Mark Vientos hit a pair of two-run homers Sunday afternoon for the visiting New York Mets, who earned a rare series win by beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-1 in the rubber game of a three-game interleague set.
Carson Benge had an RBI double immediately before Vientos’ second homer in the eighth for the Mets, who won for just the fifth time in 23 games. The series win is the second in that span for New York, which also took two of three from the Minnesota Twins from Apr. 21-23.
Jorge Soler delivered a run-scoring single in the first for the similarly skidding Angels, who have dropped 12 of 14 since an 11-10 start.
Mets starter Clay Holmes (4-2) earned the win by allowing the one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 6 2/3 innings. The outing lowered his National League-leading ERA to 1.69.
Holmes allowed just four baserunners after Soler’s one-out RBI hit.
Luke Weaver retired all four batters he faced before Brooks Raley struck out two in a one-hit ninth.
Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz (2-1) gave up two singles in the first three innings before walking Benge with one out in the fourth. Vientos followed two pitches later by hitting a 427-foot homer to left-center.
Benge and Vientos teamed up again in the eighth against Nick Sandlin, when Benge’s double scored Brett Baty before Vientos homered to left. It was the sixth regular season two-homer game for Vientos and his first since last Aug. 23, when he went deep twice against the Atlanta Braves.
Bo Bichette had two hits for the Mets.
Nolan Schanuel had two hits and a unique fielding play at first base in the third for the Angels. Schanuel snared a grounder by Juan Soto but couldn’t get the ball out of his glove, so he tossed the glove to Kochanowicz covering first.
Kochanowicz gave up two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six over 6 1/3 innings.
