Luis Severino outduels Dylan Cease as Mets beat Padres 8-3 in opener of key 4-game series

SAN DIEGO — Luis Severino outdueled Dylan Cease and the New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between NL playoff contenders.

Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil had three hits apiece and Mark Vientos drove in three runs for the Mets, who improved to 4-0 against the Padres this season and have won six of nine overall. The Mets had 17 hits.

The Padres came into the day tied with division rival Arizona for the top wild card spot while the Mets were two games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final spot.

Coupled with Wednesday's 11-4 loss to Minnesota, the Padres have dropped consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break. They are 22-8 in that span.

The Padres eliminated the 101-win Mets in the wild-card round in 2022 en route to an appearance in the NL Championship Series.

For New York, this was the opener of a 10-game road trip that includes three games against the Diamondbacks.

''Winning the first game is huge for us," Severino said. ''Hopefully we continue to do that. We showed today we have a good team that can hit. Cease is a great pitcher and we went out there and got a couple hits against him and knocked him down before seven innings. If we can do that from now on we're going to be good.''

Severino (9-6) held San Diego to one run and five hits in five innings with five strikeouts. He was coming off his second career shutout, a 4-0 win against Miami, and kept the Padres in check through four innings while being given a 3-0 lead.

He allowed three of his four walks in the fifth, along with a hit and a stolen base, but surrendered just one run. San Diego loaded the bases with no outs, on two walks and a single, before Mason McCoy scored when Jake Cronenworth grounded into a double play. Manny Machado walked and stole second to give the Padres runners on second and third before Xander Bogaerts grounded out.

''We were good. Just a little trouble in the fifth inning there, walking the first guy there, the No. 9 hitter," Severino said. "As a pitcher I can't do that. I have to attack that guy. Bases loaded, no outs, big situation, give up one run, glad we got out of that inning.''

Severino said he felt ''pretty good'' after going nine innings in his previous start.

''I feel like everything was there," he said. "Fastball command was good. Had a good cutter. Didn't feel tired. I knew my leash was going to be a little bit shorter because of how many pitches that I threw last time. But I feel pretty good.''

Cease fell behind 1-0 after two batters, when Francisco Lindor and Vientos hit consecutive doubles. The Mets made it 3-0 in the fourth after Jesse Winker singled and Jose Iglesias doubled with one out. Winker scored on a passed ball and Iglesias came in on Jeff McNeil's infield single.

The Padres allowed 17-plus hits in consecutive games at Petco Park for the first time since April 8-9, 2006.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: Manager Carlos Mendoza said rookie reliever Dedniel Nunez is expected to be activated from the injured list on Friday. He might have been activated Thursday but his flight to New York on Wednesday following a rehab appearance the night before in Syracuse was delayed and he wasn't able to fly to San Diego with the team. Mendoza said the training staff wanted to check him out in person and see him play catch.

Padres: RF Fernando Tatis Jr. did some sprints at about 70% and is expected to do live hitting on the field in the next few days, manager Mike Shildt said. The Padres have a ''looser timetable'' and Tatis is progressing in his comeback from a stress reaction in his right thighbone that put him on the injured list on June 22.

Mets RHP Paul Blackburn (5-3, 4.19 ERA) and Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (2-4, 4.97) are scheduled to start Friday night.

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