Wild-card leader Red Sox beat stumbling Mets, 6-3

BOSTON — Xander Bogaerts hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the sixth, lifting the AL wild-card leading Boston Red Sox over the stumbling New York Mets 6-3 on Tuesday night.

With the Red Sox wearing jarring yellow and blue uniforms,bostonwonitssixth straight game and remained 1 games ahead of Toronto for the top AL wild card with 10 games remaining. The Red Sox trail first-place Tampa Bay by six games in the AL East.

“We’ve just got to continue. Our offense is pretty good right now. Everyone is kind of clicking,” Bogaerts said.

New York lost for the sixth timeinsevengames,intensifying pressure on manager Luis Rojas as Steve Cohen’s first seasonasownernearsadisappointing end. The Mets are 73-78 and 6 games behind in thenleast,andtheydropped 8 games back for the second NL wild card.

They literally are stumbling.

Pete Alonso was thrown out trying to score on Michael Conforto’s basesloaded single with no outs in the fourth. With runners on second and third and one out in the fifth, Brandon Nimmo fell after rounding second on Francisco Lindor’s double.

Kiké Hernández also homered for the Red Sox, 12-4 against National League teams this season. The Red Sox have won five in a row over the Mets.

New York led 2-0 in the fourth and allowed six straight runs. Alonso hit his 34th homer in the eighth off Garrett Richards.

With the Mets ahead 2-1 in the fifth, Ryan Brasier (1-1) relieved with runners at second and third and one out, struck out Javier Báez and retiredalonsoonagroundout.

Darwinzon Hernandez threw a called third strike past Nimmo with a runner on second for the final out.