Mets continue recent surge, pull away from Astros

Tyrone Taylor, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil each homered Friday night for the red-hot New York Mets, who beat the Houston Astros 7-2 in the opener of a three-game series.

Francisco Alvarez hit a first-inning sacrifice fly and Francisco Lindor added an eighth-inning RBI double for the Mets, who improved to 16-6 this month -- the best record in the majors -- and moved over .500 at 40-39.

Jose Altuve was 2-for-5 with a leadoff homer and Yordan Alvarez reached base four times for the Astros, who, despite the loss, are an American League-best 15-8 in June.

Both teams squandered bases-loaded opportunities in the first. Mets starter Jose Quintana gave up a single and issued two walks before getting Mauricio Dubon to fly out to center. Taylor flied out after Francisco Alvarez's sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.

Jeremy Pena put the Astros ahead with a two-out run-scoring single in the third. But Taylor began the comeback by homering with one out in the fourth against Ronel Blanco (8-3).

The Mets scored four times in the sixth. Alonso homered with one out and Francisco Alvarez followed with a double. After Taylor grounded out, Mark Vientos reached on an error by third baseman Alex Bregman before McNeil homered to right to give the Mets a 6-2 lead.

McNeil finished with three hits. He has multiple hits in two of his past three games after collecting two hits in a game just twice in a 22-game span from May 22 through June 23.

Dedniel Nunez (2-0), the Mets' third pitcher, earned the win with two scoreless innings. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by getting Dubon to ground out to third.

Quintana gave up two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven over four-plus innings.

Yordan Alvarez was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single and a stolen base for the Astros. Catcher Yainer Diaz also had three hits.

Blanco allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.

--Field Level Media