The Mets didn’t get no-hit, which for the second time in four games was about the best thing that could be said about their performance.
After Max Fried frustrated this group three days earlier — the Mets didn’t get their first hit until the ninth inning in a combined no-hitter attempt — another Cy Young award-caliber pitcher took his best shot on Tuesday.
Aaron Nola was much more efficient in limiting the Mets to four hits over nine innings in their 4-0 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field.
Nola, who retired the first 15 batters he faced, allowed only two singles before Jeff McNeil’s bloop pinch-hit double in the ninth and Starling Marte’s two-out single.
Nola threw 109 pitches and finished with his fourth career shutout.
The teams will reconvene for two games beginning Wednesday in Philadelphia (a scheduling quirk implemented because of the Mets-Phillies series in London next month).
Jose Butto threw 41 pitches in the third inning, when the Phillies sent eight batters to the plate and scored twice to take a 2-0 lead.
After Butto walked his second batter of the inning, Bryson Stott to load the bases, Alec Bohm got plunked. Butto followed with a walk to Brandon Marsh that extended the Phillies’ lead. Johan Rojas’ single — the Phillies’ only hit in the inning — started the rally.
Butto lasted five innings and allowed two earned runs on one hit with four walks and four strikeouts and a hit batter.
It was a second straight five-inning start for the right-hander, who walked three in his start against the Cardinals last week in which he surrendered three earned runs.
Tyrone Taylor singled on the first pitch of the sixth inning for the Mets’ first base runner.
But any thoughts of a Mets rally were short-lived: after the Phillies were successful in overturning a catcher’s interference call on Joey Wendle’s swing, Nola got three quick outs.
Jake Diekman walked three batters in the seventh, but his pickoff of Kyle Schwarber at second base helped keep the Mets’ deficit at 2-0. Jorge Lopez entered to get the final out in the inning.
Marte’s single leading off the seventh gave the Mets their second base runner against Nola.
But Francisco Lindor was quickly retired before Pete Alonso hit into an inning-ending double play.
Sean Reid-Foley was tagged for two runs in the ninth.
Nick Castellanos delivered an RBI single in the inning before Stott’s double extended the lead to 4-0.
Garrett Stubbs doubled leading off the inning.