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Carrasco Tames the Philly Bats as the Mets Win 7th in a Row at Citi by Rich Coutinho /TheNYExtra.com
In 2022 The Mets dominated the Phils in head-to-head meetings and that trend is continuing in 2023 as the Mets beat the Phils 4-1 at Citi. In the last 2 nights, Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco have thrown 13 innings of one-run baseball and then handed it off to the bullpen to seal the game. The Mets have now won their last seven series versus the Phils and have taken 8 of the last 9 games played versus the Phils here in Flushing.
For the first time all season, this team is carving out consistent starting pitching night after night. They are 15-0 this year when the starter goes six innings or more and they are the only team in the majors undefeated in that scenario. This allows the team to get by with just a slice of offense and on this night, Mark Canha provided that with 4 RBI including a 2-run homer that gave the Mets the lead for good in this one.
That home run means the Mets have gone yard in 14 consecutive games, tied for the second longest such streak in franchise history. And the Phils are feeling the Met knockout punches as they have gone 5-16 versus the Amazins in the last 2 seasons.
But the story of the night was Carlos Carrasco whose fastball had mid 90’s velocity all night making his secondary pitches real effective. Since coming back off the injured list, he has tossed 12.2 innings of 2 run ball after starting the season giving up 18 runs in 18.2 innings. If he can return to this form, we may see a repeat performance of the Carrasco that led the team in wins a season ago further lengthening a Met rotation that includes Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and Max Scherzer whom we will see tomorrow afternoon versus former Met Taijuan Walker.
And with the Mets owning a sterling record in games they get length from their starters; this could mean the extended run of wins Met fans have been waiting for all year. And the current stretch of winning 7 in a row here at Citi, has pulled the Mets to within 4 games of the division leading Atlanta Braves while also putting the Mets in a flatfooted tie for that second wild card spot in the senior circuit. And that can all be attributed to the run this starting rotation is on putting the team in an atmosphere where they can begin to dominate here in Flushing.
