J.D. Martinez may singlehandedly be saving the from a summer selloff.
, the designated hitter’s two-run double helped the Mets defeat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Friday night at Citi Field. The slugger powered the Amazins’ past the Padres with an opposite-field flare off knuckleballer Matt Waldron in the second inning. It wasn’t exactly a signature home run, but it was the timely hitting the Mets needed in the first game of a three-game set.
Waldron flummoxed the Mets for seven innings. He mixed in a few low-90s fastballs as well as sinkers and sliders, showcasing a variety of speeds in a variety of situations. He faced traffic only once, with Martinez’s hit being one of only three allowed.
Jeff McNeil walked with one out in the third and it looked as though Francisco Lindor had connected for a home run, but the ball fell just short into the glove of center fielder Jackson Merrill at the wall. But Brandon Nimmo singled to right to keep the inning going and bring up Martinez. With two on and two out, Martinez got a 91 MPH fastball off the end of his bat, looping it into right field for a double.
McNeil and Nimmo scored to put the Mets up 2-0. Waldron (4-6) didn’t give the Mets much more to work with after that, limiting them to two earned runs on three hits, walking two, striking out two and hitting two batters. Left-hander Sean Manaea (4-3) went five innings in the win, limiting San Diego to one earned run on four hits.
The one run came off the bat of Merrill in the.
