New York Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo (9) follows through on a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Citi Field.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (13-7) offense has put up some good numbers on this West Coast trip, and that trend continued on Thursday night as they picked up a 9-4 win over the San Francisco Giants (6-12) in the opening game of a four-game series.

The win puts them at 6-1 on the trip. In total, the offense had 13 hits and four different players recorded a multi-hit game (two players with three hits) to give Kodai Senga enough run support. The Mets have scored five runs or more in four of the seven games.

After the Mets missed some early run-scoring chances, they found a way to break through against Sean Manaea (0-1, 6.60 ERA) in the top of the fourth. Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and he came around to score on a two-run home run by Pete Alonso. His ninth of the season, which barely got over the wall in left, gave New York a 2-0 lead and it allowed him to pass Dave Kingman for fifth on the all-time Mets home run list.

The hit-by-pitches kept coming as Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch two batters after Alonso. Then, Eduardo Escobar was able to take a slider on the inner half of the plate and keep it fair with a two-run home run of his own. His second home run of the year gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. Escobar had one of his better games of the year as he went 2-for-5 on the night.

Later in the inning, Brandon Nimmo kept his hot streak at the plate going with an RBI double down the left-field line that drove in Luis Guillorme. After his 5-for-5 performance on Wednesday, Nimmo went 3-for-5 with the aforementioned RBI.

Nimmo’s hit would chase Manaea from the game. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowed five runs on four hits, walked three, struck out three, and hit two batters on 88 pitches (51 strikes).

Senga (3-0, 4.29 ERA) was cruising through the first four innings, but the Giants ruined any chance of an extended outing in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of solo home runs by Blake Sabol and LaMonte Wade Jr. cut the lead to 5-2. Four batters later, Mike Yastrzemski had an RBI single that drove in Thairo Estrada. After Michael Conforto scored on a wild pitch, the Mets’ lead all of a sudden was cut to 5-4.

Ultimately, Senga would get out of the fifth inning and he would pick up the victory. The right-hander went five innings, allowed four runs on five hits, walked four, and struck out four on 85 pitches (52 strikes). His fastball got up to 98 mph, but he was not getting a lot of hitters to chase with his signature forkball.

The Mets quickly halted the San Francisco momentum in the sixth when Jeff McNeil led off with a solo home run off Tristan Beck, who was making his MLB debut. McNeil’s solo shot to right was his first of the year and extended the lead to 6-4.

Even though Beck was having success against the Mets the first time through the order, New York finally figured him out in the seventh. With Mark Canha and Lindor reaching on a pair of doubles to begin the inning, Alonso drove them both in with an RBI single up the middle. (Alonso’s now one RBI away from 400 in his career.)

The lead would get stretched out to 9-4 two batters later on an RBI single to left by McNeil.

After Senga left the game, the bullpen did an excellent job of keeping the Giants off the board. The quartet of Brooks Raley, John Curtiss, Drew Smith, and Jeff Brigham combined to allow no runs and two hits over the final four innings.

Player Of The Game

Jeff McNeil is the choice for tonight’s Player of the Game. He reached base all five times he went to the plate, and he had his second three-hit game in the last four games on this road trip. He also has recorded at least one hit in four of his last five games.

On Deck

The Mets will be back in action on Friday night for the second game of their four-game set against the Giants (10:15 PM EST, SNY). LHP Joey Lucchesi will make his 2023 debut for New York against RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-0, 1.42 ERA) for the Giants.

It will be Lucchesi’s first start at the big league level since 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. At Triple-A Syracuse this year, the 29-year-old was 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in three starts and had 16 strikeouts to 7 walks in 15 2/3 innings pitched.