BEST COAST: Marlon Byrd and David Wright celebrate after the Mets finished off a three-game sweep in San Francisco. (AP)
FINDING HIS FOOTING: Zack Wheeler pitches in the seventh inning of yesterday’s 7-2 Mets victory in San Francisco, arguably the rookie’s best performance since coming up to the majors. (
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SAN FRANCISCO — Zack Wheeler owned the mound at AT&T Park yesterday, just as the Giants could have imagined when they selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft.
But Wheeler wore a Mets uniform for the dissection, while opponent Matt Cain donned a lead vest and went swimming in McCovey Cove.
The combination of seven dominant innings from Wheeler and an early outburst against Cain helped the Mets to a 7-2 victory and three-game sweep of the Giants in front of 41,679.
Wheeler, whom the Mets acquired from the Giants for Carlos Beltran just before the trading deadline in 2011, allowed one run on three hits over seven innings for his most impressive performance since arriving to the major leagues on June 18. The righty’s final line included five strikeouts and three walks over 101 pitches.
“I got drafted by the Giants and obviously wanted to pitch here,” Wheeler said. “I was lucky enough to get traded and I’m in a good situation now. I’m happy here, where I’m at.”
Marlon Byrd hit a two-run homer and Daniel Murphy and John Buck each delivered two hits to lead the Mets (40-48), who won their fourth straight and for the fifth time in six games.
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The three-game road sweep of the Giants was the Mets’ first since July 4-6, 1994, at Candlestick Park. Last year, the Mets won three of four games in San Francisco.
The Giants didn’t score on Wheeler (3-1) until the seventh, when Brandon Crawford delivered an RBI single. The seven innings pitched were Wheeler’s most in his five major league starts.
“That’s the best all-around stuff I’ve seen from him so far,” manager Terry Collins said. “The ball had some good life today, really got in on some right-handed hitters. That was very impressive.”
Buck said Wheeler’s approach was similar to how he pitched in Milwaukee last Friday, when he attacked with his fastball.
“I know that was stirring in his brain the whole four or five days since his last outing and he put in the work,” Buck said.
Wheeler’s RBI double in the sixth added to his afternoon. Buck had doubled leading off the inning against Mike Kickham before Wheeler hit a shot over Gregor Blanco’s head in center field to score the run.
Byrd’s second homer in as many games gave the Mets a 5-0 lead in the fifth. It was Byrd’s grand slam in the eighth inning on Tuesday that helped the Mets roll to a 10-6 victory. This time, Byrd hit a two-run blast that cleared the fence in right-center.
Wheeler pitched 3 2/3 hitless innings before Pablo Sandoval singled in the fourth. All three of the Giants’ hits against Wheeler were singles.
“I was really looking forward to it and really wanted to do well here,” Wheeler said. “It feels pretty good.”
Cain’s start lasted only eight batters and was the shortest of his career. The right-hander allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning before manager Bruce Bochy brought the hook.
Buck’s two-run single ended Cain’s afternoon. Eric Young Jr. had walked leading off the game and stole second — Buster Posey’s throw sailed into center field, allowing Young to take third — before Murphy delivered an RBI single. Ike Davis and Kirk Nieuwenhuis later walked, loading the bases with two outs, before Buck continued a solid road trip by driving in Murphy and Davis.
“We’ve played a lot better and we still have a long way to go,” said Collins, whose Mets conclude the first half with a three-game series against the Pirates beginning tomorrow. “We’ve got to go into Pittsburgh and [then] certainly enjoy the break and try to get some energy back.”