The New York Mets began the second half of their season with a 4-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, overcoming smoky conditions caused by Canadian wildfires.
Christian Scott delivered a strong performance on the mound, and solo home runs from Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty provided the offense for the Mets. The victory prevented the team from falling 18 games below .500 for the first time this year.
The game's start time was moved up by an hour due to air quality concerns, leading both teams to shorten their pregame routines after an abbreviated All-Star break. Despite the unusual circumstances, the Mets played a solid game, aided by contributions from the bottom of their lineup.
Alvarez hit a one-out solo home run to center field in the third inning, his 10th of the season. Baty added his fifth of the year in the seventh inning, and Alvarez followed with his second of the game, marking the end of Aaron Nola's outing for the Phillies.
Scott retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. In the fourth inning, Bryce Harper doubled, but Scott responded by getting Brandon Marsh to fly out and Alec Bohm to pop out. In the sixth, Kyle Schwarber's potential game-tying home run hit the top of the right field wall for a double.
Brooks Raley replaced Scott after 79 pitches to face Harper. During the at-bat, Schwarber was caught trying to advance to third base on an error, and Harper drew a walk. Raley then struck out Marsh to end the threat.
The Phillies narrowed the deficit in the eighth when Trea Turner hit a two-out home run off Luke Weaver, ending Weaver's streak of 27 innings without allowing a homer. The Mets extended their lead in the ninth when A.J. Ewing doubled home Jared Young.