PHILADELPHIA — Missing their team leader, the New York Mets looked like they were cruising to a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

Without Francisco Lindor, the Mets took a big lead on the Phillies early. But their NL East rivals got a big performance from their leader, Bryce Harper, who hit two home runs off Luis Severino and brought the Phillies to within one run of tying the Mets.

The Mets’ bullpen, which had been so reliable since its makeover at the trade deadline, couldn’t hold a one-run lead. The Phillies scored three runs between the seventh and eighth to win 6-4 and even the series.

“I feel like we scored runs today and the guys give us a chance to win again, but it’s a good lineup,” Severino said. “They’re going to fight until the end.”

Up 4-0, left-hander Danny Young (4-1) put two on to start the seventh inning. After a sacrifice bunt to move them over, the Phillies pinch-hit for Kody Clemens with right-hander Weston Wilson. The Mets played the matchup, countering with right-hander Reed Garrett.

The hard-throwing righty struck out Wilson, getting him to look at a 99 MPH fastball for strike 3. But Garrett couldn’t finish off Cal Stevenson. He had the outfielder at 3-2 before he lined a cutter into right field for the go-ahead two-run double, putting the Phillies ahead 5-4.

“I thought it was a good pitch,” Garrett said. “I think if I walk him, that’s a worse at-bat than throwing a pitch in the zone and trying to make the pitch and get him out. He put a good swing on it. I tip my cap, and unfortunately, it didn’t go my way that time.”

Stevenson robbed J.D. Martinez of a tying home run in the top of the eighth. Martinez led off with a deep drive right to the Philadelphia bullpen, but Stevenson tracked it all the way back and reached over the fence, coming up with the catch.

Ryne Stanek gave up another run in the eighth, leaving the Mets down two.

Right-hander Carlos Estevez pitched around a single by Luisangel Acuña to convert the save in the ninth.

“We want to win every game. I don’t think it’s going to detract from anything going forward,” Garrett said. “I think we all believe in ourselves, and we all believe what we can accomplish. So I think that’s the biggest thing, that just tomorrow’s a new day. Let’s go out and go win one tomorrow.”

As has been the case so often this season, a walk burned the Mets. With the Amazins’ up 4-1 in the sixth after Harper’s first home run — a solo shot in the fourth — Severino got two outs in the sixth before walking Trea Turner. Harper then hit his second homer to close the gap.

The Harper homers were the only blemishes on Severino’s outing. The right-hander was charged with three earned runs on three hits, walked one and struck out five over six innings.

“We get one pitch, one out [in the fourth], and then we throw a changeup and he goes the opposite way. We know he’s going to be aggressive early in counts,” said manager Carlos Mendoza of Harper. “And then the second Homer, maybe that’s the one that Sevy is thinking, ‘Just get it in the dirt, make him chase.’ And then if he walks them, then you go after Castellanos. But he got too much over the plate, and [Harper] got him …

“Got him good.”

The Mets wasted no time putting the Phillies in a hole. Left-hander Kolby Allard loaded the bases in the first inning and walked Starling Marte to put the first run on the board. Allard stranded the bases loaded, but the Mets had already managed to put a dent in his pitch count.

Mark Vientos led off the third inning with a double to the left field corner and Brandon Nimmo single to left. Pete Alonso reached on an error by Clemens, who overthrew first base on the putout, allowing Vientos to score from third.

With one out, Marte sent a deep fly to the right-center field wall, clearing the bases with a triple. The Mets went up 4-0.

Acuña made his big league debut, going 2 for 4, earning his first Major League hit with a single off former Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker in the fourth. He played in place of Lindor, who has been dealing with back soreness after jamming his back stepping on a base Friday night.

Mendoza made the decision earlier in the day to rest Lindor. The Mets hoped he would be available off the bench, but the shortstop had to go through a series of exercises to be ready to hit, so the manager felt it best to give him his first day off this season. Lindor tried to communicate how he was feeling with the manager as early as he could so the Mets would be able to make lineup decisions and properly game plan without him.

He’s hoping to be back for Sunday’s series finale.

“I just want to play as many games as I can,” Lindor said. “Hopefully, today helps me to play the next 14 games that we have left.”

____

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.