PHILADELPHIA — Luis Severino was dominant for much of his outing against the Phillies on Saturday.
The exception came against Bryce Harper, who homered twice against the right-hander.
“They were not hitting the ball except for Harper,” Severino said after a 6-4 loss to Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. “He was the only guy with a great approach against me and had two good at-bats.”
After striking out to end the first, Harper hit an opposite-field homer on a changeup in the fourth to cut into what was a four-run Mets lead.
Harper got the Phillies closer two innings later.
Severino retired the first two batters of the inning before he walked Trea Turner to bring up Harper.
With a full count, Severino didn’t make a good enough slider and Harper hit it into the seats in right to make it a one-run game and the Phillies went ahead for good an inning later.
Carlos Mendoza said Severino may have been better served by bouncing the slider and if the lefty Harper walked, he could have gone after the right-handed hitting Nick Castellanos.
Instead, Severino gave up just his third hit of the afternoon.
The blasts by Harper weren’t a surprise, considering he now has 28 on the season, but the Phillies slugger entered the game in the midst of a 29-game homerless drought, the second-longest of his career.
The two home runs he gave up to Harper were as many as Severino allowed — combined — in his previous five outings.
He got off to a fast start, striking out the side on 13 pitches in the first inning. Severino retired the first eight batters he faced.
In six innings, the right-hander whiffed five and walked just one and has allowed more than three runs just once in his last six starts.
The Mets, though, have dropped three of his last four outings.
