SAN DIEGO –– The Padres own the worst batting average in the majors. Their starting rotation is being held together by Elmer’s glue and duct tape. And they have the run differential of, at best, a .500 ball club.

After a 1-0 win over the Dodgers on Monday night, they are also in first place in the National League West.

If you’ve been watching from afar, and wondering exactly how the Padres (29-18) are winning so much with their best two players batting a combined .207 and most of their best pitchers on the injured list, then Monday’s series-opener provided a telling answer.

They’ve found ways to limit runs, riding a scoreless seven-inning start from Michael King on Monday (including a season-high nine strikeouts for him).

They’ve gotten unexpected contributions from others in their lineup, including a first-inning homer from Miguel Andujar off Yoshinobu Yamamoto (the only blemish in Yamamoto’s seven-inning, eight-strikeout start).

And once they’ve taken leads, they simply do not relinquish them, with superstar closer (and potential Cy Young candidate) Mason Miller picking up his 15th save in a scoreless ninth inning.

“When they’re ahead in the seventh inning, they don’t lose,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

“It’s hard to score against Mason Miller,” first baseman Freddie Freeman added.

Miller did not make life easy for himself in his save situation. He missed with eight of his first nine pitches, issuing two walks in a game for only the second time this year.

But on a night of missed chances for the Dodgers (29-19) –– who had a runner in scoring position in each of their last four trips to the plate –– they let another one go by the wayside. Will Smith flied out. Max Muncy took a called third strike. And Andy Pages hit a grounder to third that ended the game, handing the Padres the kind of win they’ve been getting all year. 

What it means

Standings might not matter much at this point in the year.

But if the first seven weeks of this season have been any indication, the Padres figure to be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side once again.

The last two years, the Padres have taken the division race down to the final weeks of the season. Last year, they held first place as late as Aug. 23, pushing the defending champions all the way to the end.

Big picture, such competition can be good for the Dodgers.

But right now, it’s only underscoring their uneven start to the campaign.

After appearing to turn a corner during a recent five-game winning streak, their lineup came back to earth on Monday, striking out 10 times against King and company while going 0-for-7 with a runner in scoring position.

Who’s hot

It certainly wasn’t a highlight night for Shohei Ohtani. But he continued to improve his early-season numbers by reaching base three times in a 2-for-3 performance.

Coming off a big series against the Angels over the weekend, when he finally began to emerge from a month-long slump, Ohtani drew a walk in the fourth inning, then followed a two-out single in the sixth from Hyeseong Kim with a swinging bunt that led to an errant throw, putting runners on the corners.

A similar sequence played out in the eighth, when Ohtani followed Kim’s two-out walk with a single off right-handed reliever Jason Adam (and, curiously, not warmed-up left-hander Adrian Morejon in the bullpen).

Alas, on both occasions, Betts made an out behind him to end each inning.

It was all part of the Dodgers’ frustrating night at the plate.

Who’s not

The Dodgers’ baserunning, which made King’s life easier multiple times on Monday.

Through the game’s first five innings, the only two Dodgers players to reach base (Betts after a first-inning single and Ohtani after a fourth-inning walk) were both gunned down by catcher Rodolfo Durán while trying to steal second.

Then in the sixth, they didn’t take advantage of a chance to capitalize on a Padres defensive mistake.

On Ohtani’s swinging bunt, Durán’s throw to first base went up the line and allowed Kim to scurry all the way to third. Once he got there, however, third base coach Dino Ebel threw up a late stop sign –– just as second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. was struggling to corral the ball in shallow right.

Roberts didn’t second-guess the decision afterward, pointing to the tricky timing of the sequence.

“You don’t know that he’s not going to come up with it clean,” he noted.

However, he also added, “It’s one of those that, yeah, it’s unfortunate. Two outs. If we know something different, he probably would have done something different. But that’s a hard one.”

Up next

The Dodgers will try to even this rivalry series on Tuesday, when Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.54 ERA) faces off against Griffin Canning (0-2, 10.64 ERA).

The Mets have won three straight games, including six of their past seven, after they emerged from Monday's wild series opener at the Washington Nationals with a 16-7 win in 12 innings.

"It's huge," said Brett Baty, whose 2-for-6 night featured three RBI on a fourth-inning solo shot and his two-run single in the 12th inning when New York (21-26) scored 10 runs to pull away from Washington (23-25). "Just come in here and try to win Game 1. We've got three more here, so just came in here and tried to win Game 1, honestly."

The four-game set starts a seven-game swing that is set to continue this weekend in Miami and follows the Mets' 2-of-3 Subway Series result against the Yankees, which included Sunday's 7-6 win in 10 innings.

"I mean, the resilience, the grit -- that's a group that we came today and it's a new series, it's a new day," said Carlos Mendoza. "What happened yesterday doesn't matter, you know? And that's the mentality for tomorrow. We show up tomorrow.

"We won a very good game today. It was a back-and-forth, and we never got down. We kept punching. And even when we didn't score those couple of extra innings there, we were able to -- the pitching staff was able to give us a chance, and the guys came through.

"So, emotions -- like I said, we've got to be able to turn the page. I say that when we're losing, I'm saying the same thing when we're winning, you know? It's another important game tomorrow. We'll come here and that's what we'll do."

The Mets totaled 18 hits and used seven pitchers, including Huascar Brazobán, who earned the win after entering in the 10th inning and gave New York a chance before the bats broke out in the 11th and 12th.

