Mets defeat Padres 5-1 to win Game 2 and the series in New York
Credit: AP Photo
The Mets take Adam Mazur on a stroll as he walks six in the loss while Jose Quintana silences Padres’ bats
The San Diego Padres entered the weekend feeling great after the sweep against the Oakland Athletics. Now, they are on the verge of getting swept themselves as they lost the first two of three at Citi Field. The Padres scored just one run in each of the two games.
The Padres fell to (37-37) on the year and, luckily, remain in a Wild Card position and second place in the NL West. Meanwhile, the Mets improved to (32-37) and remain in third place in the NL East.
San Diego can’t seem to get the bats going. They had five hits in the opener and ended with just two in this one. Struggling against southpaws remains an issue for this ball club, but the good news is they take on a right-hander for the finale as they try to salvage a win to avoid getting swept.
The Mets showcased most of the action on Saturday evening.
After it seemed Mazur would get out of the fourth inning, he allowed back-to-back doubles with two outs to Francisco Linder and Brandon Nimmo, resulting in the first run of the contest. Johny Brito replaced Mazur and then allowed a two-run blast to J.D. Martinez.
The Mets had a 3-0 lead heading into the 5th inning.
Jackson Merrill would go on to hit his fourth homer in three games to cut the lead back to two.
Jackson Merrill these last couple weeks, man. We are watching a young man turn into a star right before our eyes. pic.twitter.com/tpAaJpOrC4
— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) June 15, 2024
Merrill is slowly improving and is looking like a future star for the Friars. If the pop continues, then he can turn into one of the better centerfielders in the game quickly.
Martinez added another solo blast in the 7th in almost the same exact spot. The Mets had a 4-1 lead heading into the 8th. They would score another in the 8th thanks to a Nimmo RBI single, and that would do it. The Friars had the heart of the lineup up in the 9th but did not get anything going.
Dylan Cease takes on Tylor Megill Sunday at 10:40 am PT.
“He dodged traffic there whole way a lot of it self-inflicted,” Shildt said postgame about Mazur. He mad pitches when he had toad showed some intention fortitude to be able to escape some jams.”
Adam Mazur
The rookie walked a career-high six batters in this one. None of those base runners scored. Blake Snell, anyone? Mazur figured things out when he needed to the most and from the help of his defense, he allowed just two runs despite allowing nine hitters to reach base.
“I give him a ton of credit to be able to get into the fourth inning without giving up a run,” Shildt said postgame about Mazur. “You know, he gave us a chance.”
His fine line: 3.2 innings, three hits, two earned runs, six walks, four strikeouts on 84 pitches.
Jose QuintanaÂ
Quintana has never earned a loss against the Padres entering today. That stat stays intact as the veteran left-hander pitched very well against the Friars. We witnessed a bit of a vintage performance from Quintana as he allowed just the one run off the solo shot from Merrill.
His quality start gave the Mets an opportunity to secure the series win. His final line: 6.0 innings, two hits, one earned run, two walks, and six strikeouts on 88 pitches. He lowered his ERA from 5.29 to 4.98.
News & Stats
- Enyel De Los Santos allowed his ninth homer of the season to Martinez in the 7th. His ERA rises to 3.72.
- Mazur’s ERA lowered from 9.00 to 7.82.
- Martinez reached base five times with three hits and two walks.
- Quintana is now 3-0 all-time against SD.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.