The opponent changed, but the Mets kept attacking on Thursday.
After two straight days of putting pressure on the hapless Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza's team prepared for a bigger challenge against the NL East leader, even with weakest link Taijuan Walker on the mound for the Phillies.
After all, Walker had pitched three scoreless innings of relief last Saturday to help the Phillies beat the Mets, but that night it was extra batting practice.
The Mets hit four home runs off the right-hander and earned a 10-6 victory in front of 35,982 at Citi Field.
The Mets, who also scored 10 runs in each of their last two wins in sweeping the Nationals, won their fourth straight and for the 16th time in their last 20 games.
They remained tied with Arizona for the second NL wild card and kept their two-game lead over Atlanta intact for third place.
Mark Vientos, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez all homered, while Francisco Lindor was absent from the lineup for the fourth straight game due to lower back soreness.
Luis Severino was not at his best, but he kept the Mets competitive with three earned runs allowed on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings.
It was Severino's second straight start against the Phillies, and in both he allowed three runs in six innings.
Vientos and Alonso hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
It was the sixth time this season that the Mets have hit back-to-back home runs.
Vientos's outburst was his 25th of the season and Alonso extended his team's lead with his 34th.
After Trea Turner homered in the second inning to tie the score at 2-2 (Kyle Schwarber had reached base on a two-out single before Turner's blast), the Mets came back in the bottom of the frame. Jose Iglesias singled to lead off the inning and Nimmo homered over the fence in right-center field.
Severino struggled in the fourth inning, allowing two hits and a walk to pull the Phillies within 4-3. Brandon Marsh had a two-out RBI single after a walk to JT Realmuto.
Alvarez's three-run rocket in the fourth was the highlight of an inning in which the Mets sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs.
JD Martinez was hit to start the comeback and Tyrone Taylor walked before Alvarez lunged at a high sinker for his second homer in three games and fourth since Sept. 11.
But the Mets kept piling on innings. Iglesias singled and Nimmo's RBI double left the Phillies trailing 8-3.
Vientos' RBI single got past the post before Alonso and Jesse Winker loaded the bases. But the good times ended when Martinez grounded into a double play that ended the inning.
Danny Young allowed three runs in the seventh that cut the Mets' lead to 9-6.
Bryce Harper's two-out double off Reed Garrett that drove in two runs was the big hit of the inning.
Luisangel Acuña hit an RBI triple in the seventh that extended the Mets' lead to 10-6.
It was just the latest contribution from the rookie, who homered in each of his previous two games.
