The Phillies’ World Series-or-bust season has come to a disappointing, premature conclusion.

A lack of clutch hitting and ineffective relief pitching once again doomed the Phillies Thursday night in Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Citi Field.

Worse, it came at the expense of the National League East champs' division rival New York Mets.

After failing to previously convert on bases-loaded situations, the Mets did so in the sixth inning in prolific fashion.

Francisco Lindor smacked a grand slam into center field on a 2-1 pitch with one out, accounting for all the Mets' runs in a 4-1 win. That was plenty for New York to take the best-of-5 series three games to one.

"We just gotta be better. Gotta finish the job," Bryce Harper told reporters afterward. "Obviously, we have a great group of guys in here. We have a really good core. Just wasn't able to get the job done."

Carlos Estevez had just come on to pitch for the Phillies in place of the rather wild Jeff Hoffman. The Mets loaded the bases on J.D. Martinez' single, a hit batter and a walk, with Hoffman also throwing two wild pitches.

The Phillies managed just four hits through eight innings, though a possible fifth with one out in the eighth was ruled foul when Alec Bohm bounced a ball over first base.

"As far as our offense is concerned," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, "I thought the Mets did a really good job on us. I thought we had pretty good at-bats today and not much to show for it."

Edwin Diaz came on to pitch the ninth inning and walked J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott. Kody Clemens then struck out, Brandon Marsh flied out and Kyle Schwarber also whiffed to ignite the Mets celebration.

That sent the Mets to the National League Championship Series where they'll await the Padres-Dodgers winner.

“We feel like we failed,” shortstop Trea Turner told the media afterward.

Nick Castellanos puts Phillies ahead

The Mets have put more runners on base but only the Phillies have sent one across home plate so far.

The Phillies have taken a 1-0 fourth-inning lead over the Mets at Citi Field in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

With one out Bryce Harper walked before Nick Castellanos doubled off the left-field fence for the Phillies' first hit, with Harper stopping at third. He then scored as Alex Bohm hit a bouncer to Mark Vientos that the third baseman bobbled while looking to throw home, then also had no chance to get Bohm.

Two flyouts then ended the inning.

Still up 1-0, the Phillies did chase Mets starter Joe Quintana after Harper opened the sixth inning with a double. Reed Garrett then David Peterson came on to pitch for New York and Harper never advanced farther, despite Alec Bohm getting a walk with one out.

That's never happened before

Ranger Suarez was the best pitcher in Major League Baseball the first three months of the season. The Phillies just needed him to be the better starter at Citi Field today.

On the brink of elimination in the National League Division Series, the Phillies tried to wake their slumbering offense while counting on Sanchez to quiet the Mets, which turned out to be quite an adventure.

He escaped bases-loaded jams in the first two innings while Jeff Hoffman began early warm-ups in the bullpen. A pitcher had never allowed four hits and walked two the first two innings of a postseason game without allowing a run in MLB history.

Hoffman did finally relieve Suarez with one out and runners on first and second in the fifth inning. Suarez threw 97 pitches while striking out eight and allowing five hits and four walks.

Pete Alonso struck out and Jose Iglesias grounded out off Hoffman, as the Phils carried a 1-0 lead to the sixth with the Mets having stranded eight.

Early Mets threats thwarted

After the Phillies went down 1-2-3, the Mets loaded the bases off Suarez with one out in the first inning. Vientos stayed hot with a double, Brandon Nimmo walked and Alonso was called out at first, then safe on the replay, on an infield bouncer. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm reached to unsuccessfully tag out Vientos going to third, then bobbled the baseball before throwing to first.

But Suarez then struck out Iglesias and J.D. Martinez to escape the jam.

New York loaded the bases again with two outs in the second inning, which began with Starling Marte's walk and Tyrone Taylor's single. Suarez, who kept getting the Mets to chase curveballs in the dirt, then struck out two before Vientos' infield single loaded the bases. But Nimmo grounded out to first base.

The Phillies didn't have a hit through three innings against Mets starter Jose Quintana, though J.T. Realmuto reached on a walk. Alonso walked to start the Mets third but the Phillies ended the inning quickly on a double play.

Can Ranger return to form?

The Phillies are seeking to extend the best-of-5 duel to a Friday 4:08 p.m. decider back at Citizens Bank Park, where Zack Wheeler would be perched back on the mound after his stellar Game 1 start Saturday.

Suarez, the 29-year-old Venezuelan lefty, was drawing early-season comparisons to Steve Carlton. He was 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA after a May 21 win over Texas.

Since, however, Suarez has won just three times in 17 starts and he goes into today’s 12-8 overall with a 3.46 ERA in 27 games. He missed a month with a back ailment and hasn’t pitched more than 5 1/3 innings since his Aug. 21 return, while not showing the same springtime effectiveness.

“I'm just not getting stuck on those bad starts, just getting over them, turning the page over,” Suarez said through an interpreter in New York Tuesday. “We're October vibes, I feel good physically, and that's what I'm thinking right now.”

Suarez said he pitched well in an intrasquad game last week while making some mechanical corrections. The Phillies will expect that to carry over today while providing more offensive support. Aside from Sunday’s late-inning outburst in their Game 2 win, the Phillies’ bats have been kept in check by Mets pitchers. They had just five hits in Tuesday’s 7-2 loss.

Here are today's line-ups

The Mets will start veteran lefty Jose Quintana (10-10, 3.75 ERA) opposite Suarez.

Weston Wilson gets his first postseason start for the Phillies in left field. He batted .284 with three home runs in 88 at-bats this year.

"He faced Quintana in London and had real good at-bats, almost hit a home run," Phils manager Rob Thomson said of Wilson. "D.J. Stewart made a heck of a play to take down a potential home run, I believe. And he's right-handed and he's given us good at-bats, especially against left-handed pitching. So that was the reason."

Thomson did also put left-handed hitters Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh in the lineup.

"Stott's always been able to hit lefties, and Marsh's numbers against lefties in the last month have been good," he said. "I thought, in Austin Hays' defense, he hasn't had a whole lot of reps. He looked like his timing was off last night. We're going to do a lot of work. I felt like we need some offense, and I felt like this was the best way to get it."

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Phillies vs NY Mets live score, updates for NLDS Game 4