Corey Oswalt Snags 1st Big League Win As Mets Top Padres
NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Corey Oswalt beat his hometown Padres for his first major league win, pitching three-hit ball over five innings as the New York Mets beat San Diego 6-4 Wednesday for their first series win in two months.
A 24-year-old right-hander who made his big league debut in April, Oswalt took the mound hours after the Mets announced slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will have operations to remove calcifications in both of his heels, surgeries that are expected to have a recovery time of at least 8-to-10 months.
Oswalt (1-2) made his fifth big league start and sixth appearance. He allowed two runs and two walks while striking out four, leaving after 62 pitches.
Tim Peterson got four outs, Robert Gsellman finished the seventh and Anthony Swarzak pitched two innings for his fourth big league save, his second this year.
Since sweeping three games against Arizona from May 18-20, the Mets had lost 12 series and split five. The 17 straight series without a win was one short of the team record set in 1982.
San Diego has have lost or split its last 11 series. The Mets and Padres have the two worst records in the National League.
Clayton Richard (7-10) allowed six runs, five hits and two walks in five-plus innings.
He retired his first 12 batters on just 36 pitches and carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth. Freddy Galvis grounded into a run-scoring double play in the first and Austin Hedges homered in the fifth.
Jose Bautista walked leading off the fifth and scored on Kevin Plawecki's one-out single. Phillip Evans, pinch-hitting for Oswalt, hit a tying single and Amed Rosario followed with a two-run single.
Bautista chased Richard with a two-run homer in the sixth. Bautista's 339th homer tied him for 99th place with Tino Martinez, Dave Parker and Boog Powell.
Galvis hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Peterson.
FREAKY FIFTH
Mets centerfielder Brandon Nimmo initially robbed Hedges of his homer in the fifth, but the ball bounced off an M&M ad on the back wall beyond the fence and into Nimmo's glove. After a video review, Hedges was given a homer. Richard followed with s second walk of the season and was forced at second when Travis Jankowski's flare drop dropped in short right, and Bautista threw to second for the forceout. Jankowski was then picked off by Oswalt, and first baseman Wilmer Flores threw to Rosario as Jankowski was caught stealing at second, a call upheld on another video review.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Jordan Lyles (forearm) allowed seven runs in three innings Tuesday night for Triple-A El Paso and has an ERA of 17.47 in two minor league injury rehabilitation starts.
Mets: Cespedes has played just 119 games since the start of last season due to hamstring and hip injuries.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (1-6, 8.99 ERA) is scheduled to open a three-game series Friday at home against Arizona.
Mets: LHP Steven Matz (4-8, 3.65 ERA) is slated to start Thursday's opener of a four-game series at Pittsburgh.
