Jesse Winker was once Public Enemy No. 1 for some New York Mets fans.
After his walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday gave New York a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles and a series victory, Winker might be a hero to a lot of the fans who saved some of their loudest boos for him when he was wearing enemy uniforms.
Winker’s new fans will be hoping for more heroics when the Mets start a critical road trip with the opener of a four-game series against the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
The Mets are 1 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
Winker’s pinch-hit blast off Seranthony Dominguez was the Mets’ second walk-off homer in three games, and his helmet spike charged up the Citi Field crowd.
“A full blackout moment,” Winker said of his reaction. “You just want to help any way you can. I was just really happy.”
Acquired from the Washington Nationals last month before the trade deadline, Winker is batting .288 in 18 games with New York while playing in the outfield and starting occasionally as a designated hitter. The homer was his 12th of the season and first with the Mets.
New York will start the road trip with Luis Severino (8-6, 3.91 ERA) aiming for an encore of his last outing, a 4-0 victory against the Miami Marlins on Saturday. Severino allowed just four hits, walked one and fanned eight in the second shutout and complete game of his career.
Severino was dominant in his only career outing against San Diego, allowing only one hit and two runs (one earned) in 6 2/3 innings while a member of the New York Yankees on May 27, 2023.
While the Mets made the cross-country trip a happy flight, the Padres will look to get back into the win column after enduring an 11-4 rout against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The result prevented San Diego from earning a series sweep.
The Padres will hand the ball to Dylan Cease, who last pitched on Saturday in an 8-3 win at Colorado. Cease (12-9, 3.46 ERA) lasted 5 2/3 innings, permitting three hits and three runs with five walks and five strikeouts.
He will aim to avenge an 11-6 loss to New York on June 16 that saw him give up seven hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. That game capped a three-game sweep for the Mets.
The loss on Wednesday dropped San Diego’s record since the All-Star break to 22-7 as the Padres fell into a tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL’s first wild-card spot. San Diego also had its seven-game home winning streak end.
While the Padres have a better record on the road than at home, they have become a tougher team in San Diego as the season has progressed. Playing in front of sellout crowds more often than not, they have 22 wins in their past 32 home games.
“When we come home and play in front of this crowd,” third baseman Manny Machado said, “it just gives us that extra motivation.”
–Field Level Media
