For seven innings, the Mets and Royals played the kind of game that could go either way. Then the eighth arrived, and New York settled it in a hurry. A five-run burst against Kansas City's bullpen gave the Mets a 6-2 victory at Citi Field on Wednesday, snapping a losing streak and moving the club to 39-54.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| NYM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 6 | 9 | 0 |
A.J. Ewing provided the only offense through the first five innings, launching a solo home run to center — 420 feet — in the first to give New York an early lead. He finished 2-for-5 with that home run and an RBI, hitting .279 on the season with 7 home runs and 24 RBI. The Mets held that 1-0 advantage until Salvador Perez singled to left in the sixth, scoring Jac Caglianone to tie the game at 1-1.
The Eighth Inning
The game turned on a hit-by-pitch. With the score tied in the eighth, Lindor scored on a hit-by-pitch to Jared Young, giving New York the go-ahead run at 2-1. The inning kept building. Brett Baty singled to center, scoring Carson Benge and Tyrone Taylor to push the lead to 4-1. Young then scored on a wild pitch by Cuas, and Francisco Alvarez singled to left to bring home Baty, capping a five-run frame. Alex Lange absorbed the damage, allowing 5 runs on 3 hits in just two-thirds of an inning, falling to 0-5 with a 5.92 ERA.
Kansas City's R. Dobnak was sharp in a no-decision, holding the Mets to 3 hits over 5.2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA. Christian Scott matched him through five innings for New York — 5 innings, 3 hits, no runs, 5 strikeouts — before the bullpen took over. Brooks Raley earned the win, his fourth of the season, working a scoreless inning. Carter Jensen doubled home Josh Rojas in the ninth for Kansas City's second run, but the outcome was long decided.
The Royals fell to 38-55. New York won for the first time after a loss, improving to 39-54.