Mets Earn Split of Huge Test in San Diego

 METS 6 - PADRES 2 

After dropping the first two games of this series in gut-wrenching fashion, the Mets bounced back to earn a split of a four-game series against one of baseball's hottest teams coming into the weekend, the San Diego Padres. 

Sunday's 6-2 thrashing of the Padres backed-up another terrific start by Jacob deGrom on Saturday night, where he held the Padres to just three hits over seven innings in New York's 4-0 victory. 

Marcus Stroman picked up where deGrom left off. He blanked the Padres over the first five innings of the game, before giving up an unearned run on an Eric Hosmer ground out in the sixth. Stroman even helped out his own cause doubling to left to drive in Jose Pereaza to give the Mets a 4-1 lead. 

Stroman finished the day allowing only an unearned run on four hits over 6.2 innings of work. He''s now 5-4 on the year with a 2.41 ERA. 

Offensively, the Mets helped out Stroman early and often. Billy McKinny's RBI single in the first inning gave New York the early 1-0 lead. Three innings later, Dom Smith, who is starting to heat up on this Southwest road trip crushed his fourth homer of the year to make it 2-0. 

Finally in the eighth, James McCann crushed his sixth homer of the year into the bullpens in straightaway center field to give the Mets a resounding 6-1 lead. 

With the series split, the Mets maintain a 4.5 game lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta, and set up a fascinating series next weekend when the Padres travel to New York to face the Mets for three more games.