Narváez gets first home hit of season, caps rally as Mets beat Giants 4-3 and stop 5-game skid

By JERRY BEACH
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Omar Narváez capped a three-run, ninth-inning rally with his first hit of the year at Citi Field after an 0-for-27 start, lifting the New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Sunday to stop a five-game losing streak.

New York had blown leads from the sixth inning on in its previous three games and had scored three runs in 18 innings before overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the ninth against Tyler Rogers (0-1).

Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez opened with singles and Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch with one out to load the bases. Nimmo and pinch-runner Starling Marte scored on a double by Harrison Bader, who is hitting .364 with seven RBIs in the eighth inning or later.

Brett Baty was intentionally walked before Narváez, who entered after catcher Tomás Nido was pinch hit for in the eighth, singled on an 0-1 pitch.

“We needed that, especially how things have been going here as of late,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “For the guys to continue to have good at-bats, especially in the ninth inning down two runs — Nimmo, J.D., up and down obviously, and then Bader. It’s huge.”

Narváez raised his arm as he neared first base and tossed his helmet while trotting backward between first and second, where he was mobbed by teammates.

Narváez, a former All-Star, was expected to be the Mets’ starter after he signed with the team in December 2022. But he strained his left calf in April 2023, lost his job to Francisco Alvarez and has hit .196 in 75 games for New York.

“All the work that I’ve been putting in is going to show up,” Narváez said.

Adrian Houser (1-4) pitched four innings of one-run relief, one day after being demoted to the bullpen for a second time this season. Houser has a 7.34 ERA, nearly double his 4.00 during seven seasons with Milwaukee.

“The game will always present opportunities,” Bader said. “I’m happy for them. Adrian filled the zone up, obviously ‘Narvy’ got a big hit for us at the end.”

Bader had an RBI single in the second and robbed Matt Chapman of a home run with a leaping catch at the center-field wall in the sixth.

“Pretty special player defensively and now we’ve seen really good results in big moments for him offensively,” Mendoza said.

New York (22-30) has five walk-off wins among 11 home victories. All five walk-offs have come in series finales.

Starter Sean Manaea allowed two runs over five innings.

San Francisco, which had won four straight, dropped back to .500 at 27-27. The Giants went 4-2 on a road trip in which the winning team trailed in the eighth inning or later in every game.

“My effort today kind of put a stink on the road trip, but it was a great road trip for the boys,” Rogers said.

Brett Wisely had his third straight multi-hit game and homered in the third for the Giants. Chapman scored on a throwing error by Nido in the second, and Heliot Ramos hit into a run-scoring forceout in the sixth.

Logan Webb allowed an unearned run and struck out eight in seven innings.

New York acquired minor league infielder Pablo Reyes from Boston for cash.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: 1B LaMonte Wade Jr. (left hamstring) did not play. Manager Bob Melvin said he wanted to give Wade, who tweaked his hamstring making stretches in the ninth inning of Friday’s 8-7 win, one more day of rest.

Mets: RHP Drew Smith (right shoulder) struck out two in a scoreless inning Sunday for Single-A Brooklyn. … Mendoza said LHP David Peterson, who hasn’t pitched this season following left hip surgery last November, will be activated to start Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Peterson will take the rotation spot of Houser.

UP NEXT

Giants: Though his girlfriend has not yet given birth to their child, LHP Blake Snell (0-3, 11.40) was activated after spending the maximum three days on the paternity list. He remained in San Francisco and is scheduled to still the scheduled starter for Monday’s series opener against Philadelphia and RHP Taijuan Walker (3-0, 5.06 ERA). RHP Nick Avila was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Mets: RHP Tylor Megill (0-2, 3.00 ERA) is slated to start Monday against Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone (4-2, 3.60 ERA). Rain is forecast.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb