The Mets blasted a pair of home runs and pitched well from start to finish in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres.
Here are some key takeaways …
– As he’s done all season long, Marcus Stroman was dealing on Saturday afternoon. Mixing in all of his pitches, Stroman struck out five over his first four scoreless innings. In classic Stroman fashion, he also got a pair of double plays through the first four frames.
Stroman held the Padres scoreless through six, but Fernando Tatis Jr. finally got to him in the seventh, launching a deep solo home run into the second deck in left to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
After Stroman walked Wil Myers later in the inning, Luis Rojas took the walk to the mound to end Stroman’s day. In all, Stroman went 6.1 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out eight. He threw 85 pitches, lowering his ERA to 2.33.
– Francisco Lindor got the Mets off to a fast start in the first inning. After Jonathan Villar was hit by a pitch, Lindor launched a Joe Musgrove fastball over the wall in right center for his sixth home run of the year. Lindor also took Musgrove deep in San Diego when the two teams met last weekend.
– Back in the starting lineup for the first time since coming off the IL, Luis Guillorme lined a single to center in the second inning, his first hit since April 21. He also made a nice sliding play up the middle in the third inning, taking a hit away from Victor Caratini.
– The Mets added to their lead in the sixth inning. Lindor walked to get things started, followed by a Pete Alonso single that gave the Mets runners on the corners with nobody out. Dom Smith then grounded into a force play, but it was enough to bring in the third run of the home team.
– Seth Lugo pitched a stellar eighth inning, striking out Jurickson Profar, Tommy Pham, and Manny Machado. He walked one in the inning, but Lugo sure looked as dominant as ever, giving the Mets another terrific arm in what’s been collectively a great bullpen this season.
– Villar provided some insurance in the bottom of the eighth, slamming a solo home run into the second deck in right to make it a 4-1 game.
–Edwin Diaz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including a strikeout of Tatis, to pick up his 12th save of the season.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets and Padres close out their three-game series on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
Former Padre Joey Lucchesi will take the ball against his old team, while Chris Paddack goes for San Diego.