Jean Segura Bails Out Phillies' Bullpen With Homer In 10th To Beat Mets
NEW YORK (AP) — Jean Segura hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and drove in a career-best five runs, bailing out the Philadelphia Phillies' abominable bullpen to salvage a 9-8 win Monday over the New York Mets for a four-game split.
The Mets erased a 6-0 deficit against former teammate Zack Wheeler and baseball's worst bullpen, taking a 7-6 lead on Jeff McNeil's three-run homer in the seventh inning.
Philadelphia rookie Alec Bohm countered with a tying single in the eighth against Jeurys Familia, plating Segura before Andrew Knapp turned too wide around third and got picked off to end the inning.
Segura hit his fifth homer of the season with two outs in the 10th, lining a pitch from Miguel Castro (1-1) over the wall in left-center. Segura, who entered with 12 RBIs this season. also had a three-run double in the first inning and finished with four hits.
Héctor Neris allowed an RBI single to Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the 10th but still completed his third save.
Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto homered for Philadelphia, which moved 3 1/2 games ahead of New York for second place in the NL East. The Mets dropped to 19-23.
Wheeler pitched six innings in his first start as a visitor at Citi Field and handed off a 6-3 lead that was immediately blown by a bullpen that entered with a 7.04 ERA.
Rookie left-hander JoJo Romero allowed consecutive singles to Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis, and Conforto scored to make it 6-4 when shortstop Didi Gregorius threw away a certain double play on the relay.
Recently acquired right-hander David Phelps replaced Romero, walked Pete Alonso, then allowed McNeil's homer into the second deck in right.
McNeil hit his first homer of the season a day earlier. An All-Star last year, McNeil is batting .381 (16 for 42) in his past 11 games following a cold start.
Edwin Díaz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for New York, lowering his ERA to 2.04. Phillies closer Brandon Workman (1-1) walked McNeil but stranded him in the bottom half to force extras.
Wheeler allowed doubles to Andrés Giménez, Conforto, Davis and Dominic Smith during a three-run fifth, but he was otherwise excellent.
The right-hander struck out seven, allowed eight hits and hit two batters in his second start against the Mets since leaving New York to sign a $118 million, five-year deal with Philadelphia last offseason.
Mets left-hander David Peterson allowed five runs in two innings, but Erasmo Ramírez followed with five innings of one-run ball in his first appearance this season.
Hoskins added a two-run homer in the second — his ninth — and Realmuto put the Phillies up 6-0 with a solo shot off Ramírez in the fifth. Realmuto has 10 home runs.
Conforto had his second straight three-hit game.
Gregorius made another error in the eighth when he booted Davis' grounder, but Tommy Hunter stranded two by striking out Smith. Philadelphia has made four errors and several other misplays over the past two games.
SHORT DEBATE
Giménez made his fourth straight start at shortstop in place of struggling Amed Rosario and made several stellar defensive plays. He jumped to catch Phil Gosselin's line drive in the third, then laid out to snag Hoskins' grounder up the middle in the fourth. In the 10th, he threw out Hoskins at the plate when he tried to score from third on a grounder.
The 22-year-old Giménez added another impressive stop deep in the hole during the fifth inning but couldn't nab speedy Segura at first.
Giménez also had two hits and went 7 for 15 during the series.
CENTER STAGE
Bryce Harper started in center field for the first time with Philadelphia — he hadn't played the position since 2018 with Washington. The Phillies are without outfielders Roman Quinn, Jay Bruce and Scott Kingery and have just four healthy outfielders on their 40-man roster.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Connor Brogdon was promoted from the alternate site and RHP Mauricio Llovera was sent down a day after making his major league debut.
Mets: OF Billy Hamilton was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs after being designated for assignment Friday.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Open a stretch including five doubleheaders in 15 days with a twinbill against Boston. Philadelphia hadn't announced starters for either game as of Monday afternoon. The Red Sox will pitch LHP Martin Perez (2-4, 4.07) in one of the games.
Mets: RHP Michael Wacha (1-2, 7.20) opposes Baltimore LHP John Means (0-3, 8.10) in the opener of a two-game series at Citi Field.