Just when it looked like the Phillies caught the break they needed to get past longtime foe Jon Niese, they were unable to hold on.
After being shut down for five innings, the Phils scored two unearned runs in the sixth thanks to an error by Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera. The momentum of the inning and the one-run lead was short lived.
Niese was scheduled to lead off the top of the seventh and most managers would have pinch-hit for the pitcher. But Terry Collins didn't and Niese rewarded him with a leadoff single that helped set up Juan Lagares' game-winning two-run homer in a 3-2 Mets win on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Ruiz grounded into an inning-ending double play. An effective takeout slide by Cesar Hernandez almost certainly would have caused Ruiz to be safe and let the Phillies tie the game.
With the victory, the Mets improved to 19-11 to stave off Bryce Harper and the Nationals, who they lead by 3 1/2 games.
The Phillies fell to 11-20. The only other team in baseball with 20-plus losses is the Milwaukee Brewers.
MLB
Starting pitching report
Aaron Harang turned in another quality start, his sixth in seven tries.
Harang (3-3, 2.38) allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out two.
Harang has a 1.01 WHIP and a .219 opponents' batting average through 45 1/3 innings. He was in line for the win before allowing Lagares' two-run blast.
In his 21st career start against the Phillies, Niese cruised through five innings before being let down by his defense in the sixth.
Niese, who has a 2.77 ERA in 136 1/3 innings vs. the Phils, needed just 59 pitches to set the Phils down with ease for five innings. But he was unable to work around a one-out error in the sixth that enabled the Phils to score two runs.
After the surprising decision to let Niese bat for himself, he set the Phillies down in order in the seventh.
Niese (3-2, 1.95) is one of just four active pitchers with 20-plus starts against the Phillies. The others are Tim Hudson, Mike Pelfrey and Jason Marquis.
Bullpen report
Luis Garcia worked into and out of trouble in the eighth inning. He came on with one out and nobody on and proceeded to go walk-single-walk, throwing 14 balls and nine strikes before getting pinch-hitter Johnny Monell to ground into a 1-2-3 double play.
After settling in, Garcia pitched a perfect ninth.
Mets lefty Alex Torres came on in the eighth and threw just one strike, walking both batters he faced to load the bases. But Ruiz grounded into a 6-4-3 double play against Buddy Carlyle to end the threat.
Closer Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless ninth for his National League-leading 12th save.
At the plate
Freddy Galvis led off the eighth inning with a double and the Phillies loaded the bases with one out, but they stranded all three on Ruiz's GIDP.
Lagares continues to kill the Phillies. He's a .344 career hitter against them in 143 plate appearances. His home run snapped an 0-for-16 skid.
Through five innings, the Phillies' only two hits were Andres Blanco singles. But they hit a few balls hard in their two-run sixth. Darin Ruf scalded a single up the middle, and Ruiz hit a ball sharply down the third-base line for his second double of the season.
In the field
Errors by each team's second baseman led to unearned runs for the opponent.
Hernandez, playing second base in place of Chase Utley, bobbled a simple ground ball in the fifth that should have ended the inning, but instead allowed an unearned run to score.
Harang was able to strand the bases loaded to minimize damage, but he was forced to throw eight additional high-stress pitches because of the error.
Ben Revere's speed forced a quick, errant throw from second baseman Herrera in the sixth inning. Revere came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Francoeur, and the Phillies tacked on another unearned run later in the inning.
Out of the lineup
Chase Utley (3 for 32 off Niese) and Ryan Howard (4 for 26 vs. Niese with 12 strikeouts) both sat on Saturday night.
Utley pinch hit in the ninth and singled off Familia. Howard followed with a well-struck flyout to deep left-center.
If you're wondering why Howard was out of the lineup after going 8 for 17 with two homers, a double, triple, five RBIs and two walks over his last four games, it's because manager Ryne Sandberg did not want to mess with Howard's hot streak by having him face a pitcher he's never hit (see story).
Up next
The Phillies and Mets wrap up their weekend series Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m.
Chad Billingsley (0-1, 9.00) makes his first home start as a Phillie and second since joining the team.
Bartolo Colon (5-1, 2.90) pitches for the Mets. Colon went 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA against the Phils last season.