Skidding Mets turn to Griffin Canning in bid to slow down Phillies

The New York Mets needed just 12 days at the start of June to open a 5 1/2-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.

It took only eight days for the lead to evaporate.

The Mets will attempt to climb back into a tie for first place in the National League East on Saturday night when they play the second contest of their three-game series against the host Philadelphia Phillies.

Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21).

The Phillies moved into sole possession of first place Friday night after Trea Turner’s RBI double snapped a tie and sparked a six-run seventh inning in a 10-2 victory.

The loss was the seventh straight for the Mets, who have been outscored 51-16 during their skid.

This losing streak was preceded by a six-game winning streak that capped a 15-3 stretch for the Mets, who had the best record in baseball at 45-24 as well as the lowest ERA (2.80) through June 12.

But the Mets are hitting just .205 with an ERA of 6.68 over the last seven games. Lineup mainstays Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are batting a combined .171 (13-of-76) during the losing streak. Among starting pitchers, only David Peterson has recorded an out beyond the fifth inning.

“Look, we’re going through it right now — I think it’s a little bit of everything,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Every area, we’re fighting through it. It’s hard. But we’ve got to continue to fight, and we’ve got to continue to grind and get through it and find a way.”

The Phillies aren’t far removed from their own miserable stretch. Philadelphia lost 10 of 12 games from May 29 through June 10.

But Philadelphia has leapfrogged the Mets by winning eight of its last nine games by a combined score of 53-23. The surge has been a team effort for the Phillies, who have earned three wins in which they scored four runs or less while also recording four victories in which they scored at least seven runs.

The Phillies hit three doubles and two singles while drawing two walks during Friday’s six-run seventh inning — their biggest inning since a six-run first frame against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 3.

“Hitting’s contagious, and when you’ve got the momentum going like that and everyone’s rolling, it’s a lot of fun,” said Nick Castellanos, who laced an RBI single in the seventh inning before adding a two-run homer in the eighth.

Canning took the loss in his most recent start last Sunday, when he allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Mets fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 9-0. Abel earned the victory Monday after giving up one run over five innings in the Phillies’ 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins.

Canning is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies. Abel, who will make his fifth big league start Saturday, has never opposed the Mets.

–Field Level Media