Giants at Mets
The New York Mets try for their ninth straight victory when they host the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in the finale of their three-game series, and the winning streak has been partly fueled by the red-hot Michael Conforto. The left fielder is 15-for-31 with two home runs and 10 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak, raising his average to .365 while going deep among three hits and driving in three runs during New York's 6-5 victory Saturday.
Conforto (four home runs, 18 RBIs) is playing his first full season in the majors and said he is not feeling any pressure batting third in the lineup, and could be benefiting from having Yoenis Cespedes (seven homers, 23 RBIs) hitting behind him. The Mets outscored opponents 50-21 during the winning streak and their two home runs Saturday gave them 33 in April, tying the club record set in 2006. San Francisco, which had won its last five series at Citi Field, is 4-7 on the road this season with an ERA of 6.21 compared to 4.02 at AT&T Park. The Giants' Madison Bumgarner puts his perfect record versus New York on the line while squaring off against fellow ace Noah Syndergaard, who has an eye-popping 38 strikeouts against four walks in 26 2/3 innings this season.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (2-2, 3.64 ERA) vs. Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 1.69)
Bumgarner allowed two runs and six hits while striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings of a 5-4 victory over San Diego on Monday that snapped his two-game slide and four-game winless streak. The 26-year-old North Carolina native, whose 13-11 career record in April marks his worst winning percentage of any month, recorded 38 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings this season and five walks over his last four starts after issuing five free passes in his 2016 opener. Bumgarner is 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 29 innings versus New York and has held Cespedes and David Wright to a combined 4-for-17.
Syndergaard received a no-decision after allowing three runs and seven hits while striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings of the Mets' 5-3 victory over Cincinnati on Monday for his four straight quality start to begin the season. The 23-year-old Texan has yet to permit a home run after yielding 19 in 150 innings of his 2015 rookie season. Syndergaard allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings of a 5-0 loss to San Francisco last season in his only start versus the Giants.
WALK-OFFS
1. Conforto doubled in his sixth straight game Saturday, tying the club record set by Joe Christopher in 1964.
2. San Francisco RF Hunter Pence (.284, four home runs, 19 RBIs) drove in three runs Saturday and is 11-for-27 with two home runs, eight RBIs and seven walks in his last eight games.
3. Cespedes failed to record an extra-base hit Saturday, snapping his club record streak at nine games.