(Photo credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images)
Things have picked up lately for the New York Mets, with the recent play of first baseman Jared Young nudging them in the right direction.
Young enjoyed his second straight two-hit game Friday night in his team's 5-0 blanking of the San Diego Padres, giving them a chance for their first road series win in a month on Saturday night in Petco Park.
Young's 422-foot solo homer in the second inning provided New York with the only run it needed as it prevailed for the sixth time in eight games. He added a single in his next at-bat and finished the evening 2-for-4, making him 5-for-15 on the road trip and 8-for-27 in the last eight games with three homers.
On the season, Young is hitting .313 with three homers and six RBIs, taking advantage of his recent opportunity at steady playing time.
'I think that helps, I'm not going to ignore it. When you play more often, it's easier to get out there and feel good,' Young said. 'Baseball's a game of confidence, so when you get out there and you feel confident, you've got to run with it. It's a crazy game. We all know that.'
While Young has helped fuel the offense, the Mets have also gotten good starting pitching lately. Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.21 ERA) will try to level his record at .500 after earning a 10-1 victory on Sunday against Miami.
McLean allowed only two hits and a run while fanning two but lasted just five innings because he walked five hitters and threw 94 pitches. This will be his first career start against San Diego.
On the other side, former Met right-hander Griffin Canning (0-4, 7.16) aims for his first win in seven Padres starts. Canning was the loser Sunday in a 4-2 setback at Washington, permitting six hits and three runs in five innings with two walks and three strikeouts. He has faced New York twice, going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and fanning 17 over 12 innings.
Not even a return home could stop San Diego's skid. Friday night's loss was its sixth straight, punctuated again by a lack of offense. The Padres managed only three hits -- one over the last seven innings, and took just one at-bat with a runner in scoring position.
They have scored just 14 runs during their losing streak and 26 in dropping 10 of their last 11 games.
'Any time you lose it's disappointing,' said first-year manager Craig Stammen. 'We've got to find a way and we're still searching for it. We've got to try any way possible to get it going. The players are trying to keep it together and it just didn't work.'
The Padres fielded a lineup Friday night with just two players hitting better than .233. Their team average is .215, the lowest in the majors, and their 3.8 runs per game are also fewest in the majors.
San Diego absorbed bad news off the field as well with the announcement that outfielder Ramon Laureano will undergo hip surgery and probably miss the rest of the season. Laureano, who was placed on the injured list earlier this week, hit .203 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 53 games.
--Field Level Media
