Mets Rally to Claim Series Victory Against Padres in Final West Coast Series

The New York Mets faced a challenging game on Saturday night, where they suffered a loss to the San Diego Padres due to a late homer from Freddy Fermin. Despite a solid performance from pitcher Nolan McLean, reliever Austin Warren experienced a rare setback, allowing the decisive home run. Mark Vientos’ struggles continued as he struck out on three pitches to conclude the game with the tying run waiting on base.

However, the Mets turned things around in Sunday’s finale, delivering a comprehensive team performance to secure the series win. “It was a really good team win,” remarked manager Carlos Mendoza. The offense rebounded impressively, managing to get runners on base in every inning and scoring seven runs off 13 hits combined with four walks.

While Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette maintained their strong play, it was Carson Benge who stood out with a solo home run and an RBI triple, achieving his first career 5-for-5 game. “It was really cool to see,” Mendoza commented. “Rockets pretty much everywhere, using the middle of the field, staying short and on top of the ball -- he set the tone for us.” Benge’s performance made him the third youngest Met to achieve a 5-for-5 game and the first rookie since Pete Alonso in 2019.

Another young standout, A.J. Ewing, showcased his defensive skills with a spectacular catch in left-center, robbing the Padres of extra bases in the eighth inning. Ewing also contributed offensively, extending his hitting streak to five games with a single in the ninth. “I’m loving him out there,” Benge said, while pitcher Sean Manaea expressed excitement about Ewing’s contributions, stating, “I feel like something cool or special is going to happen every day.”

Manaea himself was effective as a bulk reliever, limiting the Padres to just two runs over four innings, thus lowering his ERA to 3.28 in his last four outings. The Mets' bullpen, including Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams, completed the victory. After starting the road trip with two tough losses in Seattle, the Mets finished at 3-3 and have now won seven of their last ten games. They are set to return home for a crucial six-game stretch against the Cardinals and Braves. “We just have to continue to win series,” Mendoza said. “Bouncing back after a tough one last night, they showed up today and set the tone early -- that’s what you want to see -- now enjoy the day and be ready for our homestand.”