Francisco Lindor homered twice Monday night and Tylor Megill dominated the visiting Philadelphia Phillies for 5 1/3 innings as the New York Mets opened an early-season showdown of National League East rivals with a 5-4 victory.
Megill (3-2) allowed only one hit and four walks while striking out 10 in a 92-pitch effort that gave New York its fifth straight win. Max Kranick and Edwin Diaz combined to give up four ninth-inning runs, but Diaz garnered his sixth save.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola (0-5) continued his rough start to the season, getting tagged for seven hits and four runs over 6 1/3 innings, walking two and whiffing six. The outing actually decreased Nola’s earned run average to 6.43.
Lindor was the Phillies’ biggest problem all night. The shortstop led off the bottom of the first with a homer for the second straight game, launching a down-and-in knuckle-curve from Nola off the facing of the second deck in right field.
New York’s Jesse Winker went deep to right-center leading off the second inning, his first long ball of the year.
In the seventh, Lindor broke the game open when he launched a 95 mph Jose Ruiz fastball right down the middle an estimated 412 feet over the right-center-field wall with Luisangel Acuna and Tyrone Taylor aboard. It was Lindor’s fifth homer of the season.
That blast came in very handy for New York when Philadelphia’s bats came alive in the ninth. Max Kepler doubled and J.T. Realmuto singled him home. Alec Bohm followed with a single that knocked out Kranick.
Diaz retired Cal Stevenson on a flyout before Bryson Stott touched him for a three-run homer to right-center, his second of the year. But Diaz rebounded, fanning Trea Turner with a fastball and Bryce Harper with a slider in the dirt to end it.
Lindor and Winker each had two hits for the Mets. Stott and Kepler collected two hits apiece for the Phillies, who took their second loss in a row.
