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SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Nimmo began the season slowly, but over the last two months has been virtually a slump-proof entity for the Mets.
It’s been an important attribute for a lineup that has seen Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Juan Soto deal with prolonged droughts. Nimmo, meanwhile, is Mr. Reliability.
Friday night, he was central in two early Mets rallies that led to an 8-1 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park. The Mets won their fifth straight and remained a half-game ahead of the Phillies for first place in the NL East.
Nimmo, who began the night with a .920 OPS for July, finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, helping the Mets to knock out Giants ace Logan Webb after only four innings. Nimmo’s on-base streak extended to a season-high 18 games.
Francisco Lindor, who snapped an 0-for-31 slump with two hits on Wednesday, continued trending in the right direction. Lindor finished 3-for-5 with a single, double and homer on a night the Mets totaled 10 hits.
Clay Holmes matched a season high by throwing 104 pitches, but that got him only through five innings. Even so, that was a positive development considering the right-hander’s early struggles.
Overall, Holmes allowed one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk. It was his eight straight start, dating to June 7 in Colorado, in which he failed to complete six innings.
Nimmo’s leadoff double was the key hit in the Mets’ two-run first inning. Lindor followed with a single and stole second before Juan Soto’s groundout brought in the first run. Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly extended the lead to 2-0.
Holmes needed 33 pitches to escape the bottom of the frame, with one run allowed. Rafael Devers followed Heliot Ramos’ leadoff single with a double, and Willy Adames’ RBI groundout pulled the Giants within 2-1. Ronny Mauricio, starting at third base, intended a throw to the plate on Adames’ grounder, but his bobble cost him the opportunity.
Lindor’s homer in the third inning got the run back. The blast was No. 20 this season for Lindor, marking the eighth time in 11 seasons he reached that plateau.
The Mets battered Webb for three additional runs in the fourth to widen the lead to 6-1. After Mauricio walked to load the bases – following consecutive singles from Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez to begin the inning — Tyrone Taylor hit into an RBI fielder’s choice.
Nimmo delivered the final dagger against Webb, after Taylor stole second, with a two-run single.
Holmes allowed consecutive singles to Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey to begin the fifth but rebounded to retire the next three batters, completing his night. Included was a strikeout of Rafael Devers.
Huascar Brazoban allowed an infield single to Mike Yastrzemski in the sixth and Jung Hoo Lee doubled with two outs. But Brazoban struck out Schmitt to preserve the Mets’ five-run lead.
Rico Garcia worked two perfect innings with three strikeouts. The right-hander has thrown 7 2/3 scoreless innings for the Mets in four appearances over two different stints with the club.
In between, Garcia had a shaky appearance with the Yankees, who had claimed him off waivers.
The Mets added two insurance runs in the ninth against Camilo Doval. After Luisangel Acuna got plunked, Lindor doubled and Doval threw a wild pitch, scoring the run. Soto’s ensuing RBI single buried the Giants in an 8-1 hole.
