Jun 6, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) gestures after hitting a two-RBI triple during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Escobar hit for the cycle. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

It was a dramatic night for the New York Mets (38-19), who captured victory against the San Diego Padres (33-22) by a score of 11-5 on Monday. Eduardo Escobar hit for the 11th cycle in Mets history, Carlos Carrasco spun a gem, and the bullpen did enough to secure the win.

The Mets made life difficult for Padres starter Blake Snell right from the jump. With a runner on second and two outs, Mets batters proceeded to draw three consecutive walks, punctuated by a bases-loaded walk from J.D. Davis to drive in the first run of the game. Escobar drove in two more runs with a single, pushing the lead to 3-0. The Mets forced Snell to throw 43 pitches in the first inning alone.

It took until the third inning for the Padres to get on the board against Carrasco. Jurickson Profar lined an RBI single to left field to cut the Mets lead to 3-1, but he was thrown out trying to get back to first base on a heads-up play from Tomás Nido to shut down the potential rally.

Things did not get easier for Snell, who gave up another run on an RBI single from Brandon Nimmo in the fourth inning. The Mets were up 4-1 at that point, and they scored all four of their runs with two outs.

The Mets chased Snell out of the game in the fifth inning, getting the first two batters of the frame on base. Davis cashed in with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1, collecting his second RBI of the game. Davis was making his first start as a first baseman since the 2018 season, and he had a productive day at the plate to justify the decision to work his bat into the lineup.

Carrasco settled down after that lone run in the third inning, but he ran into a bit of trouble in the seventh. He gave up a two-out RBI double to Nomar Mazara to shave a run off the Mets lead, but he struck out Jorge Alfaro to keep it a 5-2 ballgame. Carrasco went seven strong innings, allowing five hits while recording a season-high ten strikeouts. Perhaps more impressively, he reached a triple-digit pitch count for the first time as a Met, and he rebounded from a five-walk outing last time out by not walking a single batter.

Escobar provided insurance in the eighth inning, crushing a two-run homer to extend the Mets’ lead to 7-2. It gave him four RBI on the night, and he has hit two home runs in his past three games.

The Padres’ offense couldn’t get anything going against Carrasco, but they came to life against the Mets’ bullpen. Joely Rodriguez allowed two of the three batters he faced to reach base, and Drew Smith served up a three-run homer to Luke Voit to make it a 7-5 game and give the Padres a fighting chance at a comeback.

That fighting chance quickly evaporated, as the Mets got plenty of insurance in the ninth inning. Escobar legged out a two-run triple to complete the cycle, the first Mets player to accomplish the feat since Scott Hairston in 2012 and the 11th player to do so in franchise history. It was also the first cycle to be accomplished at Petco Park, which opened back in 2004.

Run-scoring hits from Jeff McNeil and Nido extended the lead to 11-5, and the Mets stuck with Drew Smith to close out the game. The Mets have now won three straight, and they improve to 3-2 on this West Coast road trip.

Player of the Game: Eduardo Escobar

Escobar has hit a new gear during this past week, and he accomplished history on Monday night by hitting for the cycle. He drove in six runs and scored three more in what was undoubtedly his best game as a Met and the best game of his career. He is hitting .471 on the road trip with two home runs and eight RBI.

Final line for Escobar: 4-for-5, 1 HR (5), 1 3B, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 3 R

On Deck:

The Mets continue their series against the Padres on Tuesday night at Petco Park. First pitch is set for 9:40pm ET, and the game will be broadcast on SNY. The Mets will have Taijuan Walker on the mound, while the Padres will run out Yu Darvish.