Monday night, with the NL East’s top dog in the house, the bottom of the batting order took charge and led a 13-3 smackdown of the Phillies at Citi Field. It was a third victory in four games for the Mets, who still trail the Phillies by six games.

They're 5-1 entering a three-game showdown with the second-place Mets. And while they're mostly raking with the lumber, they're making hitters earn every base.

Phillies ace right-hander Zack Wheeler is out for the rest of the season, the team announced Saturday. Wheeler, 35, has been diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), and the recommendation was to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks. Such a procedure typically has a recovery time of six to eight months.