NEW YORK (Interstat) — Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings and Trea Turner drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 2-1 on Friday night at Citi Field.

The victory before 39,077 fans in 2 hours 20 minutes improved Philadelphia’s record to 46-36. The Mets dropped to 34-47.

Wheeler (8-1) allowed one run on five hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one. He outdueled Mets starter Zach Thornton, who gave up one run on five hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. Jhoan Duran worked a scoreless ninth for his 20th save.

Huascar Brazobán (4-2) took the loss, allowing one run on two hits in the seventh inning.

The Phillies struck first in the top of the opening inning. Turner led off with a double to left field. Kyle Schwarber singled to right, moving Turner to third. Bryce Harper then grounded a single up the middle, scoring Turner. Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh both struck out, and Derek Hill grounded out, leaving two runners stranded, but Philadelphia carried a 1-0 lead.

Mets starter Thornton settled in, retiring 10 of the next 11 Phillies batters after the first. The only blemish was a double by J.T. Realmuto in the fourth, but he was left on base.

New York tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Bo Bichette drilled a double to left. Francisco Lindor grounded out, sending Bichette to third. Jared Young then lined a single to right, plating Bichette and knotting the score at 1-1. A.J. Ewing reached on a fielder’s choice, but the inning ended when Ewing was picked off and caught stealing second by shortstop Turner.

The game remained deadlocked until the seventh. With one out, Derek Hill singled to third. Realmuto grounded out, moving Hill to second. Bryson Stott walked. Justin Crawford struck out, bringing Turner to the plate with two outs. Turner lined a sharp single to left, scoring Hill and giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Brazobán relieved Thornton and got Schwarber to line out to first.

The Mets had a chance in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff walk to Ewing, but reliever Matt Strahm struck out Ronny Mauricio to end the threat. Duran entered for the ninth and faced Juan Soto, who grounded out. Bichette grounded out to third. Francisco Lindor singled to right on a line drive, a play that was upheld on replay after a challenge by the Mets. Young then struck out looking on a pitch that was confirmed by replay, ending the game.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the top of the seventh, when the Phillies manufactured the go-ahead run without a hit until Turner’s clutch single with two outs. Hill’s leadoff single and Stott’s walk set the stage, and Thornton’s exit after 91 pitches allowed Brazobán to enter, but the Mets reliever could not prevent Turner from delivering the decisive blow.

Defensively, the Phillies turned two double plays, including one in the third inning when first baseman Jared Young of the Mets made an unassisted double play on a line drive off Alec Bohm’s bat. Philadelphia also benefited from a pickoff in the fourth.

Turner finished 2-for-5 with a double, one run and one RBI. Harper went 3-for-4 with a run batted in. Young drove in the Mets’ only run.

For the Mets, Bichette doubled and scored. Carson Benge had a single in the first. Ewing reached base twice on a single and a walk. Francisco Alvarez, batting as a pinch hitter in the eighth, struck out in his only at-bat.

The Phillies have now won four of their last five games after taking three of four from the Washington Nationals earlier in the week. The Mets have lost four in a row and six of their last seven.

The series continues Saturday with the same teams at Citi Field. Next week, Philadelphia hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates for a four-game set starting Monday, while New York travels to Toronto for three games.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Philadelphia a 57.40 percent probability to win. The Phillies were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of three runs went over the over-under line of eight.