The opponent changed, but the Mets just kept blasting away Thursday.
After two straight days piling on the hapless Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza’s crew steeled for a larger challenge against the NL East leader, even with weak link Taijuan Walker on the mound for the Phillies.
Walker, after all, had fired three innings of scoreless relief last Saturday to help the Phillies beat the Mets, but on this night he was additional batting practice.
The Mets clobbered four home runs against the right-hander and rolled to a 10-6 victory in front of 35,982 at Citi Field.
The Mets, who also scored 10 runs in each of their final two victories in sweeping the Nationals, won their fourth straight and for the 16th time in their last 20 games.
They remained tied with Arizona for the NL’s second wild card and kept their two-game lead on Atlanta for the third spot intact.
Mark Vientos, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez all homered, with Francisco Lindor absent from the lineup for a fourth straight game with lower back soreness.
Luis Severino wasn’t his sharpest, but kept the Mets competitive with three earned runs allowed on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.
It was Severino’s second straight start against the Phillies, and in both he allowed three runs over six innings.
Vientos and Alonso hit consecutive homers in the first inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
It marked the sixth time this season the Mets went back-to-back with homers.
Vientos’ blast was his 25th of the season and Alonso extended his team lead with his 34th.
After Trea Turner homered in the second to tie it 2-2 — Kyle Schwarber had reached on a two-out single ahead of Turner’s blast — the Mets went back on the rampage in the bottom of the inning. Jose Iglesias singled leading off and Nimmo cleared the fence in right-center.
Severino struggled through the fourth, allowing two hits and a walk to pull the Phillies within 4-3. Brandon Marsh stroked a two-out RBI single following a walk to J.T. Realmuto.
Alvarez’s three-run rocket in the fourth was the highlight of an inning in which the Mets sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs.
J.D. Martinez was plunked to begin the rally and Tyrone Taylor walked before Alvarez pounced on a high sinker for his second homer in three games and fourth since Sept. 11.
But the Mets kept adding in the inning. Iglesias singled and Nimmo’s RBI double buried the Phillies in an 8-3 hole.
Vientos’ ensuing RBI single passed the baton before walks to Alonso and Jesse Winker loaded the bases. But the good times ended with Martinez grounding into an inning-ending double play.
Danny Young allowed three runs in the seventh that sliced the Mets lead to 9-6.
Bryce Harper’s two-out double against Reed Garrett that brought in two runs was the inning’s big hit.
Luisangel Acuna delivered an RBI triple in the seventh that widened the Mets lead to 10-6.
It was just the latest contribution from the rookie, who homered in each of his two previous games.
