Hunter Renfroe of the San Diego Padres was the New York Mets’ nemesis tonight, as his late HR off of Josh Smoker gave the Friars a late lead.

  • Final Score: Padres 6 (17-31), Mets 5 (19-25)
  • W: Ryan Buchter (3-2)
  • L: Josh Smoker (0-2)
  • S: Brad Hand (1)
  • NL, Final, Box Score
  • Citi Field, Queens, New York

A (Small) Improvement For Gsellman

New York Mets‘ starter Robert Gsellman produced a quality start tonight — something he hasn’t accomplished since April 19.

His final line against a rather putrid Padres lineup stood at six three-run innings pitched, with six hits and a walk allowed while striking out three.

Josh Smoker ultimately took any chance of a W away from Gsellman, as he gave up a eighth inning home run to Hunter Renfroe, giving the Friars the eventual winning 6-5 lead.

Tommy Milone‘s recent disabled list trip puts Gsellman in an important spot for the Mets, even though his decent start tonight lowers his season ERA to just 6.45.

The Lineup Continues Their Onslaught

A four-run third inning almost carried the Mets to victory, but two consecutive K’s by Curtis Granderson and Rene Rivera, along with a popout for Juan Lagares with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, killed that chance.

Michael Conforto lead the team with a 2-for-3 night, including a run scored, an RBI and two walks, raising his average and OPS to .341 and 1.149 on the year.

Wilmer Flores also sported a very strong 2-for-4 night out of the five spot in the lineup, which included a bases-clearing double, a run scored and a walk. Flores’ work pulled his season average up to .307, and he continued to show major improvements against righties.

Rivera had an extremely rough night, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and six men left on base. Travis d’Arnaud‘s return from his DL stint should be welcome for Rivera, as he should enter a potentially potent platoon with the former top prospect.

Up Next For the Mets

The Mets are set to face the Padres again tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field for the rubber match of the three-game set in Queens. Jacob deGrom and Padres’ prospect Dinelson Lamet are scheduled to going head-to-head, as this will be Lamet’s MLB debut.

Chris recently graduated with a Journalism degree from Montclair State University. Baseball is his love and he hopes to bring back some of the old-school popularity to the game. Chris Thompson covers the NY Jets and NY Mets for Elite Sports NY. You can interact with him on Twitter @Time2Topher.