NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso had a season-high five RBIs, combining with Francisco Lindor on first-inning home runs that built a three-run lead against Dylan Cease after 16 pitches, and the surging New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres 11-6 Sunday for their fifth straight win.
Tylor Megill (2-3) allowed two runs and five hits over five innings as the Mets opened a 7-1 lead and held on to sweep San Diego for the first time since 2006.
“Those are some of the games that we were losing in May and today we found a way,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
San Diego lost its seventh straight road game and dropped below .500 at 37-38. The Padres have averaged 2.2 runs per game with a .571 OPS during the road skid.
“We’ve got to start to marry our hitting and our pitching more consistently,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.
Lindor tied the score with his 19th leadoff home run — his previous was against Cease on Sept. 3, 2019. Alonso put the Mets ahead 4-1 with a three-run drive, his 15th home run this season.
New York allowed San Diego to close to 7-6 with a four-run eighth, when Drew Smith struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. to strand runners at the corners after a jumping catch by center fielder Harrison Bader held Luis Campusano to a sacrifice fly rather than a tying, two-run extra-base hit. Ha-Seong Kim then held at third, respecting right fielder Starling Marte’s arm rather than try to score from second on Luis Arraez’s single.
Alonso hit a two-run single in the four-run bottom half against Jeremiah Estrada, who allowed a leadoff homer to Luis Torrens.
J.D. Martinez went 2 for 3 with a pair of walks and reached base in 10 consecutive plate appearances before striking out in the eighth.
New York has won nine of its past 11 and 11 of 15 since a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers prompted Mets players to call a postgame team meeting. At 33-37, they head on the road among nine teams bunched within two games for the NL’s last two wild-card spots.
“We played great team baseball,” Alonso said. “We can string some wins together, and that’s what we did this homestand, and hopefully we can continue it on the road.”
San Diego’s Manny Machado and Shildt were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Adam Beck in the sixth after the All-Star took a called third strike.
“Checked swing early doesn’t go your way, borderline pitch doesn’t go your way,” Shildt said. “We haven’t had the results we want at the end of the day on the scoreboard. That can add up, as well. So, yeah, there’s some frustration there, but bottom line is we got to be better.”
Cease (6-6) allowed a season-high seven runs, seven hits, three walks and two wild pitches in 4 2/3 innings. He sat on the bench and shook his head when removed from the game.
Both teams wore jerseys with light blue ribbons and caps with light blue elements to raise awareness of prostate cancer on Father’s Day.
On the 10th anniversary of the death of Padres great Tony Gwynn, Machado put San Diego ahead with an RBI single in the first.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Joe Musgrove (right elbow inflammation) likely will play catch Wednesday or Thursday.
Mets: RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is on track for a third bullpen session Wednesday and if that goes well would progress to batting practice. Senga resumed throwing bullpen sessions on June 12 and threw another on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Randy Vásquez (1-3, 4.93) starts for San Diego and LHP Cristopher Sánchez (3-3, 3.07) for the Phillies in a series opener at Philadelphia.
Mets: LHP David Peterson (2-0, 4.32) starts Monday night’s series opener at Texas, which goes with RHP Jon Gray (2-2, 2.17).
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