PHILADELPHIA — A Tough Night for the Mets Against the Phillies

Freddy Peralta had a night to forget on Saturday, making it painfully clear that he was in for a rough outing. The Mets were swiftly eliminated from contention by the third inning in a disheartening 15-3 defeat against the Phillies.

Peralta’s performance was the most challenging of his career, surrendering 10 earned runs on 10 hits and one walk within just two-thirds of an inning. This unfortunate showing has raised his ERA to 4.83, leaving the Mets’ rotation looking shaky, way behind the likes of Sean Manaea, who has an ERA of 4.64. Meanwhile, David Peterson, with his 5.91 ERA, is slated to pitch in the final game of the series on Sunday night.

It was not just Peralta struggling; Kyle Schwarber managed to hit three home runs, including two just in the first inning, and Bryce Harper hit for the cycle. On the bright side, for the Mets, it only counts as one loss.

Yet, Peralta’s situation is hard to overlook. He hasn’t been at his best since giving up six earned runs in a previous loss to the Cardinals. After that game, he was sidelined for two more outings and only lasted five innings against the Braves last Sunday, allowing three earned runs.

Essentially, Peralta, who came to Queens last winter as part of the trade sending Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee, is edging toward “bust” territory. The team also brought in Tobias Myers in that deal.

Despite a year of four walks, which typically wouldn’t bode well for his free agency prospects, Peralta struggled from the outset. Harper hit a two-out home run in the first inning, putting the Phillies ahead 1-0. In the second inning, JT Realmuto and Justin Crawford each doubled, pushing the lead to 3-0. The inning took off with Baker Bohm’s leadoff single.

Peralta couldn’t make it through the third inning. Schwarber hit a home run, and after Harper doubled, Marcus Semien made a play on Brandon Marsh’s grounder, allowing another run. Bryson Stott’s fly ball ended up as an RBI double when Juan Soto misplayed it, extending the lead to 6-0.

Not quite finished, the Phillies kept pushing. After Realmuto doubled and Peralta recorded two outs, Crawford walked, and Trea Turner knocked in a run to finally end Peralta’s night. Cionel Perez faced Schwarber, leading to an 11-0 deficit for the Mets as Schwarber, for the fourth time in Phillies history, had two homers in a single inning.

Mark Vientos finally got the Mets on the scoreboard with a home run in the fourth inning—his ninth of the season. Harper completed his cycle with a two-run triple in the fifth, marking a significant achievement as he became the 10th player in franchise history to do so.

Later, Carson Benge hit a two-run homer in the seventh, bringing the Mets a little closer at 13-3. As for the Phillies, Christopher Sanchez delivered a solid game, allowing only one earned run on five hits over six innings, further lowering his ERA to 1.80.

Myers allowed another two-run homer to Schwarber in the seventh inning, marking the fifth time in his career that Schwarber hit three home runs in a game.