Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso each collected three hits and an RBI on Thursday night while Luis Severino navigated through five innings as the New York Mets started a key road trip with an 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Coming off his second career shutout Saturday, Severino (9-6) gave up five hits and one run, walking four and striking out five in an 87-pitch effort. Four relievers took it from there, not allowing a hit until Mason McCoy and Jurickson Profar slapped RBI singles in the bottom of the ninth off Huascar Brazoban.
Dylan Cease (12-10) logged a quality start but still absorbed the loss. He allowed nine hits and three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings with a walk and seven strikeouts. But it wasn’t enough to prevent San Diego from losing consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break.
New York, which has won five of its last seven games, stayed within 1 1/2 games of Atlanta for the National League’s final wild-card spot. Meanwhile, the Padres dropped a half-game behind idle Arizona for the NL’s top wild-card position.
The Mets needed only two batters to take the lead for good. Francisco Lindor led off with a double and Mark Vientos (two hits, three RBIs) ripped a double into the left field corner for a 1-0 lead.
New York made it 3-0 in the fourth via a passed ball by Luis Campusano that scored Jesse Winker and McNeil’s two-out infield single that plated Jose Iglesias.
San Diego scored its first run in the fifth but could have produced a big inning. Hitting with the bases loaded and no outs, Jake Cronenworth rapped into a double play that scored McCoy.
The Mets blew it open in the ninth against Logan Gillaspie with five runs. Vientos bounced a two-run single up the middle, followed by a two-out RBI single by Alonso. Winker added a run-scoring double and Iglesias capped the rally with an RBI infield hit.
New York finished with 17 hits. Every starter except Francisco Alvarez got at least one hit.
