Rookie Jose Butto combined with four relievers on a six-hitter and recorded his first career win Tuesday night for the host New York Mets, who beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-4 in the second game of a four-game series.
Fellow rookie Ronny Mauricio homered for the first time while Pete Alonso hit a two-run shot and Francisco Alvarez homered in the eighth for the Mets, who improved to 5-5 this month. Francisco Lindor had a sacrifice fly and an RBI single while DJ Stewart and Brandon Nimmo each laced three hits for New York (66-78).
Ketel Marte (triple) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (single) had RBI hits for the Diamondbacks (76-70), who lost for the third time in nine games. Gurriel Jr. had two hits for Arizona, which entered Tuesday 1 1/2 games ahead of the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants in the race for the third and final National League wild-card spot.
Butto (1-2) gave up one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings. Adam Ottavino recorded the final five outs for his 10th save.
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (7-8) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three over 4 1/3 innings.
Arizona went ahead in the third when Geraldo Perdomo drew a leadoff walk and scored on Marte’s one-out triple. The Mets answered immediately when Nimmo led off the bottom half with a triple and scored on Lindor’s sacrifice fly.
New York went ahead for good in the fourth. Stewart delivered a leadoff single and Mauricio followed with his first big-league homer.
Nimmo opened the fifth with a double and raced home on Lindor’s single. After Lindor was forced out on a grounder to second by Jeff McNeil, Alonso ended Nelson’s night with a homer to left-center.
The Diamondbacks cut the deficit to 6-2 in the sixth. Pham greeted Grant Hartwig with a single, moved to second on Hartwig’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt, took third on a fielder’s choice grounder and scored on Gurriel Jr.’s hit.
Seby Zavala (hit by pitch) and Perdomo (walk) recorded bases-loaded RBIs in the eighth before Alvarez homered leading off the bottom half.
–Field Level Media
