Phoenix: Lucas Duda had four hits and two RBIs, Zack Wheeler pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-3 on Monday night
David Wright added two RBIs and the Mets had 13 hits to open a three-game series in the desert they hope won’t be too costly.
Juan Lagares left in the seventh inning with a strained right hamstring after legging out a grounder. Curtis Granderson went out in the sixth with rib and forearm injuries he sustained in a collision with the wall in the first, though X-rays were negative.
Wheeler (1-2) worked around traffic to end a five-start winless streak and Carlos Torres got the final eight outs for his first career save.
Miguel Montero had three RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who lost their sixth straight at Chase Field after Josh Collmenter (0-1) gave up three runs the first three innings.
The Mets and Diamondbacks entered this three-game series hoping to get a spark after a difficult start to the season.
Pitching has been a problem during the Mets’ mediocre run.
New York are 26th in the majors with a 4.97 ERA and are the worst in baseball at keeping the ball in the yard, giving up 21 homers. Bartolo Colon gave up four on Sunday, when the Mets allowed 11 extra-base hits — tied for second-most in team history — in a 14-2 loss to Anaheim.
Wheeler gave up plenty of baserunners, but no homers and only a couple of runs.
Montero hit a run-scoring double off the right-hander in the first inning — when Granderson crashed into the wall — and added a sacrifice fly in the third. Wheeler worked around runners over the next four innings before being lifted with one out in the seventh.
He allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Arizona have struggled with their own pitching woes, entering the game with a baseball-worst 5.95 ERA.
Hoping to give their beleaguered bullpen a rest, the Diamondbacks turned to Collmenter, a one-time starter who turned into an innings-eating reliever.
The over-the-top-throwing right-hander was moved up to the rotation after Randall Delgado and Trevor Cahill were moved to the bullpen after struggling.
Collmenter didn’t help the bullpen much, giving up three runs in four innings in his first start since September 30, 2012.
New York added two more runs in the fifth inning against Mike Bolsinger in his major league debut, going up 5-2 on run-scoring singles by Granderson and Duda.
Wright had an RBI single in New York’s two-run eighth off Ryan Rowland-Smith.
