NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor once again homered in a victory and Clay Holmes threw a career-high seven innings Sunday as the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 5-3 win.
Pete Alonso hit a three-run shot and Juan Soto also went deep as the Mets won for the seventh time in eight games to finish a 7-2 homestand. They regained sole possession of first place in the NL East, moving a game ahead of Philadelphia.
The Rockies lost their eighth straight and fell to 9-50, the worst record through 59 games of any major league team in the modern era (since 1901). They have been swept 10 times in 20 series — tied for the most sweeps through 20 series with the 1962 Mets, the 1970 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1994 Oakland Athletics.
Alonso homered in the fourth before Lindor snapped a 3-all tie an inning later. The Mets have won the last 26 games in which Lindor has homered, the second-longest streak in big league history behind the 29-game run authored by Carl Furillo and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1951-53.
Soto connected in the eighth to make it 5-3.
Holmes (5-3) gave up three hits — including Orlando Arcia’s first-inning solo homer and Tyler Freeman’s two-run shot in the fifth. He struck out three and walked none.
The right-hander, who entered this season with 300 consecutive relief appearances dating to 2019, has lasted at least six innings in six of his last eight starts.
Reed Garrett and Edwin Díaz tossed a scoreless inning apiece, with Díaz earning his 13th save.
Rockies rookie Carson Palmquist (0-3) gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings but struck out eight — two more than he’d fanned in his first three starts combined.
Key moment
Lindor’s homer came just after Freeman’s tying shot in the fifth.
Key stat
The Rockies haven’t held a lead at the end of consecutive innings since they led for the final four innings of their most recent win, a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on May 23.
Up next
Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (1-7, 7.13 ERA) starts Monday in Miami against RHP Max Meyer (3-4, 4.53).
Mets RHP Paul Blackburn is scheduled to make his season debut Monday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Blackburn has been rehabbing from right knee inflammation.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
