Flushing, NY – Eric Young scored from second on an infield single by Juan Lagares in the eighth inning, as the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies, 3-2, in the opener of a three-game set at Citi Field.
Lagares finished 2-for-4 and drove in all three runs for the Mets, who ended a two-game slide and won for the second time in six games.
With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth, Young led off the inning against Wilton Lopez with a single. He moved to second on a one-out fly out by Marlon Byrd and, after Ike Davis was intentionally walked, he scored when Lagares legged out a slow roller to second. Young never stopped as he rounded third. Colorado first baseman Todd Helton threw home but Young slid in before the tag.
"(Young has) got on base when we needed him to, and he scores runs like that," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I can't emphasize enough the job he's done since he's been here."
LaTroy Hawkins then came on and worked out of trouble in the ninth to earn his first save of the season and just his third save since recording 11 for the Houston Astros in 2009.
Colorado put runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth, but Davis made a diving catch in foul territory off the bat of pinch-hitter Yorvit Torrealba to end the game.
Hawkins was forced into the closer role after New York placed regular closer Bobby Parnell on the 15-day DL with a herniated disc in his neck earlier in the day.
Charlie Blackmon hit a pinch-hit home run and Nolan Arenado drove in a run for the Rockies, who have lost three straight and seven of eight during their current 10-game road trip.
Lopez (1-4) was hit with the loss, yielding the one run in two innings of work.
New York reliever Scott Atchison (2-0) got the win, tossing one perfect inning.
Lagares started the scoring for the Mets in the first inning with a two-run triple that chased home Byrd and Davis.
New York starting pitcher Jenrry Mejia cruised through the first four innings, but Colorado got a run in the fifth on a sac fly by Arenado and then tied it in the sixth when Blackmon hit a pinch-hit solo homer.
Blackmon's homer came on an 0-2 pitch and happened after a 17-minute delay caused when Blackmon fouled off a bunt attempt that bounced back and hit home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez under the facemask and on the chin. Gonzalez was forced to leave the game and second base umpire Larry Vanover moved behind the plate after taking time to go to the locker room and change.
Mejia continued to struggle to find his groove after the delay, eventually loading the bases with one out before being relieved by Carlos Torres, who got Wilin Rosario to fly out to shallow center and then retired Helton when Young made a diving catch in left to end the threat.
Mejia was charged with two runs -- one earned -- on four hits, matching a career high with seven strikeouts and in 5 1/3 innings.
Colorado starter Chad Bettis also received a no-decision, yielding two runs on four hits in five frames. He struck out two and walked one, working on just three days' rest due to a hamstring injury to starter Tyler Chatwood, whose turn it was in the rotation but he has been skipped indefinitely to get extra rest.
"Chad settled in well. ... He did a nice job giving us a shot to win," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of his starter.
Game Notes
Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez did not start the game due to a finger injury ... Wilmer Flores made his debut with the club, going 0-for-4 and starting at third base in place of the injured David Wright ... Flores celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday ... Flores was leading the Pacific Coast League with 86 RBI while batting .321 with 15 home runs in 107 games with Las Vegas prior to his call up ... New York made room for Flores on the roster by placing Parnell on the 15-day DL prior to the game.
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