NEW YORK — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders.
Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor.
Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings.
Still, they improved to 25-11 at Citi Field with another stingy pitching performance — New York began the day with a 2.08 ERA at home that was best in the majors — and reached the midpoint of the season with a 44-37 record.
Rookie right-hander Tylor Megill, with his parents in the stands for his third big league start, allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven in five impressive innings.
Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Milwaukee entered with the best record in baseball (30-11) since May 22 and the largest cushion (seven games) of any first-place club.
The Brewers also had won eight of the past nine games and 16 of the last 22 between the teams — though this was their first meeting since May 2019.
Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. After putting his first three batters on, the closer struck out Jace Peterson and Keston Hiura before Jackie Bradley Jr. flied out to end it.
Hiura fanned all four times up.
Narváez connected off Megill in the fourth, but the Mets responded immediately.
Woodruff had retired his first nine batters, striking out five, before Brandon Nimmo doubled leading off the Mets fourth. He advanced on a sacrifice bunt by $341 million shortstop Francisco Lindor and scored on Smith’s sac fly.
Lindor drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and dashed to third on Smith’s single. Alonso, who homered in both ends of a day-night doubleheader the Mets split Sunday at Yankee Stadium, lined the next pitch into left field and played air guitar when he reached second base.
One out later, Conforto snapped an 0-for-13 skid with a run-scoring single to right.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: OF Lorenzo Cain (strained right hamstring) is scheduled to leave the team Wednesday to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville that will extend past the All-Star break. “Because he’s been off the field for quite a bit,” manager Craig Counsell said, “I think it’s important that we get him out playing, just playing regularly.” … OF Avisaíl García (tight left hamstring) was rested but is expected back in the lineup Tuesday. “We’re just being careful with it. It was kind of the plan to just make sure we don’t go too many days in a row,” Counsell said. “Trying to get him to the break where we can get four days in a row off. So we’re going to kind of be in and out with him as we go here.” García flied out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. … Slumping slugger Christian Yelich whiffed his first three times up after receiving a rest Sunday.
Mets: RHP Carlos Carrasco, sidelined all season by a strained right hamstring, practiced fielding from the Citi Field mound. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice in the next few days and then probably begin a minor league rehab assignment. Carrasco might be able to join the Mets by the end of July, manager Luis Rojas said. … Acting general manager Zack Scott said it’s possible Carrasco and RHP Noah Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) could be activated without being fully stretched out, hinting one or both could be used out of the bullpen down the stretch. … 3B J.D. Davis (sprained left hand) is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse and could rejoin the Mets this weekend. … With LHP David Peterson (right side soreness) on the injured list, Rojas said Robert Stock is “a strong option” to make a spot start Wednesday in the series finale. Rojas also mentioned RHP Nick Tropeano, another recent minor league acquisition. … RHP Dellin Betances is scheduled for season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.
BACK IN THE SYSTEM
RHP Jerad Eickhoff re-signed with the Mets on a minor league deal and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. Eickhoff was cut after going 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts for New York last month.
UP NEXT
Mets ace Jacob deGrom (7-2) looks to lower his major league-best 0.95 ERA in the middle game of the series Tuesday night.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed a season-high three earned runs over seven innings last week in Atlanta, but joined Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (1993 and ’99) as the only pitchers with four 14-strikeout games in the first half of a season.
The right-hander is 3-3 with a 4.80 ERA in eight starts against the Brewers, including 1-3 with a 7.30 mark in five outings at home, and hasn’t beaten them since June 2015.
Brett Anderson (2-5. 4.69) is scheduled to come off the injured list for Milwaukee. The left-hander last started June 21 at Arizona, exiting after 31 pitches because of a bruised right knee.
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