Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets (6-5) shut out the Padres (6-5) with a 5-0 win in the first of a three-game series in Queens on Monday evening.
The triumph was backed by a strong outing from the Mets pitching staff, who despite issuing six walks, combined to allow just two hits and struck out fourteen. The offense notched seven hits, including a double each from Jeff McNeil, Mark Canha, and Francisco Lindor, and went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The win marks the first time the club has beat Padres’ starter Yu Darvish, after previously holding a 0-5 record against the right-hander.
After allowing three consecutive home runs in his last outing against the Brewers, Max Scherzer pitched for redemption on Monday night. The starter started off a bit frazzled and walked two San Diego batters in the first inning, but induced a 6-4-3 double play to get out of trouble in the opening frame.
New York struck first against Darvish, with two runs scored off the starter in the home-half of the third. With two outs, Brandon Nimmo singled on a ground ball to center field and stole second base. Lindor was subsequently hit by a pitch, and McNeil knocked a double to drive the pair of runners in and make it 2-0, Mets.
Scherzer went on to allow just one hit in the fifth inning to Hae-Seong Kim and ended his evening after tossing five innings, with three walks and six strikeouts.
John Curtiss relieved Scherzer in the sixth, and gave up back-to-back, two-out walks to Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts but struck out Matt Carpenter to end the frame unscathed.
Drew Smith took the mound in the seventh and allowed a walk, adding two strikeouts. Nimmo came in clutch on the defensive front, making a stellar catch in centerfield on an Austin Nola fly ball to close out the inning.
New York cashed in three more runs in the seventh – supported by some good fundies from Luis Guillorme and Tomas Nido. Canha kicked it off with a leadoff double, followed by an impressive bunt from Guillorme which hugged the third base line and stayed fair to put runners on first and third with no outs. Eduardo Escobar then knocked a sacrifice fly to drive in his fourth run of the season, making it 3-0 Mets. With one out, Nido then sent an infield hit down the line that ALSO stayed fair and rolled to the exact same spot as Guillorme’s.
Following a pitching change, Nimmo grounded into a force out, with Nido out at second and Guillorme sent to third. Lindor then shot a two-run double into the left field corner to mark his sixth and seventh RBIs on the season. McNeil lined out to end the inning.
David Robertson entered the eighth against the top of the San Diego batting order with a 5-0 Mets lead, and tossed a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
Adam Ottavino closed out the evening for New York and allowed a leadoff hit, and a pair of stolen bases to Boagerts but struck out his next three batters in order to solidify the victory.
Player of the Game: Jeff McNeil
Jeff McNeil earns Monday’s honor, with a two-run double in the third inning to get the Mets on the board. McNeil went 1-for-4 at the plate with two RBI.
On Deck:
The Mets look to take the series against San Diego in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
David Peterson (0-1, 6.00 ERA) will face off against San Diego’s Ryan Weathers (0-0, 3.60 ERA).
In Peterson’s last out against the Brewers, the lefty tossed four innings, allowing five runs on five hits and struck out five, with five walks. Weathers’ last start was against the Diamondbacks, where he pitched five frames and allowed two runs, five hits, and walked one with two strikeouts.
The game will be on SNY and WCBS 880.
