Mets beat D-backs in fog for 1st back-to-back wins in month

NEW YORK — Devin Mesoraco hit a tying, two-run homer through Citi Field’s murky fog in the eighth inning, Wilmer Flores hit a game-ending sacrifice fly in the ninth and the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 Saturday night to win consecutive games for the first time in a month.

John Ryan Murphy hit a two-run homer and tied his career high with three RBIs, helping Arizona open a 4-2 lead. But Archie Bradley entered in the eighth and blew the lead in just three pitches, allowing a leadoff single to Jay Bruce and Mesoraco’s third home run in 21 at-bats since the Mets acquired him from Cincinnati on May 8 for former ace Matt Harvey

Brandon Nimmo led off the ninth with a double off the right-field wall on an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Chafin (0-1). Nimmo had been 0 for 12 against lefties this year.

Asdrubal Cabrera reached on a bunt single to third baseman Daniel Descalso, who was playing back at normal depth. Flores hit a drive to left fielder David Peralta, who had no chance to throw out Nimmo.

Jeurys Familia (2-1) retired three straight batters, and the Mets won consecutive games for the first time since the end of a nine-game winning streak on April 11 and 13.

Arizona has lost nine of 10, and Chafin lost for the first time since May 3, 2016.

On a day when focus was on the Royal Wedding in often-foggy London and the Preakness at socked-in Baltimore, the game started 34 minutes late after a daylong rain with the temperature in the mid-50s, and flyouts and popups transformed into fuzzy pellets that became tricky for fielders to track. The Diamondbacks were costumed for the noir scene in dark gray uniforms, and many of the fans who remained streamed out when rain resumed in the eighth inning.

New York elected to have Steven Matz pitch to Murphy with first base open and pitcher Patrick Corbin on deck with two outs in both the second and fourth innings. Murphy, a 27-year-old backup catcher, singled for a 1-0 lead and put Arizona ahead 4-2 with his fourth home run this year and the ninth of his six-season big league career.

Paul Goldschmidt led off the three-run fourth with his first home run in 106 at-bats since he went deep off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw on April 15. Goldschmidt entered 5 for 59 (.085) in May, including a four-strikeout night Friday.

Corbin is winless in five starts and topped 90 mph just twice; his fastball was mostly in the 88 mph range. He allowed two runs, four hits, four walks and a hit batter in 5 1/3 innings, leaving with a 4-2 lead and the bases loaded.

Jimmie Sherfy retired Jose Reyes on a foulout, and Jorge De La Rosa got pinch-hitter Adrian Gonzalez on a flyout to left fielder David Peralta, who had trouble picking up the ball in the fog but made the grab.

Matz gave up four runs and six hits in four innings and has yielded nine home runs in 36 2/3 innings this season.

Murphy, making his 10th start this season, has 10 RBIs. Both his hits came off changeups.

Jarrod Dyson had walked and headed for second when Matz made a pickoff throw to first. The Mets challenged the safe call at second by Jordan Baker — replays showed a close play — but the call was upheld. Dyson then swiped third, too, before Murphy’s drive over the left-field fence.

Arizona came in hitting a major league-low .219 but improved to 13-5 against left-handed starters.

Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer in the second, the first home run by a Mets left-handed batter against a lefty this year. It was New York’s 95th at-bat vs. southpaws, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

FRUSTRATION

Flores slammed his bat, then threw his helmet in the dugout after he flied out on a hittable pitch in the third inning. Cabrera tossed his helmet after striking out in the fifth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: RF Steven Souza Jr. reinjured his right pectoral muscle on a throw from right field Friday night and had an MRI Saturday that showed a strain and inflammation. He was on the DL from the start of the season until May 3 because of a similar injury, Arizona will wait until Monday before deciding whether to put him back on the DL.

Mets: 3B Todd Frazier, who hasn’t played since May 7 because of a strained left hamstring, still feels pain while running and doesn’t know when he will be able to come off the DL. “I’d rather lose two more weeks if that’s the case than two more months,” he said. “I don’t know what to do. I get all my stuff done four hours before the game and know what? You just sit there and mope around.”

UP NEXT

RHP Clay Buchholz will be brought up from the minors to start Sunday for Arizona, the first big league appearance for the 33-year-old since he tore the flexor tendon in his right forearm pitching for Philadelphia against the Mets on April 11 last year. Buchholz had surgery a week later. RHP Noah Syndergaard (3-1) starts for the Mets.