Francisco Lindor (2 HRs, 5 RBIs) lifts Mets over Padres

Francisco Lindor homered from both sides of the plate Saturday night, including a grand slam, and David Peterson fired 7 1/3 strong innings as the visiting New York Mets took advantage of the San Diego Padres’ mistakes in a 7-1 win.

Peterson (8-1) allowed just five hits and a run, walking two and striking out two in a 96-pitch outing. It was the long start New York needed after its bullpen had to cover 9 2/3 innings in the series’ first two games.

Michael King (11-7) took the loss, undone by some spotty control and a key error in the fourth inning. He gave up three hits and five runs, just one earned, in five innings. King issued three walks and struck out seven.

The Mets led 1-0 with two outs and none on in the fourth when Starling Marte singled. Francisco Alvarez chopped a bouncer to third, but Manny Machado booted it for an error. After King plunked Jeff McNeil, Lindor, hitting from the left side, launched a hanging 2-0 sweeper an estimated 417 feet to right-center field for a slam that put New York in control.

In the seventh, Lindor greeted lefty reliever Yuki Matsui with his 27th homer, a liner into the first row of seats in left field that gave the Mets a 6-1 lead. Harrison Bader launched a solo shot, his ninth homer of the season, against Logan Gillaspie in the eighth.

Peterson didn’t allow a hit until Xander Bogaerts singled with one out in the fourth, the left-hander didn’t run into any kind of trouble until the fifth, when San Diego loaded the bases with one out. It happened when Kyle Higashioka legged out an infield hit, Bryce Johnson walked and Mason McCoy singled.

Luis Arraez cashed in Higashioka with an infield out that moved the other runners into scoring position, but Peterson induced an inning-ending groundout from Jurickson Profar.

New York got on the board first in the first when Pete Alonso’s RBI double scored Mark Vientos.

Lindor and Higashioka were the only players for either team to garner two hits.

–Field Level Media