Flushing, NY (Sports Network) – David Eckstein went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, as the San Diego Padres earned a 4-2 win over the New York Mets in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Citi Field.
Adrian Gonzalez turned in a three-hit game and knocked in a run for San Diego, which had dropped three of the last five coming into the game.
Mat Latos (6-4) earned the win for allowing only two runs on as many hits with eight strikeouts and walked a batter over six innings of work. San Diego pitchers combined to retire the last 22 Mets batters. Heath Bell locked the game down in the ninth to record his 17th save of the season.
Henry Blanco accounted for the only offense with a two-run homer for the Mets, who had their a four-game winning streak snapped and saw a nine-game home winning streak come to an end as well.
Johan Santana (4-3) suffered the loss after working 6 2/3 innings. The left- hander yielded four runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out one.
The Mets put up a pair of two-out runs in the second to open the scoring. David Wright started the inning with a walk and three batters later Blanco jumped on a 2-2 fastball and hammered it over the left field wall.
Santana loaded the bases on a single and two walks with nobody out in the fourth before Jerry Hairston Jr. chased in a run with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-1.
San Diego tacked on two more in the fifth to go in front 3-2. Tony Gwynn Jr. led off the inning with a walk and crossed the plate on Eckstein’s RBI double to left. Gonzalez brought in another with a soft single to right.
Chase Headley’s run-scoring double in the seventh brought in Eckstein to give the Padres a two-run cushion.
Luke Gregerson and Mike Adams each pitched a perfect inning of relief to bridge the gap to Bell in the ninth. The right-hander came on and set down the Mets’ first three hitters in the order to close out the game.
Wednesday’s game between the two clubs was rained out, causing the double-dip. In the nightcap, San Diego will start Jon Garland (6-3, 2.68 ERA), while the Mets will counter with Jonathon Niese (2-2, 4.28)…San Diego just won a three-game series versus the Mets at Petco Park from May 31-June 2 and is 15-6 in the past 21 meetings between the teams…Jose Reyes had the only other hit for the Mets, an infield single in the first inning.