Mets 5, Brewers 1
NEW YORK -- Rookie right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard earned his first major league win by throwing six strong innings in his Citi Field debut Sunday afternoon and right fielder Curtis Granderson hit a leadoff homer to give the New York Mets a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Mets (22-16) won the final two games of the three-game series. The Brewers (13-25) are losers of four of five.
Syndergaard, who took the loss against the Chicago Cubs in his major league debut on Tuesday, allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five Sunday. He threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of the 23 batters he faced and kept the Brewers off-balance by mixing a fastball, consistently clocked in the 96-97 mph range, with a changeup, clocked around 80 mph, and a curveball he threw in the mid-70s.
Syndergaard didn't allow a hit until the fourth and didn't run into trouble until the sixth, when he gave up a leadoff single to shortstop Luis Sardinas before hitting center fielder Carlos Gomez in the left earflap with a 96-mph fastball.
Gomez appeared stunned but walked off under his own power after being tended to for a few minutes by Brewers trainer Dan Wright. Two batters later, Sardinas scored on a single to right by right fielder Ryan Braun.
The Mets supported Syndergaard with single runs in the first and third -- on an RBI double by first baseman Lucas Duda -- and three runs in the fourth, when third baseman Eric Campbell had an RBI single and left fielder Michael Cuddyer delivered a two-run single.
It was the second straight big fourth inning for the Mets, who scored 10 runs in the fourth in their 14-1 win Saturday night.
Duda and Campbell each had two hits and drew a walk. Center fielder Juan Lagares, who was dropped to ninth in the order after going 3-for-34 in his previous eight games, had two hits and a stolen base.
Right-hander Wily Peralta (1-5) took the loss for the Brewers after allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out five over five-plus innings.
NOTES: Mets RHP Dillon Gee (right groin strain) made his first rehab start for Class A St. Lucie on Saturday, when he gave up one run and struck out seven over four innings. Manager Terry Collins said Gee would throw around 100 pitches in his next rehab start. ... Mets 3B David Wright, who hasn't played since April 14 due to hamstring and back injuries, is expected to resume baseball activities Monday. ... Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he likely would use different players in the DH spot when Milwaukee visits the Detroit Tigers for a three-game series starting Monday. ... The series against the Tigers will be the first for the Brewers since 2010. Detroit is the only team Milwaukee didn't play in the previous four seasons.