Bryce Harper was back to his former self in the Phillies’ convincing win over the Mets

Last month, it seemed like Bryce Harper couldn’t hit a home run.

He was close to ending his home run drought that began on Aug. 9, particularly in his at-bats last week. On Tuesday, Harper had already snapped a home run streak before a review of the game found fan interference and ruled it a double.

Harper broke his home run drought in a big way in Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Mets. The Phillies only managed three hits against Mets starter Luis Severino, but two of them were Harper home runs.

Harper used the entire field to help the Phillies overcome an early four-run deficit. He ended his drought with the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning by sending a changeup to the opposite side. In his next batting appearance, Harper managed a seven-pitch at-bat and hit a sweeper to right field.

After Severino left the game after the sixth inning, Bryson Stott and JT Realmuto hit back-to-back singles in the seventh and were driven home by a double from Cal Stevenson that gave the Phillies their first lead. They scored another run in the next inning on an RBI double from Realmuto.

Stevenson also made a game-winning catch in the eighth inning, jumping onto the bullpen wall in center field to steal a home run from JD Martinez and preserve the lead.

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The late surge was enough to offset a shaky start by Phillies starter Kolby Allard. Manager Rob Thomson said before the game he hoped to get five or six good innings from him on Saturday. But Allard, the last pitcher to get a chance at the fifth starting spot, was replaced after the third inning with the Phillies trailing by four and with 67 pitches under his belt.

Allard’s command has been one of his strengths this season, especially during his four previous appearances with the major league club. But on Saturday, he struggled to find the strike zone and often fell behind, throwing just nine strikes on the first pitch of 17 batters he faced.

After allowing just two walks in his previous 18 innings with the Phillies, Allard allowed three in the first inning, forcing a run. The damage could have been even worse, but a flyout loaded the bases for the Mets.

The Mets took advantage of a double, a single, a throwing error by third baseman Kody Clemens and a triple to score three more runs in the third inning.

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The Phillies bullpen was able to shut down the Mets for the rest of the game. Taijuan Walker took over for Allard in the fourth inning. He pitched three innings and recorded his first scoreless appearance of the season. Orion Kerkering threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning, Jeff Hoffman pitched the eighth and Carlos Estévez pitched the ninth.

Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., made his MLB debut as a shortstop for New York, getting his first major league hit in the fourth inning against Walker.