Elias Diaz’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night lifted the San Diego Padres to a wild 7-6 win over the visiting New York Mets.
Xander Bogaerts started the inning with a leadoff single off Gregory Soto (0-3). Pinch hitter Jose Iglesias bunted, and Soto tried to force Bogaerts at second but threw wide of the bag. Jake Cronenworth bunted into a fielder’s choice, forcing Bogaerts at third.
After Bryce Johnson looked at a third strike, Diaz lined a 1-2 pitch to left-center and Iglesias beat Brandon Nimmo’s throw home, ending New York’s seven-game winning streak.
Robert Suarez (3-4) got the win despite blowing the save when Ronny Mauricio cracked a one-out solo homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game.
San Diego trailed 5-1 after Mark Vientos drilled a two-out grand slam off Dylan Cease in the fifth, but the Padres rallied. Luis Arraez’s sixth homer of the year crashed off the right field foul pole and highlighted a five-run bottom of the fifth inning that saw 11 men hit against Mets starter Frankie Montas and reliever Huascar Brazoban.
After Arraez belted a two-run homer and San Diego added two more hits, Brazoban got himself into trouble when he didn’t cover the bag in time on Cronenworth’s two-out grounder down the line that first baseman Pete Alonso smothered. That allowed Cronenworth to beat the play for an infield single that scored Manny Machado, cutting New York’s lead to 5-4.
Johnson followed with an RBI single to right that plated Bogaerts to even the score, and Diaz delivered a run-scoring single to left-center.
Cease gave up five runs on five hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings, striking out nine. Montas left after 4 1/3 innings, permitting eight hits and five runs while walking two and fanning three.
Brett Baty gave New York a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly to left that scored Jeff McNeil. San Diego equalized in the third on a two-out RBI single by Bogaerts, scoring Machado.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected in the top of the third for arguing after Juan Soto was called out on strikes by plate umpire Emil Jimenez.
–Field Level Media
