Mets top Padres as deGrom dominates

Jacob deGrom was dominant and the Mets teed off on Andrew Cashner as they blanked the Padres, 7-0, on Monday night at Petco Park.

Game Recap:

The Mets took an early 2-0 lead, when Daniel Murphy delivered an RBI single and Darrell Ceciliani‘s would-be inning-ending grounder was mishandled by Will Middlebrooks.

Although the Mets were striking out at a ridiculous clip against Padres starter Andrew Cashner, they erupted for four runs in the fifth inning. Daniel Murphy‘s two-run homer to right made it 4-0, Darrell Ceciliani‘s RBI single increased the lead to 5-0, and a run-scoring single from Juan Lagares upped New York’s advantage to 6-0.

Jacob deGrom took a perfect game into the sixth, before giving up a leadoff single to Clint Barmes.

Wilmer Flores‘ one-out RBI single in the seventh made it 7-0 Mets.

DeGrom departed after the eighth inning, and Sean Gilmartin recorded the final three outs to seal the win.

Highlights:

• Jacob deGrom turned in his fourth straight stellar performance, holding the Padres scoreless over eight innings while allowing two hits, no walks, and striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.41.

• Daniel Murphy went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI.

• Ruben Tejada went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

• Juan Lagares went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

Thoughts:

This was the perfect way to start a seven-game west coast swing. The Mets usually struggle in San Diego, and grabbing the first game at Petco Park — with Noah Syndergaard set to take the hill on Tuesday — sets a nice tone.

It was great to see the offense excel without Luacs Duda, and despite the fact that they were striking out at a rate that would make Mark Reynolds blush.

The other story of the night was of course deGrom, who has been utterly dominant over his last four starts.

Up Next:

The Mets play the second game of their three-game series against the Padres on Tuesday at 10:10 p.m.

Noah Syndergaard gets the start for the Mets, opposed by Ian Kennedy for San Diego.