PHILADELPHIA — A Disheartening Afternoon for the Mets

Picture this: Saturday featured two underperforming Mets pitchers, and, well, hardly anyone seemed to care.

Sean Manaea’s performance was brief but lacking, and Kodai Senga didn’t inspire much confidence either. Both pitchers could be available as the trade deadline approaches.

If your team is in need of a back-of-the-rotation arm, consider yourself warned. Maybe it’s best to just look elsewhere.

The Mets’ lackluster showing culminated in a 6-1 defeat against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The game was even moved up an hour due to potential weather issues.

Unfortunately, play resumed after a 48-minute rain delay in the seventh inning. Manaea and Senga combined to allow all six of the Phillies’ runs, with little help from the offensive lineup, which only managed to land three hits.

With a record of 17 games below .500, the Mets matched their worst season standing.

Earlier, the Mets traded one struggling pitcher, David Peterson, to the Cubs for first baseman Cole Mathis. The ongoing issues with Manaea and Senga might leave the Mets stuck with them for now.

Manaea is in the middle of a three-year, $75 million deal, while Senga, struggling with an 8.85 ERA, is owed about $20 million through next season.

For teams hunting for a starter, there’s Freddy Peralta, who’s also having a rough season but carries a more manageable $8 million salary this year as he heads into free agency.

Manaea recorded an ERA of 4.74 but allowed four earned runs on seven hits, walked two batters, and struck out seven in just 4 2/3 innings. It was the third time in five starts that he hasn’t gone beyond five innings.

Senga pitched just one-third of an inning, allowing six base runners through three hits and three walks, giving up two earned runs. Any hopes of him becoming a reliable relief option have faded after two shaky appearances in just three games. Chiga was removed from the starting roster last month.

Kyle Schwarber continued his dominance against the Mets, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning. Earlier, Trea Turner led off with a single, setting the stage for Schwarber, who hit his MLB record 33rd homer into the right-field stands.

Tyron Taylor later pulled the Mets within 2-1 with a home run. This was his seventh homer of the season, and he’s been particularly effective against left-handed pitchers, starting the day with a solid OPS of .741 against them.

Turner then hit a homer in the fifth inning, boosting the Mets’ lead to 3-1.

As for Turner, he took advantage of a hanging sinker, making it his 12th home run this season. An ill-timed pickoff attempt by Francisco Alvarez allowed the Phillies to extend their lead to 4-1 with Alec Bohm’s RBI single.

Manaea compounded his struggles by walking Schwarber after Turner’s home run.

In the sixth inning, Chiga served up a forkball that 0-2 pitch to Bryce Harper, who took it deep for a two-run homer, extending the Phillies’ lead to 6-1.

Chiga also let Bryson Stott hit a lead-off triple before walking Turner and Schwarber, thus loading the bases.