Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo homered Thursday while rookie Jonah Tong pitched five solid innings for the win as the New York Mets stopped the visiting San Diego Padres 6-1.
Tong (2-2) allowed only four hits and an unearned run while walking none and fanning a career-high eight in his fourth MLB start. Four relievers closed the game out as New York (79-74) upped its lead for the National League’s final wild-card spot to two games over Arizona, and 2 ½ games over Cincinnati and San Francisco.
Randy Vasquez (5-7) was charged with four hits and four runs over 2 1/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts as San Diego (83-70) dropped 2 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
A four-run third inning gave the Mets their working margin. Cedric Mullins and Francisco Lindor started it with singles, with Lindor taking second on the throw to third. Juan Soto’s groundout cashed in Mullins and Alonso worked a walk.
Padres manager Mike Shildt hooked Vasquez for Wandy Peralta to create a left-on-left matchup with Nimmo. But Nimmo pulled a 1-2 changeup an estimated 389 feet over the wall in right-center for his 24th homer of the year and New York’s 10th homer of the series.
Given that cushion, Tong worked clean innings in the fourth and fifth, striking out four straight at one point. San Diego managed only six hits off five Mets pitchers.
Alonso initiated scoring in the first by demolishing a hanging breaking ball from Vasquez. The shot, estimated at 445 feet, found the seats in deep left-center for Alonso’s 37th homer of the year.
The Padres’ only run came in the third with help from Tong. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled with one out, reached second on a wild pickoff throw and then made third on a wild pitch. Luis Arraez’s fly ball to shallow left scored Tatis when he beat Nimmo’s throw home.
Alonso capped the scoring in the seventh with a sacrifice fly against reliever Ron Marinaccio that plated Lindor.
