Phillies take domination of Mets international in London Series opener

The Philadelphia Phillies cruised to a 7-2 win in the first game of the London Series against the New York Mets on Saturday afternoon. Ranger Suárez picked up his 10th win of the season to push the Phillies to 45-19. With the loss, the Mets fall to 27-36 and 1.0 game behind the Nationals for third place in the NL East.

Phillies take domination of Mets international in London Series opener

The Mets took the lead early on a Starling Marte two-out double in the second inning. From that point on, it was all Phillies as they scored six runs in the fourth inning, including home runs from Bryce Harper and Whit Merrifield.

Harper’s solo home run opened up the scoring for the Phillies and he wooed the international crowd with a soccer-influenced celebration. Merrifield’s home run was his third of the campaign and a huge confidence boost for the 10-year veteran who has struggled so far in his Phillies tenure.

Nick Castellanos added to the scoring later on with his ninth home run of the season in the top of the eighth to put the Phillies up 7-2.

Phillies pitchers shut down the hapless Mets, again

Ranger Suárez had his moments as he gave up eight hits, but he added six strikeouts and gave up just two runs through 5 2/3 innings to take the league lead in wins.

Orion Kerkering entered the game with two out and two runners on in the sixth and managed to get out of the inning unscathed. Kerkering ultimately pitched 1 1/3 innings, posting three strikeouts and improving his ERA to an exceptional 1.19 through 20 games.

Seranthony Domínguez pitched his eighth consecutive scoreless outing, dropping his ERA to 4.91 after a very difficult start to the season. José Ruiz wrapped things up, as he continues to pitch well in his first season with the Phillies. Despite loading the bases in the ninth, he rebounded to get the job done with a game-ending double play, sending Phillies fans home happy.

With the win, the Phillies improved to 4-1 against the Mets this season and are now 17.5 games ahead of New York in the NL East — they've outscored the Mets 31-17 in the five games. The Phillies' 45 wins tie the New York Yankees for the most in MLB. However, the Phillies have one fewer loss, which gives them the edge for the best record.