Carson Benge went 5 for 5 with a home run and an RBI triple, leading the New York Mets to a 7-3 victory Sunday over the struggling San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n
Marcus Semien and MJ Melendez also homered for the last-place Mets, who took two of three games from the Padres to win a series in San Diego for the first time since 2018.<\/p>\n
Sean Manaea (1-1) allowed two runs over four innings in bulk relief as New York used six pitchers and finished 3-3 on its West Coast trip.<\/p>\n
Freddy Fermin homered and drove in all three runs for the Padres, who have lost 11 of 13. The catcher was hitless in his previous 30 at-bats before connecting for his first homer this season Saturday night, a two-run shot in the seventh inning of a 3-2 win that stopped San Diego’s six-game losing streak.<\/p>\n
Batting leadoff, Benge scored three times and became the fourth Mets rookie with five hits and a homer in one game. Francisco Lindor was the previous New York player to get five hits in a game when he went 5 for 5 with a homer and two triples in a 9-0 victory at Arizona on July 6, 2023.<\/p>\n
San Diego starter Randy V\u00e1squez (5-4) gave up four runs, eight hits and two walks in four-plus innings. It was his third loss in four decisions.<\/p>\n
New York scored twice in the fifth for a 4-0 cushion. Jared Young had an RBI single and Bo Bichette scored on A.J. Ewing’s sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n
Melendez and Benge went deep in the sixth for a 6-2 lead.<\/p>\n
Semien’s eighth homer this year, a solo shot in the second, made it 2-0. It was Semien’s third of the road trip and second in the series.<\/p>\n
Up next<\/p>\n
The Mets return home Tuesday, when RHP Freddy Peralta (4-4, 3.63 ERA) pitches against Cardinals RHP Dustin May (3-6, 4.59).<\/p>\n
Padres RHP Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.53 ERA) faces Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (4-3, 4.06) on Monday in San Diego.<\/p>\n