Joe Musgrove put on a spectacular performance, allowing just one hit over seven innings to guide the San Diego Padres to a 7-0 victory against the New York Mets. The win leveled the series between the two playoff-contending teams. Musgrove, who returned to the mound after a 2 1/2 month absence due to right elbow inflammation, recorded nine strikeouts and no walks, facing just one over the minimum. In the sixth inning, he made a remarkable defensive play to secure an out.
In the fifth inning, Musgroveโs no-hit bid was broken when Starling Marte doubled, but overall, the Mets were held to only two hits while the Padres collected 16 hits, with Luis Arraez and Manny Machado contributing three each. Arraez and Kyle Higashioka hit home runs for the Padres, who have now won 23 of their last 31 games since the All-Star break.
The Padres, currently holding the NLโs second wild-card spot, claimed their first victory against the Mets in five meetings this season. The Mets, 1 1/2 games out of the third wild-card spot, suffered a setback as their starting pitcher, Paul Blackburn, left the game after being struck on the hand by a line drive in the third inning.
Arraez led off the game with a homer, contributing to the Padresโ early lead. They maintained momentum with a series of hits in the second inning, capped off by Higashiokaโs two-run homer. The Padres continued to pile on runs after Blackburnโs departure.
In terms of roster moves, the Mets activated Dedniel Nรบรฑez from the injured list and sent Huascar Brazobรกn to Triple-A Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Padres reinstated Yu Darvish from the restricted list and placed him on the injured list, designating INF Matthew Batten for assignment. RF Fernando Tatis Jr. took a positive step in his recovery by participating in batting practice.
The next match-up will feature Mets LHP David Peterson and Padres RHP Michael King on the mound.