Walker's two-run blast in ninth lifts Mets past Tigers
DETROIT -- Neil Walker's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday powered the New York Mets to just their fourth win in 12 games with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Former Met closer Francisco Rodriguez (1-2) hit Alejandro de Aza with an 0-2 pitch to lead off the ninth and Walker drove a high 1-0 changeup over the wall in right center for his 19th home run.
Addison Reed (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings to get the win, although he was aided by a Tigers' baserunning blunder that got the Mets out of an eighth-inning jam. Jeurys Familia worked the ninth for his 39th save.
Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez pitched his best game of the season, allowing four hits and striking out 10 while throwing 100 pitches over eight innings.
The Tigers squandered a shot at the go-ahead run in the eighth when J.D. Martinez was caught and tagged out between third and home. Martinez was trying to score from second on a scratch single by Casey McGehee.
Martinez apparently didn't think he could score on the base hit between right-side infielders. The ball dribbled into short right and Justin Upton, who was intentionally walked following Martinez's two-out double, was nearly to third base before Martinez saw one of the two was going to be put out at third.
Detroit tied the score at 1 in the seventh with the first run charged against Mets' starter Jacob deGrom in 20 innings. The right-hander lasted 6 2/3 innings, allowing the one run on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Upton singled with one out and James McCann walked with two out. Andrew Romine beat out a 40-foot dribbler down the third-base line for a single to load the bases and pinch-hitter Ian Kinsler chopped an infield single over reliever Jerry Blevins' head to bring in the tying run.
Michael Conforto, who has spent much of the season trying to get untracked, broke a scoreless tie with two out in the top of the seventh inning with his first home run since June 16. Conforto's 11th home run was off a 91-mph fastball by Sanchez and went the other way into the Mets' bullpen in left center.
Conforto's home run dry spell only covers a span of 61 at-bats because he had spent time in the minors.
The loss was only Detroit's second in its last 11 games.
NOTES: Mets RHP Jacob deGrom entered Sunday's start having thrown shutout ball in his last two outings, each seven innings long. ... The Tigers placed 3B Casey McGehee in the starting lineup, hitting seventh, after he was called up from the minors to replace 3B Nick Castellanos, expected to miss 4-7 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand suffered Saturday. ... Detroit brought up LHP Daniel Norris and he will start Tuesday in Seattle in place of newly disabled RHP Jordan Zimmermann. ... Mets RHP Zack Wheeler, 17 months away from Tommy John surgery, had his first competitive outing since the operation curtailed at one 17-pitching inning. His game for Port St. Lucie was ended by rain after one inning. He allowed no hits but one walk and an unearned run.