PHILADELPHIA — The idea of a lockdown Mets bullpen performance, especially in this bandbox, would have been laughable for much of this season.
But in the team’s second-half surge, no unit’s improvement has been more pronounced. So when manager Mickey Callaway removed Steven Matz with nobody out in the sixth inning Saturday, there was hardly the feeling of doom and gloom that might have pervaded six weeks ago.
Four shutout innings from the bullpen later, the Mets had their second straight victory over the Phillies, 6-3 at Citizens Bank Park, and had recovered a game in the race for the NL’s second wild card.