Benge-Watch Worthy: Carson Delivers a Day to Remember in Mets 7-3 Win

Mets 7 Padres 3 (Petco Park, San Diego, CA)

Mets record: 29-36

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Sean Manaea (1-2)

LP - Randy Vasquez (5-4)

Seat on the Korner: Carson Benge

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

Today's Seat on the Korner belongs to Mets rookie outfielder Carson Benge, who turned in a performance worthy of a curtain call. Entering the game mired in a mini-slump, hitting just .125 (1-for-8) in the series and .200 (4-for-20) on the current road trip, Benge wasted no time reversing those numbers. The rookie outfielder was a perfect 5-for-5, scored three runs, launched a home run, and drove in two runs, raising his season average from .248 to .265 in one afternoon. The breakout effort was hardly a fluke. Since April 26, Benge has recorded 13 multi-hit games in his last 39 contests, and over his last 24 games he has collected six games with three or more hits. On a day when everything seemed to find grass—or the seats—Benge gave Mets fans plenty to watch and perhaps the latest installment of what is becoming must-see "Benge-Watch."

Need to Know

• The Mets are 8-14 in their last 22 against the Padres in Petco Park.

• The Mets won their first series at the Petco since 2018...New York is 29-45 all-time at the ballpark.

• The Mets have won seven of their last ten games.

•  Huascar Brazobán made his sixth start of the season, all as an opener...

  In 28 games this year, Brazobán is 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA ( 9 ER/33.0 IP), 15

  walks and 26 strikeouts.

• The Mets are 14-21 on the road in 2026...Last season, the Mets went 34-47 on the road.

• Jared Young has appeared in 11 games since

  returning from the IL...He is hitting .257 (9-35) with six runs, one double,

  three homers, five RBI, four walks,and 1 hit by pitch.

• A.J. Ewing has safely hit in each of his last five games,

  batting .388 (7-18) with three runs, one double, two walks and three

  steals...In 24 games so far into his Major League career, A.J. Ewing is

  batting .259 with 11 runs, one double, one triple, one home run, seven

  RBI, 11 walks, seven steals. He made another web gem today as well

• Carson Benge became the latest Mets rookie to enjoy a five-hit day and a home run , joining a group that includes John Milner Pete Alonso, and Alex Ochoa.

• Freddy Fermin drove in the last 5 runs that Padres have scored against the Mets.

  
  

Turning Point

The game's defining moment came in the bottom of the second inning. After Huascar Brazobán successfully opened the game and handed Sean Manaea a 2-0 lead, the left-hander immediately found himself in trouble. Xander Bogaerts greeted Manaea with a single on his second pitch, and moments later Miguel Andújar ripped a 105.5 mph sweeper toward left field that appeared destined to become at least a run-scoring double. Instead, MJ Melendez raced into the gap, closed ground quickly, and made a fully extended diving catch to rob Andújar and preserve the Mets' early advantage. Rather than facing a mounting rally, Manaea was able to regroup, settle into a rhythm, and ultimately provide four solid innings of work. What could have been a momentum-shifting extra-base hit for San Diego instead became the defensive gem that helped steady Manaea and keep the Mets in control.

Three Keys

Started at the Top

When the top of the lineup is producing, good things usually follow, and that was certainly the case in the Mets' 7-2 victory. The one-two punch of Carson Benge and Bo Bichette combined to go 7-for-10, score four runs, and collect a double, triple, and home run. Benge was virtually unstoppable, going 5-for-5 with a homer, triple, and three runs scored, while Bichette chipped in with a 2-for-5 afternoon that included a double. Their production set the tone from the outset, constantly putting pressure on the opposition and creating scoring opportunities throughout the game. When your top two hitters are reaching base, driving the ball, and crossing the plate at that rate, it's usually a recipe for success, and on this day it was the foundation of a convincing 7-2 Mets win.

Semien’s Recent Surge Changing the Narrative

Over his last 12 games, Marcus Semien has started to heat up at the plate, now batting .279 (12-for-43) with seven runs scored, one double, five home runs, seven RBI, and four walks. He added to that surge in this one, going 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, continuing a stretch where the power has begun to come more consistently even as the overall rhythm of his season has fluctuated. What makes the storyline even more intriguing is the ongoing contrast with Brandon Nimmo, the player Semien was traded for. While Nimmo raced out to a torrid start, Semien struggled to find traction early, but a closer look at the numbers shows a much narrower gap than the early narrative suggested. Nimmo holds an edge of seven hits on the season, but Semien has actually driven in three more runs and hit one more home run, underscoring that while their paths to production have looked different, the overall impact has been far closer than the storyline once implied.

Dream Weaver

Over his last 15 appearances, Luke Weaver has been as steady as it gets, and he added another clean chapter to that run here. With today’s outing included, Weaver has now logged 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just nine hits and four walks while striking out 19 during that stretch, with no runs crossing the plate. In this one, he contributed a quiet but efficient inning, allowing no hits, no runs, no walks, and no strikeouts, simply extending his streak of reliability in the late innings. On the season, Weaver now sits at 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA (8 ER/29.0 IP), along with eight walks and 27 strikeouts over 27 appearances. He has also recorded six outings of at least four outs during his recent run, continuing to emerge as one of the more dependable arms in the Mets’ bullpen mix.