PHOENIX — The Mets waited until the 10th inning to start the party Friday night.
After totaling only two hits over the first nine innings, they awoke from their desert siesta with an energetic extra frame for a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
“It’s a good thing we stayed locked in until the last inning,” Mark Vientos said of the team’s extended wait for hits.
Vientos and Carson Benge each delivered run-scoring doubles in the 10th before Tobias Myers got the final three outs for his first major league save. The Mets won for the fifth time in seven games on the road trip, capitalizing on a strong Nolan McLean start and bullpen performance behind him.
Vientos’ double against Kevin Ginkel leading off the 10th — he homered earlier — brought in the automatic runner. Benge, moved up to fifth in the lineup for the first time in his major league career, doubled on a 1-2 slider to provide the cushion.
“I am always confident at the plate — I feel good right now for sure,” Vientos said. “I just have to continue to be consistent.”
In a rebound performance from his shortest start of the season, McLean allowed one earned run on three hits, one walk and a hit batter over six innings with six strikeouts, departing after 100 pitches (matching a season high). McLean lasted just four innings against the Angels in the Mets’ loss last Saturday.
“My job is to get as deep into the game as I can every time I go out,” McLean said. “I was disappointed last time out against the Angels not doing that, so it was pretty important to do today.”
He began the day tied for fourth among NL pitchers with 51 strikeouts, seventh in WHIP (0.94) and ninth in opposing batting average (.184).
Vientos’ third homer on the road trip gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second. Vientos hammered a cutter from Ryne Nelson over the left field fence for his fifth homer this season. He hit two against the Angels on Sunday before going 1-for-12 in three games in Colorado.
“The more he continues to get results, you are going to see [confidence] from him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “This is a guy that when he gets going, he gets locked in mentally.”
Nolan Arenado took McLean deep on the second pitch in the bottom of the inning to tie it 1-1. The blast was the first allowed by McLean in his last three outings.
Francisco Alvarez singled leading off the third, but was left stranded as Bo Bichette’s shot to the right field fence was snagged on a jump by Corbin Carroll for the final out. Alvarez’s single was the Mets’ last hit until Vientos delivered in the 10th inning.
McLean plunked Carroll leading off the fourth before getting Adrian Del Castillo to ground into a double play and retiring Arenado.
In the fifth, McLean walked Gabriel Moreno with one out, but struck out Jose Fernandez and retired Jorge Barrosa to keep the game tied. The D’backs were without Katel Marte — a late scratch because of illness — adding Fernandez to the lineup at second base.
Ildemaro Vargas’ single in the sixth was only the D’backs’ third hit against McLean. On his 95th pitch of the night, McLean retired Carroll before concluding his night by striking out Del Castillo.
Benge walked with two outs in the seventh, snapping a streak of 14 straight retired by Nelson following Alvarez’s single.
Juan Morrillo entered following the walk to Benge and got Marcus Semien to pop out on the first pitch.
Luke Weaver walked Moreno with two outs in the seventh and Fernandez singled following a delay (Luis Torrens got smacked with a foul ball off the face mask and was examined).
Weaver walked Barrosa to load the bases before retiring Perdomo to escape.
Brooks Raley got two fast outs in the eighth before allowing a single to Ryan Waldschmidt in his first major league at-bat. The lefty retired Arenado for the third out.
Devin Williams needed just eight pitches to retire the side in the ninth. Mendoza was asked if he considered sticking with his closer for the 10th rather than use Myers, who worked a perfect inning.
“We talked about it,” Mendoza said. “But then at the end, how much we have been using these guys, I just decided to go with Tobias there, but we did discuss it.”
