The New York Mets won their second consecutive game against the San Diego Padres on Saturday – and did so in dominating fashion – by a final score of 9-0.
Mets ace Johan Santana (2-2, 2.75 ERA) cruised to a complete game shutout, where he allowed only four baserunners and struck out seven. He needed only 96 total pitches to complete the game, and faced only 30 batters – three short of the minimum.
The Mets scored all of their nine runs in the first and eighth innings. Vinny Rottino and Scott Hairston hit a pair of home runs in the first inning (a solo shot for the former, a three-run blast for the latter), to give Santana a four-run cushion against Clayton Richard (2-6, 4.76 ERA) and his Padres. Then, a five-run explosion in the bottom of the eighth – highlighted by a Mike Nickeas grand slam off Dale Thayer – slammed the door on the Padres day.
The two teams will play the fourth and final game of their weekend series on Sunday.
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