Mets takeaways from Sunday’s 8-7 win over Phillies, including Jonathan Villar’s rally-igniting eighth inning

The Mets blew a one-run lead in the sixth inning but rallied for a six-run eighth and held off a three-run ninth, ultimately winning a three-game series in Philadelphia with Sunday’s wild 8-7 comeback victory against the Phillies.

Five things to know from Sunday’s game

1. With 3B J.D. Davis and CF Brandon Nimmo nursing day-to-day injuries, Jonathan Villar and Kevin Pillar entered the starting lineup. Little did New York know how much of an impact each would have later on.

2. LHP David Peterson surrendered a leadoff home run to Andrew McCutchen but limited the first-inning damage. Peterson stretched five innings, yielding one run on four hits while striking out eight and walking two on 88 pitches (56 strikes).

3. After RF Michael Conforto‘s third-inning RBI single and C James McCann‘s sixth-inning fielder’s choice, the latter of which scored LF Dominic Smith, New York took a 2-1 lead. RHP Miguel Castro entered the sixth inning and worked into trouble, surrendering a three-run blast to Didi Gregorius, giving the Phillies a 4-2 lead.

4. Following a scoreless seventh inning, the Mets broke out in the eighth with a six-run rally. Pillar led off with a solo shot to left, closing the gap to 4-3. Villar singled and, after McCann’s flyout, Jose Peraza singled to right. After advancing to second, a miscue by Rhys Hoskins and Nick Maton getting the ball in allowed Villar to score all the way from first, tying things, 4-4.

Philadelphia brought in Jose Alvarado and the Mets broke out for four more runs. SS Francisco Lindor walked to load the bases and Conforto worked a free pass, forcing in Peraza and putting New York up, 5-4. 1B Pete Alonso drove a bases-clearing double to the right-center gap, giving the Mets an 8-4 advantage.

5. The Phillies, however, did not go away and put up a fight in the ninth inning. RHP Edwin Diaz entered after RHP Trevor May‘s 1-2-3 eighth and worked into trouble, allowing a leadoff walk to Gregorius. After getting Maton to pop up at third, Roman Quinn tripled and scored Gregorious, cutting the Mets’ margin to a three-run cushion, 8-5.

Diaz struck out Odubel Herrera but waked Matt Joyce, putting runners on the corners before an almost game-tying homer by Hoskins to to right was ruled a double — the ball hit the top of the wall, a railing, and the Mets kept an 8-7 edge. RHP Jeurys Familia entered for Diaz and got the final out, a swinging strikeout of Bryce Harper, stranding Hoskins at second.

Highlights

What’s next

The Mets (11-11) and Cardinals begin a four-game series in St. Louis on Monday at 7:45 p.m. on SNY.

While the Mets have not announced a starting pitcher, RHP Adam Wainwright is projected to take the mound for St. Louis (16-12).