MLB

Mets steal one from Phillies with late rally

The Mets may have earned a few signatures from their disgruntled fan base Sunday afternoon for their “True New Yorkers” loyalty letter ahead of Monday’s Subway Series against the Yankees.

In the throes of a deep funk, they avoided a sweep at the hands of the Phillies with some ninth-inning magic, rallying from three-down, to pull out a 5-4 victory in 11 innings and end a five-game losing streak on Mother’s Day at Citi Field.

Demoted to a reserve role Friday night, shortstop Ruben Tejada drove home Chris Young in the 11th with the winning run after Zack Wheeler bunted Young over, Juan Lagares was intentionally walked and Anthony Recker reached on an infield single. Tejada laced the first pitch he saw from Jeff Manship into the gap in left-center field and was mobbed by teammates in short right-center field as the Mets won for the first time in a week.

Daniel Murphy followed Eric Young Jr.’s double leading off the ninth inning with a two-run blast, his second home run the year, to start the uprising against Antonio Bastardo. After Young missed a game-tying shot by inches — his double hit the top of the wall in left field — pinch-hitter Bobby Abreu singled off Chase Utley’s glove against reliever Roberto Hernandez. Juan Lagares drove in the tying run with a groundout to shortstop.

The Mets had a chance to win it in the 10th, but David Wright grounded out to shortstop with two men aboard after Murphy was intentionally walked with first base open.

Scott Rice picked up the win in relief, part of a maligned bullpen that offered five strong innings of one-hit, one-run ball.

Jon Niese delivered another quality outing, allowing eight hits and three runs in six innings while striking out six, his ERA now standing at a team-leading 2.17. The ninth-inning rally wiped out an ugly first eight innings, in which the Mets stranded 11 runners on base and nine in scoring position in continuing to fail in the clutch.

Young Jr. grounded out to leave the bases loaded in the fourth, pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson fanned with two on and two out in the sixth and pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud was caught looking at a fastball with two on and two out in the eighth.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels scattered seven hits, walked three and struck out 10, a season high and the most he has recorded since June 5 of last season, but remained winless on the year.

The Mets got off to a fast start, scoring 12 pitches in against Hamels on a Wright RBI single that extended his hitting streak to nine games.