Walker’s walk-off hit lifts Mets over Giants
Tired Yankees win 6th straight, snap Red's streak Orioles top Nationals Dodgers pound Pirates
The ball had yet to land on the grass in right field. But right away on Monday night, the New York Mets knew. At first base, Wilmer Flores raised his arm. At second base, Michael Conforto followed suit.
At the plate, Neil Walker smiled, his game-winning single giving the Mets a 4-3 victory against the Giants. For Walker, it was the third walk-off hit of his career, and his first as a Met.
The rally began with a leadoff walk by Conforto. With two outs, Flores extended the inning, bouncing a single off the left leg of Giants reliever Hunter Strickland that trickled to short for an infield hit.
Walker finished it off, giving the Mets a much-needed victory during what has been a turbulent stretch in New York.
Jeurys Familia (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and got the win.
Last October, the two teams tangled in a classic NL wild-card game. But on Monday, that matchup felt a long ways away.
The Giants (11-22) have endured a brutal beginning. They arrived at Citi Field with a .344 winning percentage, the worst in the NL and the second-worst in all of baseball. They were fresh off being the victims of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Reds, getting outscored 31-5.
The Giants’ run differential of minus-63 was the worst in all of MLB at the start of the day. But even though the Giants have been statistically bad, the Mets’ recent problems seemed to defy measurement, with Matt Harvey in the midst of another controversy.
But despite a 7-0 loss to the Marlins on Sunday, the Mets insisted that there was no carryover effect. On Monday, it seemed as if they had refocused.
Jacob deGrom allowed three runs in six innings, though he battled with his pitch count. He finished with 11 strikeouts, giving him 41 in his last five games.
The Mets have won seven of their last 10, while the Giants have lost four straight and seven of 10.
Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer in the first and Buster Posey led off the sixth with a blast for the Giants. (Newsday/TNS)
Yankees 10, Reds 4
Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday homered, and Masahiro Tanaka allowed three earned runs through seven solid innings, lifting New York to its sixth straight victory in the opener of a two-game interleague series against Cincinnati.
Following the 18-inning win against the Cubs and a trip that only got them to Cincinnati at dawn, Gary Sanchez went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for New York. Gardner and Holliday each hit their sixth home runs of the season in the eighth.
Joey Votto hit a two-run homer in the seventh, his 10th home run of the season, for the Reds, whose five-game win streak ended.
Orioles 6, Nationals 4
Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini clobbered first-inning homers off Gio Gonzalez, and Baltimore beat Washington to increase its winning streak to a season-high five games.
Kevin Gausman (2-3) was back on the mound for Baltimore after being ejected in the second inning of his last start May 3 against the Boston Red Sox. He held the Nationals to two runs and five hits in seven innings.
Bryce Harper was also back in the lineup for Washington after missing three games with a groin injury.
He had an RBI single in the sixth and homered two innings later to pull the Nationals within 6-3.
Dodgers 12, Pirates 1
Chris Taylor hit a grand slam, and Los Angeles pounded visiting Pittsburgh.
Dodgers starter Alex Wood (3-0) struck out 11 with one walk and limited the Pirates to two hits in five scoreless innings. Wood didn’t allow a hit until Gregory Polanco singled in the fourth inning.
Taylor went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for the Dodgers, who won their third in a row. Yasiel Puig also homered for Los Angeles. Joc Pederson, who was 3-for-5, Yasmani Grandal and Enrique Hernandez drove in two runs each.
Blue Jays 4, Indians 2
Marcus Stroman pitched six scoreless innings, Ryan Goins hit a two-run homer and Toronto held on to defeat Cleveland.
Justin Smoak also had a two-run single for the Blue Jays, who have won two in a row, in their first game against the Indians since losing the American League Championship Series in October.
Stroman (3-2) allowed six hits and two walks. The right-hander struck out one and induced three double-play grounders.
Cardinals 9, Marlins 4
Pitcher Carlos Martinez drove in a careerhigh four runs to lead St. Louis over host Miami.
Martinez, who had been hitless in 11 at-bats this season, went 2-for-3 with a double and a single. Six runners scored while he was at the plate, although he only got credit for four RBIs as two came in on an error.
Martinez (2-3) allowed five hits, two walks and three runs in six innings for the Cardinals, who have won 14 of their past 19 games and seven straight road games.
Miami was led by Marcell Ozuna, who had two homers and three RBIs.