PHOENIX — This might not have felt like a series victory given what transpired the previous night, but overall, it was mission accomplished for the Mets on Thursday.
Tyrone Taylor crossed the plate with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, and Edwin Diaz got three outs in the bottom of the inning.
It concluded a 3-2 victory over the sizzling Diamondbacks in the series rubber game at Chase Field.
Jose Iglesias’ RBI single in the ninth gave the Mets their final lead after Jesse Winker had doubled before Taylor entered as a pinch runner.
Diaz breezed through a perfect inning for the save a day after allowing a go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll in the Mets’ 8-5 loss.
“It’s just the resilience of the group,” David Peterson said. “We have talked all year about letting each day be its own thing. When we win, we celebrate the little victory and move on. When we lose, we take a little from it and move on to the next day.”
The Mets are 4-3 on a road trip that began in San Diego but trailed Atlanta by 3 ½ games for the NL’s third wild card as the Braves were preparing Thursday to face the Phillies.
Thursday completed 10 straight games for the Mets against strong playoff contenders — the Orioles, Padres and D’backs — and the Mets went 6-4 over the stretch.
“I know we’re good and up to the competition,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Next stop is Chicago’s south side for three games against a historically bad White Sox team that has drawn comparisons to the Mets (the 1962 version).
Among the problems these Mets have faced this season is playing down to their level of competition (most recently evidenced on the last home stand, which included a 3-3 stretch against the A’s and Marlins).
Peterson had a sixth straight sharp outing, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings.
Over his last six starts, the left-hander has pitched to a 1.86 ERA. The last time he allowed more than two earned runs was July 28 against the Braves.
Pete Alonso smashed a homer leading off the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead against Ryne Nelson. The blast was No. 221 for the first baseman, moving him ahead of Mike Piazza for third place on the franchise’s all-time list.
Only Darryl Strawberry (252) and David Wright (242) are ahead of Alonso. The homer was Alonso’s second in three games and gave him 29 for the season.
Randal Grichuk blasted a two-run homer in the third that gave the D’backs a 2-1 lead. Peterson walked Geraldo Perdomo leading off the inning before Grichuk jumped on a full-count sinker.
The homer was only Peterson’s second allowed in his last six starts.
Francisco Lindor went 11 pitches deep leading off the sixth before clearing the right-field fence to tie it 2-2 — amid chants of “MVP” from the contingent of Mets fans in attendance.
The homer was Lindor’s third on the road trip. He hit two, including a grand slam, Saturday in San Diego.
“Nelson had great stuff today, and I was having a tough time,” Lindor said. “It was the only at-bat I hit the ball pull-side. I talked to the hitting coaches and said, ‘I have got to get it done.’ I wasn’t trying to hit a home run. I was trying to get on base.”
J.D. Martinez singled leading off the seventh and got as far as third base with two outs before Luis Torrens struck out.
Peterson got Kevin Newman to ground into an inning-ending double play in the seventh after consecutive singles by Eugenio Suarez and Carroll. On Carroll’s slow infield roller, Jeff McNeil flipped the ball errantly to second base, allowing Suarez to reach third.
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Joc Pederson walked with two outs in the eighth against Jose Butto but was thrown out by Torrens attempting to steal second base.
“Overall, a great team win, especially after the way we lost that game [Wednesday] night,” Mendoza said. “I am proud of the group.”
