After back-to-back heartbreaking losses, the Mets returned the favor against the Giants.
The Mets rallied for three runs in the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 win at Citi Field to stave off a San Francisco sweep and end a five-game losing streak.
Harrison Bader’s two-run double tied the game and Omar Narvaez’s walk-off RBI single ended it, completing a chaotic three-game set filled with late-inning drama.
“We needed that,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The Mets entered the bottom of the ninth down 3-1 and were three outs away from being swept for a second consecutive series. Giants ace Logan Webb had just limited them to one unearned run over seven innings. The Mets managed only four hits through the first eight frames.
They then strung together four hits against San Francisco’s Tyler Rogers in the ninth inning alone, beginning with back-to-back singles by Brandon Nimmo and JD Martinez with nobody out.
The side-winding Rogers plunked Jeff McNeil two batters later, loading the bases with one out for Bader, who lined a high 1-1 slider down the left-field line to tie the score, 3-3.
After an intentional walk to Brett Baty, the catcher Narvaez — who had been hitting .150 this season — sliced a soft single into center field to win the game. Narvaez had entered the game in the top of the ninth as a defensive replacement.
“It was amazing,” Narvaez said. “Right now, there’s a lot of confidence. All the work that I’ve been putting in is going to show up soon.”
The Mets were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position before Bader and Narvaez broke through.
“Coming through in these situations is big for us,” Bader said. “It just speaks volumes that we’re not out of it. Yeah, it sucks at times, and this game will eat you up for sure, but there’s an opportunity every inning. There’s a job to do.”
The comeback salvaged a series in which the Giants erased a four-run deficit on Friday with a five-run eighth inning, with all of the damage coming against breakout reliever Reed Garrett. Garrett had allowed only three runs over his first 18 appearances.
On Saturday, struggling Mets closer Edwin Diaz blew his third consecutive save, leading to the Mets’ 7-2 loss in 10 innings.
Those losses followed last week’s three-game sweep in Cleveland. With Sunday’s win, the Mets are 22-30 but only four games out of an NL Wild Card spot.
“Getting that W today is important for the guys,” Mendoza said. “Now, build on that.”
Mets starter Sean Manaea, who spent last season with the Giants, held his former club to two runs over five innings, striking out six. Demoted to the bullpen over the weekend, Adrian Houser limited the Giants to one run over four innings of relief to help keep the Mets within striking distance.
Also keeping the score close was a highlight-reel catch by Bader in center field that robbed San Francisco’s Matt Chapman of a solo home run against Houser in the sixth inning.
“Any play that helps our team, that moves us in the right direction, that gives our confidence is a big one,” Bader said. “It felt good to bring one back for my guy.”
The Bronxville, N.Y.-born Bader continues to demonstrate a flair for the dramatic. He previously delivered late go-ahead hits in back-to-back Mets wins on April 14 and 15.
Up next for the Mets (22-30) are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lead the NL Central at 33-22 but arrive at Citi Field on a five-game losing streak. That three-game series begins Monday afternoon.
