SAN DIEGO (AP) — Francisco Lindor hit a two-out grand slam in the fourth inning, two batters after Manny Machado committed an error, and added a leadoff shot in the seventh to carry the New York Mets to a 7-1 win against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.
Harrison Bader also connected for the Mets, who have won two of the first three games in this four-game series between NL playoff contenders.
Lefty David Peterson (8-1) pitched 7 1/3 strong innings as the Mets rebounded nicely from Friday night’s 7-0 loss, when they had only two hits, including one during Joe Musgrove’s seven brilliant innings.
Lindor tied Pete Alonso for the team lead with 27 homers. It was his 19th career multi-homer game and the seventh slam in his 10-year career.
Lindor’s five RBIs were more than enough support for Peterson (8-1), who had only one bumpy inning against the Padres, who came into the night holding the NL’s second wild-card spot. The Mets are trailing Atlanta for the final spot.
Lindor’s grand slam sailed 417 feet into the seats in right-center, thrilling a large contingent of Mets fans sitting behind the third base dugout.
Michael King (11-7) retired the first two batters before allowing a single to Starling Marte. Francisco Alvarez hit a line drive right to Machado at third base, but it popped out of his glove for an error. King hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch to load the bases for Lindor.
Lindor lined reliever Yuki Matsui’s second pitch into the left-field seats in the seventh.
Bader homered off Logan Gillaspie in the eighth, his ninth.
The Padres loaded the bases against Peterson with one out in the fifth, but got just one run, on Luis Arraez’s groundout.
Peterson allowed one run and five hits while striking out two and walking two.
King gave up five runs, one earned, and three hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked three.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: RHP Paul Blackburn, knocked out of Friday night’s game when he got hit on his pitching hand by a line drive, will try to play catch Sunday, manager Carlos Mendoza said. That will help determine whether Blackburn can avoid going on the injured list. “Definitely we dodged a bullet there,” Mendoza said.
Padres: Manager Mike Shildt said RHP Yu Darvish recovered well from Friday’s bullpen session and will do up and downs tomorrow with live hitters. Darvish was reinstated from the restricted list Friday and returned to the 15-day injured list. … The team is deciding whether Fernando Tatis Jr. will accompany the squad on the next trip or go to the spring training complex in Arizona to work out. Tatis took batting practice on the field Friday for the first time since going on the IL in late June.
UP NEXT
Mets LHP Jose Quintana (6-9, 4.57 ERA) and Padres LHP Martin Pérez are scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale.
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