PHILADELPHIA -- When Prince sang the words "party like it's 1999," he probably didn't intend for them to be too relevant 16 years past the turn of the millennium.

But that's exactly how Bartolo Colon must be feeling.

The 41-year-old right-hander's turn-back-the-clock season carried on as the New York Mets continued their recent run of success against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 7-4 win at Citizens' Bank Park on Sunday.

"You can't say enough about him," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "This guy, at his age...if you look around baseball and if you're a pitcher, you've got to look at this guy.

Colon, who turns 42 later this month, improved to 6-1 for the first time since '99 by going six-plus innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking none. His ERA rose from 2.90 to 3.30 as he gave up more than three earned runs in a start for the second time this season.

What has been most remarkable has been his control, as he became the first Mets pitcher in franchise history to go six consecutive starts without allowing a walk.

"You can't marvel at him," Collins said. "You've got to say what's he doing to get outs? And it's all about location.

"I don't care how hard you throw, it's about locating your pitches, especially your fastball. He works both sides of the plate, he never gives you the same look, he works all over the strike zone and it's tough to get a bead on him."

It's the sixth straight series win for the Mets (20-11) against their division rival, dating back to May of last year. It is also the fifth straight series win for them at the Phillies' home ballpark.

The Mets struggled against Phillies starter Chad Billingsley early, as the veteran right-hander needed just 28 pitches to get through the first three innings. He hurt them with his bat as well, hitting a homer in the third inning to give the Phillies a briefly held 1-0 lead.

But the Mets adjusted to him the second time through the lineup, taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run home run by center fielder Curtis Granderson.

They added two more in the sixth as the bats continued to heat up.

An RBI double by Kirk Nieuwenhuis chased Billingsley, and then an errant throw by Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp allowed Nieuwenhuis to score after he stole third base.

Billingsley -- making his second start after missing 25 months with various arm and elbow injuries -- took the loss to fall to 0-2, going five-plus innings while giving up five runs (all earned) on eight hits as his ERA stayed at an even 9.00.

"I definitely felt a little more comfortable out there today than the first time, nerves were a little better today," he said. "One mistake to Curtis, I wish I could have it back."

The Phillies (11-21) nearly tied things up in the seventh inning, plating two and loading the bases with two outs for cleanup man and first baseman Ryan Howard. But Howard, who had 13 RBIs in his last 16 games, grounded out to first baseman Lucas Duda to end the threat.

New York added two more in the top of the eighth on a two-run double by pinch-hitter Johnny Monell, as they collected a season-high 14 hits in the game.

"Every time the offense would bounce back and we'd get close or threaten, we weren't able to keep numbers off the board," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "I think they had hits in all but maybe one inning, it felt like we couldn't shut them down when we would inch closer to them."

Jeurys Familia picked up his 13th save of the season in as many chances, continuing his perfect start to the season as he stays atop the National League and tied for the major league lead in that category.

NOTES: The Phillies entered the game last in the majors in runs (87), runs per game (2.81), on-base percentage (.282), slugging percentage (.329) and OPS (.611). ... The Mets allowed 57 walks through the first 30 games of the season, which is the fewest in the majors and the fewest in team history after that many games. ... Mets RHP Bartolo Colon has now gone 40 1/3 innings without a walk, the second-longest stretch in team history. Bret Saberhagan went 47 2/3 innings from May 10-June 13, 1994.