The New York Mets just opened their second half of the season with a solid 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, and man, what a wild scene it was. Citizens Bank Park was shrouded in this eerie orangey haze from those Canadian wildfires, but even through all that, Christian Scott absolutely showed up, out-dueling veteran Aaron Nola on the mound. This kid, recently declared "untouchable" by the organization, really proved why on Thursday night.
Scott Shuts Down Philly Bats Through The Haze
Seriously, Scott was a beast out there. He tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, fanning seven batters and giving up just three hits, with zero walks. Dude was in control! He got into a little jam in the sixth, giving up a two-out double to Kyle Schwarber that was *this close* to being a home run. Heart-stopper! But Brooks Raley came in clutch, getting Bryce Harper to end the threat and keep the Phillies completely off the board. The bullpen, mostly Raley and Huascar Brazobán, kept dealing zeros. The only hiccup? Trea Turner finally got to Luke Weaver in the eighth for a solo homer, snapping Weaver's insane 27 2/3 innings scoreless streak. A bummer, but Weaver's still looking like a hot commodity on the trade market heading towards the deadline.Long Balls and Future Stars Fuel The Offense
The offense did its job, mostly thanks to the long ball. Francisco Alvarez kicked things off in the third with a solo blast, then Brett Baty added another solo shot in the seventh to make it 2-0. Alvarez wasn't done, hitting his second solo homer of the game right after Baty's to make it 3-0. Seriously, all three runs Nola gave up were solo bombs. Then in the ninth, A.J. Ewing ripped an opposite-field double, bringing Jared Young home for an insurance run. Ewing, man, he's a bright spot, hitting a sweet .274/.347/.438 with a 121 wRC+ across his first 58 big league games. And Juan Soto? He went 1-1 with three walks, keeping his MVP-level season rolling with a .292/.412/.563 slash line and a 166 wRC+. The only worry? He left in the eighth with left calf soreness, but the team expects him back this weekend. Fingers crossed. So yeah, the Mets' season might be "as over as a season can possibly be" by July 16th. Tough pill to swallow. But seeing these quality performances from foundational guys like Scott, Ewing, and Soto? That's what you gotta enjoy right now. You're watching the early building blocks of something special. Let's see if Soto's good to go for the weekend and if these young guns can keep showing us what they're truly made of, building that strong long-term outfield of Soto, Ewing, and Carson Benge. That's definitely something to look forward to.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.