Max Scherzer grinded through five innings and combined with four relievers on a two-hitter Monday night for the host New York Mets, who beat the San Diego Padres 5-0 in the opener of a three-game series.
Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor each had two-run doubles for the Mets, who have won three of their last four. The Padres had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Scherzer surrendered 25 foul balls and walked three but gave up just one hit — a clean single to Ha-Seong Kim with one out in the fifth — and struck out six. John Curtiss and Drew Smith combined to walk three over two hitless innings before David Robertson threw a perfect eighth.
Adam Ottavino gave up a single to Xander Bogaerts before striking out the side in the ninth as the Mets closed out the win over the Padres in the first game between the teams since San Diego one-hit New York in a 6-0 win on Oct. 9, 2022, in Game 3 of a National League wild-card series.
The Mets scored the only runs they would need against Yu Darvish (0-1) by building a two-out rally in the third. Brandon Nimmo singled and stole second before Lindor was hit by a pitch. McNeil then doubled down the right-field line to drive in a pair of runs.
The Mets chased Darvish during a quirky seventh. Mark Canha led off with a double before Luis Guillorme laid down a perfect bunt that rolled to a stop just on the fair side of the chalk. Padres third baseman Manny Machado kicked the ball over the foul line after it stopped.
Eduardo Escobar followed with a sacrifice fly and Tomas Nido hit a squibber up the third-base line that stopped on the chalk as Machado lurked over it. Darvish exited for Tim Hill, who got Nimmo to hit into a fielder’s choice before giving up Lindor’s two-run double down the left-field line.
Darvish gave up the five runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five over 6 1/3 innings.
The six walks drawn by the Padres in a shutout were their most since they walked eight times in a 1-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 10, 2010.
–Field Level Media
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