SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Francisco Alvarez homered twice and rookie Nolan McLean retired his first 15 batters as the New York Mets snapped a three-game skid Friday night with a 10-3 rout of the San Francisco Giants.
Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien each had three of New York's season-high 15 hits after the Mets totaled only three runs in their previous three games. Mark Vientos reached base safely four times, but slugger Juan Soto exited early with right
calf tightness.
Soto will have imaging done Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Semien launched his first homer for the Mets and drove in three runs. Bichette opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first.
McLean (1-0) took a perfect game into the sixth before walking Harrison Bader and Patrick Bailey to begin the inning. Jerar Encarnacion flied out to right field, but Willy Adames doubled to right-center to bring home Bader and end McLean’s night.
The right-hander was charged with two runs (one earned). He struck out four. Four relievers combined to finish a five-hitter.
Run-scoring singles by Bichette and Semien off Tyler Mahle (0-2) gave the Mets a 2-0 lead in the first.
Semien drilled a two-run homer to center off Mahle in the fourth. One out later, Alvarez also took Mahle deep to center.
Alvarez led off the Mets’ three-run seventh with a homer to left off JT Brubaker, giving the catcher three home runs this season and six career multihomer games.
Soto singled in the first and appeared to slow up while running from first to third on Bichette’s RBI single. He was forced out at home when Brett Baty grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, and Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto in left field for the bottom of the inning.
The 27-year-old Soto has hit safely in all eight games this season. He's in the second season of a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets. He had 43 homers and 105 RBIs last season.
Mets RHP Clay Holmes (1-0) faces Giants RHP Landen Roupp on Saturday night.
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