Despite Davis' 3 HRs, Mets Lose 6-3
PHOENIX (AP) — Miguel Montero homered, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs to help the Arizona Diamondbacks overcome Ike Davis' three home runs in a 6-3 win over the skidding New York Mets on Saturday night.
Ian Kennedy pitched into the seventh inning and Gerardo Parra added three hits and two RBIs for third-place Arizona (51-50), which has won eight of 11 to move within 4½ games of NL West-leading San Francisco.
New York managed nothing at the plate besides three solo shots by Davis and lost for the 14th time in 16 games. After an encouraging first half, the Mets are 5-17 in July.
Davis connected in his first three at-bats, all against Kennedy. The first baseman added a single in the eighth and finished 4 for 4, raising his batting average to .216. He was on deck when J.J. Putz struck out David Wright with two on for his 19th save in 22 chances.
A former Arizona State star from nearby Scottsdale, Davis became the ninth Mets player to hit three homers in a game — all on the road. Carlos Beltran was the last to do it on May 12, 2011, at Colorado.
Davis leads the Mets with a career-high 20 home runs this season. He has three career multihomer games.
He homered to straightaway center field in the second and fourth, both well above the yellow line on the backdrop for the batter's eye — one of the deepest parts of Chase Field.
Davis pulled a drive down the right-field line in the sixth, making him the seventh major leaguer to go deep at least three times in a game this season.
With a chance to tie the major league record of four homers in a game, Davis singled to right field in the eighth inning against David Hernandez.
Kennedy (9-8) allowed seven hits in 6 1-3 innings while striking out nine. His streak of 85 straight batters faced without a walk ended with a fifth-inning pass to Ruben Tejada.
The Diamondbacks got a run in the first after Parra singled, then beat the throw home on a double to left-center by Aaron Hill.
Davis tied it in the second with his first home run. Arizona responded with recent call-up Ryan Wheeler's first extra-base hit, a double to right-center to drive in Montero and give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead.
Parra singled in Wheeler with two outs, but was caught too far off first base on the cutoff throw and was tagged out.
The inning featured a tough defensive play by Tejada, who slid under Wright in foul territory down the left-field line to catch a popup.
Montero's fourth-inning homer, his 11th of the season, was a two-run shot that gave the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead. Parra's two-out single drove in Wheeler after a walk and a sacrifice.
Davis led off the sixth with his third home run of the game, a line drive over the fence near the right-field corner.
Mets starter Chris Young (2-5) lasted four innings, his second-shortest outing of the season. He allowed six runs on seven hits and threw 68 pitches.
New York put runners at the corners with one out in the eighth, but Hernandez got out of it. Putz whiffed pinch-hitter Scott Hairston and Wright with two on to end it.
NOTES: Asked about Justin Upton's lower power numbers this season — he has eight home runs after hitting 31 last season — Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Upton might have a timing issue, adding that Upton has also been a more selective hitter this season. Upton is waiting on more off-speed pitches and looking to make contact more than hitting for power, Gibson believes. "He's not that far off," Gibson said. ... Gibson said he hasn't spoken with general manager Kevin Towers since the Diamondbacks traded Ryan Roberts on July 24, and while noting that Towers is always busy and "when he's around me, his phone rings all the time," no deal seems imminent with the July 31 trade deadline approaching. . Mets CF Andres Torres, who entered in the fifth, made a running catch with his back to the infield in deep center field in the seventh, stealing a hit away from Parra.
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