Mets rattle Jordan Montgomery, Diamondbacks for first winning streak since early May
NEW YORK — For the first time since early May, the New York Mets are on a winning streak.
They just barely outslugged Arizona to get it.
The Mets rattled Diamondbacks pitching for 14 hits in Friday night’s 10-9 victory at Citi Field, giving them their second win over Arizona in as many days.
What appeared on paper to be a promising pitching matchup between former Yankees teammates quickly turned into an offensive rollercoaster, with Mets starter Luis Severino serving up three runs in the top of the first inning and Arizona’s Jordan Montgomery surrendering four runs in the bottom of the frame.
Severino mostly settled in from there, ultimately allowing five runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 gritty innings to improve to 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA in his first season with the Mets.
Montgomery, meanwhile, gave up eight runs (six earned) over 4.0 innings as his ERA ballooned to 5.48 in his first year with Arizona.
Among the big blows for the Mets were Starling Marte’s game-tying three-run triple in the first inning; Mark Vientos’ fourth-inning RBI single to cap a three-run rally; and J.D. Martinez’s two-run home run in the sixth inning.
Every member of the Mets’ starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Four Mets had at least two. Seven of the Mets’ hits went for extra bases. It’s the second time this season the Mets have scored in double-figures, following their 16-4 victory in Atlanta on April 11.
The Mets are now 2-0 since Francisco Lindor called a team meeting after Wednesday’s loss to the Dodgers completed a sweep at home.
It’s the first time the Mets have won two games in a row since their back-to-back victories in St. Louis on May 6-7. They went 4-15 between the win streaks.
Lindor, who went 4 for 4 in Thursday’s 3-2 win against the Diamondbacks, remained hot Friday, going 2 for 4, including an RBI double.
Before Friday’s game, the Mets sent down Brett Baty, making Vientos their primary third baseman. Vientos, who began the season at Triple-A, went 3 for 5 with two RBI and is now hitting .327 this season.
The Mets led, 10-5, to begin the ninth inning, but reliever Reed Garrett gave up a three-run home run to Joc Pederson and a solo shot to Christian Walker on back-to-back pitches with two outs. Garrett then struck out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to end the game.
Severino and Montgomery spent parts of six seasons together from 2017-22, making up two-fifths of the Yankees’ starting rotation for much of that stretch. That ended when the Yankees traded Montgomery to the Cardinals at the 2022 deadline for Harrison Bader, who signed with the Mets in the offseason. Bader struck a double against Montgomery on Friday.
Montgomery was one of several high-profile clients of agent Scott Boras to endure a prolonged free agency last offseason before signing a one-year deal with Arizona in late March. He has since cut ties with Boras.
On Saturday, the Mets will seek their first three-game winning streak since mid-April, when they won a season-best six games in a row. A win Saturday would clinch the Mets’ first series victory since their trip to St. Louis.
The Mets are also set to retire Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 on Saturday.
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