David Peterson matched a career high with 10 strikeouts and Eduardo Escobar belted a three-run homer to lift the host New York Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday.
Mark Canha tallied an RBI and a run and Pete Alonso had two of New York’s six hits to help the Mets snap a season-high, three-game losing streak.
Marcus Semien and Nathaniel Lowe each launched a solo homer for the Rangers, who have lost two in a row after winning five of their previous seven games.
Peterson (5-1), who struck out 10 on two previous occasions in his career, allowed three runs on five hits and did not walk a batter in six innings on Friday. He drew the spot start after New York placed right-hander Chris Bassitt on the injured list with an undisclosed reason. Multiple media outlets reported Bassitt is in COVID protocol.
Mets reliever Seth Lugo struck out two batters in one perfect inning. Adam Ottavino worked around a leadoff single in the eighth inning to bridge the gap to Edwin Diaz, who struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 17th save of the season.
Texas opened the scoring in the third inning when Semien sent an 0-1 slider from Peterson over the wall in left field. The homer was Semien’s ninth of the season and second in his past three games.
New York answered in the fourth inning. Francisco Lindor singled, advanced to second on a walk by Jeff McNeil and scored on Canha’s single down the left field line. Canha entered the game mired in a 2-for-28 slump.
Escobar stepped up two batters later and deposited a 3-2 sinker from Glenn Otto (4-4) into the upper deck in right field. Escobar’s seventh homer of the season gave the Mets a 4-1 lead.
Lowe responded by sending an 0-1 curveball into the upper deck in right field with one out in the fifth inning. The homer was Lowe’s 11th of the season.
Semien scored on a groundout by Adolis Garcia in the sixth inning to trim New York’s advantage to 4-3.
Otto (4-4) yielded four runs on four hits in four innings, with three walks and one strikeout.
–Field Level Media
