Mets Rookies Shine in Win Over Padres

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August 17, 2026

Mets 2, Padres 1

New York Mets rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing put their defensive talents on display during a 2–1 win over the San Diego Padres. In the first inning of Monday’s series opener at Citi Field, Benge made two deep throws from right field to prevent runs from scoring on back-to-back plays. In the second, Ewing made a play on the ball from left center field to prevent the Padres from tying the game.

Their efforts supported right-hander Nolan McLean, who struck out three in six innings. Still, McLean’s outing was far from perfect as he surrendered six hits, four walks and one earned run. At least, two runs would’ve been scored if it wasn’t for Benge and Ewing. But with their assistance, the righty improved to an 9–8 record and lowered his ERA to 3.34.

Mets Rookies Shine

After McLean gave up two singles in the first, the righty surrendered another to Ty France. But, the Padres decided to send Jake Cronenworth home, which gave Benge enough time to make a throw from right field. That resulted in catcher Francisco Alvarez getting the tag on Cronenworth.

On the next play, Jackson Merrill singled to right, bringing Manny Machado home. Yet again, this gave Benge enough time to make a throw from right field to get the ball into Alvarez’s hands and get the tag on Machado. His efforts prevented two runs from scoring and ended the inning.

Ewing singled to start the first. Francisco Lindor drew a walk to put two runners on base. Bo Bichette delivered on an RBI single to score the Mets first run. Not long after, Luis Robert Jr. hit a deep sacrifice fly to score the Mets second and final run of the evening.

McLean walked Luis Campusano to start the second. He hit Sheets with a pitch and allowed a free pass to Xander Bogaerts. Campusano was tagged out at the plate on a 1–2 force play. With the bases loaded, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a deep sacrifice fly to bring the Mets lead down to one. Cronenworth then singled off McLean, only for Ewing to make a throw from left field to get the ball into Alvarez’s hands and record the final out of the inning.

Win Sealed

After the Mets rookies shined on the defensive side, McLean proceeded to retire the side in order during the third. He weathered through a challenging fourth in which he gave up another single. Still, he struck out Bogaerts looking and ended the inning without giving up a run. McLean recorded two strikeouts and surrendered two walks in the fifth. He escaped the inning without giving up a run and retired the side in order during the sixth.

With McLean done for the evening, the Mets relied on right-hander Jonathan Pintaro in the seventh. He gave up a hit and a walk. This was to the avail of the Padres failing to score. Following a scoreless eighth, right-hander Daniel Duarte struck out two in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the Mets one-run victory.

What Went Right For The Mets

Fellow outfielder Juan Soto once said that Benge and Ewing play like “psychopaths” due to the former top prospects making miraculous catches and throws from the outfield. They lived up to that statement when they prevented three runs from scoring against the Padres, with two assists coming from Benge.

The Mets rookies combined for two hits. Bichette led the team with a hit and a run scored during the first. Additionally, Robert scored a run off a sacrifice fly during the first.

McLean recovered from a challenging first and second inning to pick up his ninth win. The righty struck out three and gave up one earned run to lower his ERA to 3.34. Pintaro and Duarte sealed the win and combined for two strikeouts.

What Went Wrong For The Mets

McLean gave up six hits and four walks to the Padres. He allowed four singles in the first, but no runs were scored thanks to Benge making back-to-back throws to record both outs. The righty walked two in the second and gave up a run on a sacrifice fly. As previously stated, no runs were scored due to Ewing making a throw from left field to end the frame.

Looking Ahead

With a win in the series opener, the Mets are 10–3 since the August 3 trade deadline. In their next matchup against the Padres, left-hander Zac Thornton (3–3, 2.78 ERA) will face left-hander Robbie Ray (10–7, 3.28 ERA). First pitch is at 7:10 pm Eastern for Tuesday’s game from Citi Field.