The New York Mets erupted for five runs in the first inning and cruised past the San Diego Padres, 8-3, in the series opener on Tuesday night at Citi Field. New York belted four home runs and used a two-man pitching plan to earn its second straight victory.
Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso opened the scoring spree with consecutive singles before Jeff McNeil ripped a two-run double and Brett Baty crushed a two-run shot to right for a quick 5-0 lead. Lindor and Alonso each added solo homers in the second, extending the margin to 7-0 and chasing Padres starter Michael King after just four innings. Alonso’s blast was his 35th of the year, while Lindor notched his 27th.
Clay Holmes opened on the mound for New York, allowing two runs on three hits across four innings, including solo shots by Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth. Left-hander Sean Manaea took over in the fifth and delivered five solid frames, yielding one run on four hits with four strikeouts to secure the victory.
The Padres were held to seven hits overall, three of them solo homers. Cedric Mullins added a solo blast in the fourth and San Diego’s bullpen shut the Mets down for five innings, but the early deficit proved too steep.
Francisco Alvarez exited in the eighth after being hit by a 99 mph sinker, but returned for the postgame celebration.Â
Box Score | NL Wild Card Standings
The Mets look to secure their first series win in two weeks on Wednesday when left-hander David Peterson takes the mound at 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].