikeouts for the save.
Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles as Atlanta won the opener 7-6.
The Braves put up five runs in the second inning off Erick Fedde (0-1), then wound up barely holding on with a save by Will Smith. Andrew Stevenson grounded into a game-ending double play.
Josh Tomlin (1-0) pitched two hitless innings.
Washington is missing nine players because of a coronavirus outbreak that led to the postponement of the team’s first four games. Four players tested positive for COVID-19, and another five who would have been on the 26-man roster are under quarantine.