Marcus Stroman again provided length in a strong outing Saturday afternoon and Francisco Lindor and Jonathan Villar homered for the host New York Mets, who beat the San Diego Padres 4-1.
The Mets have won five of six, including four straight over the Padres. San Diego has lost six of seven.
Stroman (6-4) carried a shutout into the seventh, when Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a one-out homer into the second deck in left field. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed six hits and one walk while tying a season-high with eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. It was the career-best seventh straight start in which Stroman has gone at least six innings.
Aaron Loup got the final two outs of the seventh, Seth Lugo threw a hitless eighth and Edwin Diaz earned his 12th save with a perfect ninth.
The Mets wasted no time providing Stroman with all the support he’d need in the first, when Joe Musgrove plunked Villar, the leadoff batter, before Lindor homered on the next pitch. Lindor is batting .314 with three homers and six RBIs in his last 13 games after hitting .182 with three homers and nine RBIs in his first 42 games.
Musgrove retired 12 in a row between the second and fifth before the Mets added another run in the sixth, when Lindor drew a leadoff walk, went to third on Pete Alonso’s single and scored when Dominic Smith beat out a potential double play ball.
Villar homered well into the second deck in right leading off the bottom of the eighth against Pierce Johnson.
Tommy Pham singled three times to account for half of the Padres’ six hits.
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Musgrove (4-6) allowed the three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out a career-high five straight batters spanning the third and fourth frames.
–Field Level Media