SAN DIEGO -- Jacob deGrom fired eight innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts in leading the Mets to a 5-3 victory over the Padres on Monday night at Petco Park, while becoming the first Mets pitcher to win eight straight starts since 1997.
deGrom's outing nearly went for naught as the Padres rallied in the ninth against closer Addison Reed. After Hunter Renfroe hit his second home run of the game, Manuel Margot and Hector Sanchez hit one-out singles off Reed. Pinch-hitter Jabari Blash smacked a Reed fastball down the right-field line, seemingly heading over the fence for would-be walk-off homer. But the ball curled just foul. A crew-chief review confirmed the call.
"When I saw it go up, my initial thought was, 'I got him,'" Blash said.

Blash struck out on the next pitch before Matthew Szczur lined out to right to end the game and give Reed his 17th save.
"It looks like we need another coat of paint out there," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Doesn't look like it was foul by much. A little gust, and we win a baseball game. That's a tough one."
After deGrom finished a foul tip shy of an immaculate inning in the first, Wilmer Flores provided him with quick run support, sending a Clayton Richard changeup a projected 401 feet, according to Statcast™, his second longest home run of the season. The Mets added a pair in the second as Yoenis Cespedes tripled in a run and scored on Jay Bruce's single. Bruce added another RBI single in the fifth.
"I try not to put any extra pressure on myself," deGrom said. "I just want to go out there and keep us in a position to win."
Renfroe dented deGrom's brilliant night, crushing the longest home run of his career in the seventh. The ball, projected to travel 462 feet by Statcast™, landed on the roof of the Western Metal Building. It was the third-longest home run hit at Petco Park since 2015.
Richard also went eight innings, but he couldn't match deGrom's performance. The Mets struck for five runs against Richard, who, as has often been the case this season, was done in by the small, successive rallies rather than big innings. Padres reliever Jose Ruiz, called up before Monday's game from Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, made his Major League debut it the ninth. Ruiz pitched a scoreless frame, striking out Cespedes on three pitches.

"He'll tell that story the rest of his life," Green said.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bruce's banner night: The left-handed-hitting Bruce had struggled mightily this season against lefty pitchers, hitting .214 against them. It seemed logical, then, for Richard to intentional walk Cespedes to face Bruce with two out and runner on second in the fifth. Bruce made the Padres pay by roping his second RBI single of the night to extend the Mets' lead to 3-0.

Reaching Renfroe: The Mets seemed poised to add onto their lead after Bruce's single. Already having homered off Richard, Flores yanked a liner into right. Renfroe's route was less than ideal, but he managed to track it down and leap to likely deny Flores of extra bases and the Mets of at least another run.

QUOTABLE
"I certainly thought it had a chance to be fair. But I saw it go by the pole, so I knew it was foul." -- Mets manager Terry Collins, on Blash's foul ball in the ninth
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
deGrom tied a franchise record with his eighth consecutive win in a single season, becoming the first Mets pitcher to win eight straight starts since Bobby Jones in 1997. Only Frank Viola won more in a row with nine, but he spread his streak over two seasons from 1989-90.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Green challenged the initial ruling that Jose Reyes beat out an infield hit in the eighth inning, but following a replay review, the call was ruled as stands. Reyes was back on the move moments later, swiping second base for his 500th career steal before scoring on Travis d'Arnaud's single.

WHAT'S NEXT
Mets: Right-hander Seth Lugo, who holds a 2.70 ERA in two starts since the All-Star break, will look to help the Mets build their momentum on Tuesday against the Padres at 10:10 p.m. PT. Overall, Lugo is 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA pitching through a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Padres: Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin takes the mound at 7:10 p.m. PT on Tuesday against the Mets at Petco Park, where he's been absolutely dominant. Chacin has a 1.94 ERA in 10 home starts this season. He posted a 2.72 ERA in his past nine outings overall.
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