Juan Soto posted his second multi-home-run game with the Mets and Kodai Senga somehow managed to escape a historically bad start to his game to spin a gem, as New York took the rubber game from the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-1 on Wednesday night at Chase Field.
Senga became the first Met since Zack Wheeler in 2013 to walk five of his first 10 batters, but was continuously bailed out by the defense behind him.
Catcher Luis Torrens cut down Corbin Carroll trying to steal second in the first. Tyrone Taylor, Francisco Lindor, and Torrens combined on a perfect relay to nab Eugenio Suarez at the plate on Alek Thomas’ double.
Senga walked the first two batters in the third, but then needed just three pitches to escape, coaxing a failed sacrifice bunt and a double play.
He rebounded to retire nine of the last 10 batters he faced to get through six scoreless innings, allowing two hits with four strikeouts.
Soto opened the scoring in the sixth when he belted a moonshot of a solo homer to dead center for his sixth of the season off Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly.
The Mets (24-14) plated two more in the seventh thanks to a run-scoring single from Luisangel Acuna and an RBI triple from Jeff McNeil.
Soto went the other way in the eighth for his second home run of the game to make it 4-0.
After Arizona plated its only run in the eighth — a solo home run by Corbin Carroll — the Mets broke it open with three in the ninth. Francisco Lindor doubled in two, and Soto drove in his third run of the day with a sacrifice fly.
The win clinched the Mets’ first series win since sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies from April 21-23.
