Carson Benge provided the biggest hit of the afternoon as the New York Mets defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-2, on Wednesday to win two of three games in the series at Citi Field.
The Mets were held without a baserunner through the first three innings by Padres starter Michael King, who retired the first nine hitters he faced. New York finally broke through in the fourth when Benge drove an opposite-field, two-run home run just inside the left-field foul pole to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
The homer was Benge’s 15th of the season as the rookie continues to build an impressive case in the National League Rookie of the Year race.
Robert Stock worked around trouble early, issuing three walks and hitting a batter over his first two innings. He settled in from there before Fernando Tatis Jr. lined an RBI double to left-center in the fifth, ending Stock’s afternoon. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits while striking out six over 4.1 innings.
King kept the Mets within reach, allowing two runs on four hits through 6.2 innings. After his exit, Tatis threw out Francisco Alvarez at home to prevent an additional run in the seventh.
New York finally added insurance in the eighth. A potential inning-ending double play off Bo Bichette’s bat turned into a throwing error by shortstop Sung-Mun Song, allowing A.J. Ewing to score. Jared Young followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1.
Kodai Senga recorded his fourth save, though the ninth inning was not without trouble. He allowed a run before inducing a game-ending double play off Austin Hays.
Luis Torrens also remained in the game after fouling a ball off his right knee in the third inning.
The Mets are off Thursday before opening a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at 7:40 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.