. Jay Bruce got the start in left field but was pulled in the fourth inning with a left quad injury.Enter McCutchen, exit home run.''I know it's a matter of time for me,'' McCutchen said. ''I want to be better than where I've been. I also have to respect the fact that I am coming back from an injury.'' McCutchen tore the ACL in his left knee last season but says now ''there's nothing that can stop me from being myself.'' The Phillies tied the game at 2 in the sixth on rookie Alec Bohm's opposite-field double to right that scored J. T. Realmuto. McCutchen, batting in Bruce's spot, hit the first pitch he saw into the left field fan cutouts for a 4-2 lead.''The pitch to McCutchen was my worst pitch of the day,'' Porcello said.The Phillies (8-9) moved within a game of .500 following the sweep of their NL East rival and found their footing as they head out on a 10-game road trip. The Phillies have played only one road game this season.Zack Wheeler (3-0) gave up two runs and struck out four over seven solid innings to give the Phillies yet another quality start in his first appearance against his former team. Aaron Nola tossed seven scoreless innings on Saturday, and only the worst bullpen in baseball has kept the Phillies from making a serious run so far at the East.''The one thing I have not seen from Zack is emotion,'' Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. ''I think that's a great trait for a starting pitcher because they're consistent in what they can do every time.'' Wheeler made his first start against the Mets since he signed a $118 million, five-year contract with the Phillies. Wheeler spent his first seven seasons with the New York Mets. He was 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA last season after going 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 2018. Wheeler missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery.''You have to calm yourself down and go out there and pitch,'' Wheeler said. ''We chatted back and forth a couple of times when guys were running by or whatever. But it was friendly. I made a lot of good friends over there, good relationships.'' Rhys Hoskins, whose three-RBI double on Saturday showed he's close to breaking out of a slump, added a run-scoring single in the first for a 1-0 lead.The Mets scored twice in the fourth off Wheeler on Luis Guillorme's two-RBI single. The Mets killed a couple of rallies with baserunning blunders, notably when Andres Gimenez was thrown out at home to end the second.The Phillies added two more runs in the seventh to secure the sweep.''Everyone kind of did their job this weekend and that's encouraging, as well,'' Girardi said.PETE ALONS-OUTMets slugger Pete Alonso was out of the starting lineup after a slow start to the season with just three homers, 11 RBIs and a .214 average. Alonso burst onto the scene last year with 53 homers and won the NL Rookie of the Year.''He's been on and off,'' Mets manager Luis Rojas said. ''He's about to break out and be that guy and all of a sudden, he's off.'' METS MOVESRHP Franklyn Kilome was recalled from the team's alternate training site and INF Brian Dozier was designated for assignment.TRAINER'S ROOMMETS: Two-time reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom played catch and felt better after he was scratched from his scheduled start against the Phillies on Friday night because of neck tightness. He could be in play for a start on Wednesday.PHILLIES: OF Roman Quinn was placed on the IL. Quinn stayed home after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Girardi said Quinn ''did the right thing'' reporting his symptoms. ... The Phillies have recalled OF Kyle Garlick from Lehigh Valley. ... 2B Jean Segura left the game in the seventh with a hamstring injury after he collided with Mets 1B Dominic Smith and reached on an error.CENTER STAGEWith the Phillies set to hit the road for the next 11 days, their parking lot has been turned into a concert stage. AJR, The Struts and Mt. Joy are among the bands that will play drive-in concerts in the parking lots while fans listen in their cars.UP NEXTThe Mets open a series with the Marlins on Monday and send RHP Robert Gsellman (0-0, 9.00 ERA) to the mound against RHP Jordan Yamamoto (0-0, 9.82 ERA).After playing just one road game all season, the Phillies finally pack their bags and head to Boston to start a series on Tuesday. They haven't decided on a starter. Boston sends RHP Zack Godley (0-2, 8.16 ERA) to the mound.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Phillies go for sweep of Mets behind WheelerThe Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for a three-game series sweep against the visiting New York Mets on Sunday as right-hander Zack Wheeler faces his former team.After going 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA for the Mets last season, Wheeler opted to sign a $118 million free agent contract with the team's biggest National League East rival, the Phillies.Wheeler has been quite effective for the Phillies in his first three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA.During the shutdown, Wheeler remained in shape and has carried that momentum into his initial season with the Phillies as their No. 2 starter behind Aaron Nola."It was my goal during the shutdown that it was time to be ready to go seven, eight innings, whatever it may be," Wheeler said. "I didn't want to be behind." After being swept by the Orioles to fall to 5-9, the Phillies have responded in a big way with consecutive victories against the Mets."We never quit," right fielder Bryce Harper said. "We never die." Rhys Hoskins doubled and drove in three runs to key Saturday's 6-2 win. Following an early season slump, Hoskins now has seven hits in his last 20 at-bats."I think we've got a little bit of confidence after these last two wins," Hoskins said.One player who has continued to scuffle is Scott Kingery. Before the season, Kingery dealt with a positive COVID-19 test, and back and shoulder issues have also hampered him.Kingery went 0-for-3 on Saturday, dropping his average to .093 (4-for-43)."It does feel like it's just going to take a little bit of time," Kingery said. "But these things come back quick." The Mets will hand the ball to right-hander Rick Porcello to try and avoid the sweep.Porcello is 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA, but he has allowed only three runs in his last 13 innings.Over Porcello's career, he holds a 3-2 mark and a 4.37 ERA in six starts against the Phillies."It's been frustrating, as we've lost a lot of close games," Porcello said. "We just need something to get over the hump." Porcello is most effective when he's keeping the ball down, getting ahead in the count and getting ground-ball outs. Through the first four starts, he has been inconsistent, with the ball up in the zone too much."When you're throwing like that, three pitches or less inducing contact, typically the defense, they're going to be on their toes," Mets manager Luis Rojas said. "They know the ball is going to be put in play quickly." The struggling Mets offense is clearly missing Jeff McNeil, who was injured Thursday after crashing into the fence and making an outstanding catch against the Washington Nationals.McNeil has a bone contusion in his knee and is still considered day-to-day. It's not immediately known if he'll play in the series finale against the Phillies. McNeil is hitting .293 with seven RBIs in 17 games."He's a fearless competitor," said teammate Dominic Smith, who hit a two-run home run on Saturday. "Obviously, you don't want to see a guy go down, but I love it. I just love how hard he plays." --Field Level Media
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