SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets might need signed up for six victories on their 10-game trip before it began, but now they’ll set a better bar.
Their rotation is banged up and their lineup hasn’t truly clicked yet, however the Mets have been adequate. Thursday night, their California Dreaming continued with a 9-4 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park for a sixth win in the primary seven games of the trip.
Including their series against the Padres at Citi Field before they headed west, the Mets have won eight times in 10 games this season against California teams.
“I’ve been very happy with the best way they’ve approached [the trip]: very workmanlike with numerous passion and energy,” manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s a tricky trip. But the blokes have handled it well thus far. I believe they’re very respectful of the competition and the way quickly it might change.”
The newest win got here on the day the Mets discovered they might be without Max Scherzer for his previously scheduled Tuesday start, after the right-hander was suspended 10 games by MLB for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances.
“Whoever we have now available we’re just going to go on the market and compete and do the very best we will to win day by day,” Pete Alonso said.
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Alonso, Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil all homered, providing enough support for Kodai Senga, who bumped into difficulty within the fifth and was removed after the inning.
Senga allowed 4 earned runs on five hits and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts over five innings.
It was a second straight choppy start for the right-hander, who struggled with the long wait times between innings and the cool weather last Friday at Oakland.
“I had been only pitching five innings or so these past few outings so I used to be hoping to go a bit of bit deeper,” Senga said through his interpreter.
One other strong bullpen outing helped, after the Mets received six solid innings from relievers of their victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday following Scherzer’s ejection.
Brooks Raley, John Curtiss, Drew Smith and Jeff Brigham combined for 4 scoreless innings on Thursday to seal the win.
The Mets showed loads of energy in a scoring outburst that surpassed their eight-run performance Monday at Dodger Stadium.
Alonso and Escobar each homered as a part of the Mets’ five-run fourth inning.
Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch to start the inning before Alonso went deep along with his ninth homer of the season.
The blast moved him alone into fifth-place on the Mets’ all-time homer list with 155. Alonso was previously tied with Dave Kingman.
One other hit batter by Sean Manaea, this time McNeil, ignited a second rally within the inning.
Escobar followed with a towering fly ball that just cleared the left-field fence, extending the Mets’ result in 4-0.
Then, after Luis Guillorme walked, Brandon Nimmo delivered an RBI double.
Senga finally was dented within the fifth when Blake Sabol homered leading off the inning.
Sabol hammered a four-seam fastball over the center-field fence, however the Giants weren’t finished: LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a solo homer with one out that pulled the Giants inside 5-2. The blasts were the fourth and fifth allowed by Senga in his 4 starts this season.
Before the inning was complete, the Giants had sliced their deficit to 5-4.
Thairo Estrada and Michael Conforto walked in succession before Mike Yastrzemski’s single brought in a run. Senga then unloaded a wild pitch, allowing Conforto to attain.
McNeil’s homer leading off the sixth got the Mets’ lead back to 6-4.
The blast, just contained in the right-field foul pole, was McNeil’s first of the season.
Alonso had a two-run single within the seventh and McNeil also contributed an RBI single within the inning.
Joey Lucchesi might be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start out the sport Friday against the Giants.
The left-hander might be filling the spot vacated by Carlos Carrasco, who’s on the injured list with a bone chip in his right elbow. Lucchesi’s last major league appearance got here almost two years ago. He had Tommy John surgery in June 2021 and spent last season rehabbing.
