By Zachary McMahon-
The New York Mets played the San Diego Padres for a series finale at Petco Park in San Diego, CA on Sunday afternoon. The Mets were trying to take the series after they won two out of the first three games of the four-game series.
Paul Blackburn was placed on the 15-day injured list with a bruised right hand after a liner by David Peralta hit Blackburn in Friday’s start, so Huscar Brazoban was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Padres righthander Logan Gallaspie was sent down to Triple-A El Paso after an appearance in Saturday’s game.
Jose Quintana pitched 6 ⅓ innings for the Mets, allowing four hits with no earned runs and two walks with no strikeouts. This is Quintana’s first start with no strikeouts since Oct. 5, 2022 against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a member of the division rival St. Louis Cardinals.
Martin Perez pitched 3 ⅔ innings in his shortest start as a Padre allowing four hits with one earned run, three walks and one strikeout, Bryan Hoeing pitched the final out of the fourth inning, and then pitched three strikeouts as his three outs in the fifth inning.
Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff single as he extended his on-base streak to 24 games, the second longest streak of his career, as he had a 29-game streak in 2017 as a member of the Cleveland Indians. This also ties the longest streak in the majors with Nolan Arenado, and is the longest streak by a Met when Brandon Nimmo had a 26-game streak in 2022.
All the runs came on homers in this game, as J.D. Martinez and Matt Vientos homered for the Mets.
Jurickson Profar tied the game in the eighth with a two-run homer, and then Jackson Merrill walked it off in the ninth, as they spoiled the Mets 3-2. Profar has reached base in 28 out of his last 32 games and in 63 out of the last 73 games.
This is Merrill’s second career walk-off homer as he hit his first on June 12 against the Oakland Athletics, and this is the third time the Mets were walked off this season. Merrill has five game-tying or go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later this season, and he’s passed the most in a season at age 21 or younger all-time, passing Mel Ott, who had four in 1929. Also he has six home runs in the eighth inning or later this season, tying 1956 Frank Robinson for the most in a season at age 21 or younger.
Merrill has collected a hit in nine out of his last 10 games, and has an extra-base hit in 17 out of his last 31 games, and has reached base in 25 out of those very games. Xander Boegarts hit an infield single as he has collected a hit in 26 out of the last 32 games. Manny Machado has collected a hit in 25 out of the last 32 games. Mason McCoy started in his fifth straight game at shortstop after both Ha-Seong Kim and Fernando Tatis Jr. were put on the injured lsit, and has collected a hit in each of those games.
The Mets will stay on the west coast when they travel to Phoenix to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series starting on Tuesday. Sean Mananea will start against Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Padres will start a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Randy Vasquez will start against Kyle Gibson at 6:45 central time.
Sports Insider Daily 