Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga struggle in auditions before trade deadline as Mets fall to Phillies

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PHILADELPHIA — If Saturday served as a showcase of two underperforming Mets pitchers, consider nobody interested.

Sean Manaea was very hittable over his short start and Kodai Senga behind him didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Both pitchers are available heading into the trade deadline.

Proceed at your own risk if you are a team needing a back-of-the-rotation arm.

Maybe better yet: don’t proceed.

The Mets’ uninspiring afternoon — with the game’s start time moved up an hour because of weather concerns — ended with a 6-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Sean Manaea reacts after allowing a home run during the Mets’ July 18 loss. Imagn Images

The game, unfortunately, resumed following a 48-minute rain delay in the seventh inning.

Manaea and Senga combined to allow all six of the runs and didn’t receive more than a morsel of support from the offense, which produced only three hits.

The Mets fell 17 games below .500 to match their season’s worst.

The Mets already traded one struggling pitcher, sending David Peterson to the Cubs last month for first baseman Cole Mathis, but the fact Manaea and Senga are still owed significant dollars may leave the Mets stuck with them.

Manaea is just beyond the halfway point of a three-year contract worth $75 million. Senga, who owns an 8.85 ERA, is still owed roughly $20 million through next season.

Teams interested in starting pitching can pursue Freddy Peralta, another underperformer, albeit one who is earning only $8 million this season and is headed toward free agency.

Manaea, who owns a 4.74 ERA, surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. It was the third time in his last five starts that he failed to pitch beyond five innings.

Over 1 1/3 innings, Senga allowed six base runners — three hits and three walks — with two earned runs. Any thoughts that he can thrive as a reliever have dissipated with two shaky appearances in his last three. Senga was bounced from the starting rotation last month.

Kyle Schwarber continued his rampage against the Mets with a two-run homer in the first inning that produced the game’s first scoring.

Kodai Senga throws a pitch during the Mets’ July 18 loss to the Phillies. Imagn Images

Trea Turner singled leading off the inning, and Schwarber — who had a three-homer game during the Mets’ visit last month — followed with a no-doubt bomb to right field.

The homer was his 33rd, which leads MLB.

Tyrone Taylor’s second-inning blast pulled the Mets to within 2-1.

Kyle Schwarber hits a home run during the Phillies’ July 18 win against the Mets. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The homer was the seventh this season for Taylor, who continues to produce against left-handed pitching — he began the day with a respectable .741 OPS against lefties.

Turner cleared the left-field fence leading off the fifth against Manaea, widening the Mets’ deficit to 3-1.

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Turner jumped on a sinker that caught too much of the plate and launched it for his 12th homer this season.

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Francisco Alvarez’s two-base throwing error on an errant pickoff attempt at first base helped the Phillies take a 4-1 lead on Alec Bohm’s RBI single later in the inning.

Manaea walked Schwarber after Turner’s homer, leading to the run.

Senga left an 0-2 forkball over the plate in the sixth that Bryce Harper smacked for a two-run single that gave the Phillies a 6-1 lead.

Senga allowed a leadoff triple in to Bryson Stott in the frame before walking Turner and Schwarber to load the bases.

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