The eighth inning changed everything. Mark Vientos delivered two home runs and Clay Holmes pitched into the seventh as the New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-1 at Angel Stadium.
Vientos went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored, powering the Mets offense with a pair of home runs that erased an early Angels lead. His season totals now stand at 4 home runs and 12 RBI while batting .250.
The Angels struck first when Neto scored on Soler's single to center in the opening inning. But Vientos answered in the fourth with a 427-foot homer to center that scored Benge and gave New York a 2-1 lead. The game remained close until the eighth, when Benge doubled to right to score Baty, then Vientos homered to left to score Benge and extend the lead to 5-1.
Holmes earned the win with 6.2 innings of work, allowing 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3. Jack Kochanowicz took the loss for Los Angeles, giving up 2 runs over 6.1 innings with 6 strikeouts. Holmes carries a 1.69 ERA and improved to 4-2 on the season.
The Mets snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 10-21. The Angels extended their losing streak to six games and fell to 12-20.