SAN DIEGO — For some strange reason, the Mets often play their best baseball when no one is paying any attention to them. With all of New York fixated on the Knicks on Friday night, the Mets quietly put together a 5-0 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Who knew the fortunes of the Knicks could influence the Mets all the way out on the West Coast?
The battery of Luis Torrens and Christian Scott helped the Mets hand the Padres their sixth-straight loss, extending a season-high streak for a key National League opponent. Scott blanked San Diego (32-30) over 5 2/3 innings, while Torrens went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run homer and a run scored.
“Overall, he attacked those guys,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Scott’s outing. “It was good to see the offense, especially Luis, having a really good game there. Not easy to hit that ball dead center on a night like that here in San Diego, but overall, I thought we played a pretty good game.”
Jared Young homered off right-hander Michael King (4-5) to lead off the second inning, his third since coming off the injured list May 30. Bo Bichette (2-for-4, RBI triple and a double) drove home Torrens after the backstop hit a one-out double in the second inning. Torrens made it 4-0 in the fifth inning when he took King deep, driving a sinker 413 feet to the batter’s eye.
Like Mendoza said, it’s a tough drive in a ballpark like Petco, especially on a night like Friday when the marine layer was thick. It’s what the locals call “June Gloom.” Typically, it burns off in the afternoon, but in the early summer months, it often lingers into the night. It keeps the temperature cooler, but it makes it tough to hit.
Other fly balls hung up in the air and died, forcing the outfielders to change their routes and redirect. But Torrens got every bit of this ball.
“Just stay aggressive,” Torrens said. “Try to make good contact on something like that.”
Any offensive production Torrens can give the Mets while Francisco Alvarez is working his way back from meniscus surgery is a bonus. They don’t expect the backup catcher to rake, but they’ll take it.
What the Mets needed more was a strong performance from Scott to set the tone for the weekend and build on his last outing. He provided that in his second straight win (2-0).
San Diego managed only three hits and two walks off the right-handed Scott, and struck out three times. He nearly made it through six innings for the first time this season, giving up a two-out single to Manny Machado with his 98th pitch of the night, prompting the Mets to bring in right-hander Huascar Brazobán.
“That hit by Machado felt like 120 miles an hour by my head, so I figured it was about time for Brazo to go in there,” Scott said. “But yeah, I would like to touch the sixth.”
It’s been two weeks since the Mets have had a starter go seven innings, but after a little more than two weeks of using openers and rookies, for the Mets to have a pitcher come one out shy of going a full six innings, it almost feels like a victory of sorts — especially since that seven-inning outing by Freddy Peralta two weeks ago came in a loss.
He’ll get there. It’s easy to forget he’s still gaining experience.
As a rookie in 2024, Scott showed poise and grit, even if he didn’t quite know how to use the stuff he had. He missed all of last season to rehab from Tommy John surgery, then started the current season in Triple-A. His first start of the season in the big leagues was a disaster, but it wasn’t indicative of what he’s capable of doing.
Now, he seems to be on a roll, allowing only one earned run over his last three starts.
“I just try to continue to stack good days,” Scott said. “I would say it’s part of the routine and the preparation that’s coming to this point. Obviously, my body feeling good is a huge part of it, but just going out and trying to compete the best I can every time. There’s gonna be good ones and bad ones, but just staying the course and keeping that confidence.”
Scott was able to set up his sweeper by moving his fastball around the plate and getting ahead of hitters. Though he wasn’t especially pleased with how the sweeper played, Torrens and the Mets were impressed with how he threw it.
“I thought his sweeper was good, I think he missed the location just a little bit today from where he wanted it,” Torrens said. “But I think his cutter was good, I thought his fastball was good, so he was able to work off those two pitches as well.”
If this is where he turns the corner to go from an emerging pitcher to an established one, then it’s something with the Mets (28-35) worth paying attention to — even as the Knicks make their run through the NBA Finals.
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