Mike Yastrzemski doubled home Joc Pederson with the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday night, allowing the San Francisco Giants to beat the visiting New York Mets 5-4 and salvage a split in their four-game series.
Returning from a stint on the injured list caused by a sore right wrist, Pederson drew a five-pitch walk from the Mets’ fourth pitcher, Drew Smith (1-1), with one out in the eighth. Yastrzemski followed with his shot to center field, breaking a 4-4 tie and lifting the Giants to just the third win in their last 10 games.
Giants closer Camilo Doval threw a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his second save.
Scott Alexander (2-0), who likewise set down the Mets in order in the eighth, was credited with the win.
Down by one run to start the sixth, the Mets tied the game at 4-4 on Francisco Alvarez’s second career homer, a solo shot off Tyler Rogers.
New York led 3-2 after a two-run fourth that featured consecutive sacrifice flies by Mark Canha and Brandon Nimmo. The former set the stage for the latter when the flyball was dropped by Giants right fielder Michael Conforto, allowing Jeff McNeil to score while the bases remained loaded.
The Giants quickly regained a one-run lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Blake Sabol and a run-scoring infield out by Brett Wisely.
Neither starting pitcher got a decision.
The Mets’ Tylor Megill allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out two.
The first two runs off Megill were the result of Pederson’s RBI single in the first and a solo homer by Thairo Estrada, his fourth, that gave the Giants a 2-0 lead in the second.
Giants starter Ross Stripling couldn’t hold the advantage, however, and was gone before the end of the Mets’ two-run fourth, charged with three runs (two earned) on six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one.
Francisco Lindor got the Mets on the board initially against Stripling with an RBI double in the third.
Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. had two hits apiece, while Estrada scored twice for the Giants, who lost the first two games of the series before winning the final two.
McNeil had two hits for the Mets, who completed a California trip with seven wins in 10 games.
–Field Level Media
