New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor celebrates hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
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. New York dropped the Padres below .500 at 37-38.
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 Harrison Bader held Luis Campusano to a sacrifice fly rather than a tying, two-run extra-base hit.
Alonso hit a two-run single in the 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 are headed on the road among nine teams closely bunched for the NL’s last two wild-card spots.
San Diego’s Manny Machado and manager Mike Shildt were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Adam Beck in the sixth after the All-Star took a called third strike.
Cease 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.
