PHILADELPHIA — All the pieces were in place Tuesday night for it all to come crashing down again. The Mets received a dazzling start, ran into trouble, and the opposing crowd was beginning to sense it could happen one more time.

This time it was not Carlos Carrasco (Sunday’s starter who left with a lead) or the combination of Taijuan Walker and David Peterson (who tag-teamed Monday), but Tylor Megill leaving the game in the sixth inning with the Mets clinging to a one-run edge.

But when disaster was supposed to strike, as it had in the eighth inning in the two previous games, the Mets threw strikes instead. The bullpen earned some vindication with a bounce-back effort in a 2-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

In relief, Chasen Shreve was excellent, as was Drew Smith, who was a surprising choice for 1 ²/₃ innings. In the ninth, Edwin Diaz got into some danger, but slid his way out with an assortment of sliders.

Shreve, who played a part in Sunday’s eighth-inning meltdown in Washington, inherited a runner on second with one out in the sixth inning. The lefty was called in for perhaps the biggest out of the game. It came quickly as he induced Kyle Schwarber to bounce out on his first pitch.

“Shreve, Smith, Diaz, those guys were amazing,” Brandon Nimmo said.

Shreve got Bryce Harper to begin the seventh, too, before passing the baton to Smith, who has flashed better stuff to begin this season while another year removed from 2019 Tommy John surgery.

Smith got into some danger in the eighth, when he gave up a one-out double to Nick Castellanos, but he reached back to strike out both Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorius. His final pitch to the former Yankees shortstop was 97 mph.

“Should’ve been 98,” Smith said with a smile, before referring to the velocity gains from the night’s starting pitcher. “I gotta get on the [Tylor] Megill program.”

Manager Buck Showalter asked for plenty of length from Smith and let a rested Adam Ottavino get another day off. But Showalter said there were no injury concerns and suggested Ottavino would be fresh for the game Wednesday.

After Smith it was Diaz, who allowed a one-out, infield single to J.T. Realmuto. Nick Castellanos followed and got on with a hot shot to Francisco Lindor, who couldn’t record the out at second fast enough.

But with the potential winning run at the plate, Diaz got Hoskins swinging at three sliders.

“That’s one of the better offensive teams you’re going to see all year,” Showalter said. “To shut them out at their ballpark, that’s quite a tribute to the pitching staff and [pitching coach] Jeremy [Hefner].”