"That's the team that we are," Brazobán said through an interpreter. "Whatever happened in the past happened in the past, and we go out there and compete. And now, it's favoring us. The talent that we have, the way that we're able to play -- it's turning out the right way now for us."

Nolan McLean (2-2, 2.92 ERA) gets the start next as the Mets seek a season-high-tying fourth straight win in Tuesday's 6:45 p.m. game on SNY.

"We're just doing our job -- showing up every day and trying to win games," said Bo Bichette, whose 3-for-6 night with three RBI was among New York's key contributors Monday. "And when you win games, you start to kind of feel what it feels like and you just try to keep that going. So, it's fun to win -- fun to come to the park right now."

Late Sunday afternoon in Seattle was the setting for Lucas Giolito’s debut with the San Diego Padres. His emotions were high, but he channeled his energy into a decent outing. No question, there are plenty of positive takeaways from his first start of the 2026 campaign.

This season is different from others, as Giolito had to battle back from a right elbow injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025 postseason with the Boston Red Sox. He was the last starting pitcher standing on the free-agent market. 

The Padres signed him to a one-year, pro-rated contract in late April. His outstanding season with Boston fueled their interest. Giolito posted a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts. His partnership with Garrett Crochet at the top of the Red Sox rotation earned the franchise an unlikely postseason berth.

Giolito overcame season debut nerves

Giolito shook off some nerves in his debut start, allowing only one hit against the Seattle Mariners. He showed no fear in attacking the strike zone with quality pitches. His command was sharp until the bottom of the sixth inning.

Giolito struggled with his control, walking three batters before Friars manager Craig Stammen removed him from the game. Granted, he was sitting in the dugout for an extended time while the offense scored five runs in the top of the inning.

The finish should not put a bad taste in your mouth. Instead, everyone’s optimism level should be high from Giolito’s first start. You have to be impressed with his presence on the mound, as he showed flashes of his former self.

I cannot wait to see Giolito’s second start, as he should be more comfortable and have better command of his pitches.

When he is on, Giolito’s pitching repertoire is elite

Giolito has an impressive repertoire, especially when his three-pitch mix (four-seam fastball, slider, and circle changeup) is effectively dominating the strike zone. But make no mistake: he relies heavily on his four-seam fastball to get batters out.

His pitching approach is built on neutralizing right-handed hitters by throwing a heavy slider and lefty batters swinging out in front of a fading circle changeup. It allows him to throw his four-seam fastball at the top of the strike zone. 

Not too many hitters feel comfortable in an at-bat against Giolito.

Questions will linger about the Padres starting rotation until Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta return to action. The team is playing above .500, but there is no time to rest on their laurels as the Los Angeles Dodgers are coming to Petco Park this week.

The Friars know how to survive and compete without a full roster available. The organization is looking for Giolito to carry some of the load. It may produce his signature moment in the Brown & Gold uniform. 

The Padres, by virtue of their solid start to the season, can afford to wait for Giolito to return to 2025 form. 

It wasn’t a sure thing this game would be played to conclusion as the rain fell hard during Bark at the Park night. However, the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers played a full nine innings of soggy baseball with plenty of slips, slides, and runs scored.

“I love it,” said TJ Rumfield of the conditions. “Anything that makes the [opposing] pitcher uncomfortable.”

Nearly-Quality Quintana

Left-handed veteran José Quintana wasn’t flashy, but got the job done on a wet night in Denver. He pitched 5.2 innings while giving up three earned runs—just the third time he’s given up more than two earned runs this season—on seven hits. Quintana’s control was strong despite a slick baseball. He walked just one Rangers hitter while striking out four, which is the second-most he’s recorded this season.

Quintana wasn’t without help, however. Incredibly solid defense from the Rockies despite the wet conditions helped him on multiple occasions. You had Rumfield corralling the ball as he fell into the first base dugout, multiple slick plays by Ezequiel Tovar, and a sliding catch in the outfield by Jake McCarthy.

His toughest inning was the top of the fifth. After giving up a solo home run to Justin Foscue, Quintana loaded the bases with two outs via back-to-back singles and a walk. A ground ball fielded by Tovar got him out of the inning. Quintana then looked like he could make it through six innings for just the second time this season—and net the Rockies a rare Quality Start—but after giving up a single and a double with two outs and an elevated pitch count he was relieved by Jaden Hill. Hill finished the inning on the aforementioned McCarthy catch.

Too close for comfort

After Hill pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, Victor Vodnik entered the game for the eighth inning. Vodnik has been struggling this season, entering today’s game with a 6.50 ERA in 17 appearances. His struggles continued tonight as he issued a double and two walks without recording an out to load the bases. Vodnik was pulled for lefty Brennan Bernardino.

Bernardino gave up a two run single as soon as he entered the game, and a third run would score when Kyle Karros fielded a grounder and decided to throw to first instead of home while attempting to turn a double play. Bernardino would eventually navigate out of the inning, but all three runs scored would be charged to Vodnik. Vodnik now has an ERA of 8.00 this season.

Juan Mejia closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning, giving up one hit and striking out one batter for his third save of the season.

Rain falls, runs score

The Rockies had a relatively complete offensive performance against the Rangers, scoring seven runs (five earned) on seven hits. They struck out just six times while drawing four walks.

They cracked things open early in the first inning with a Willi Castro double and back-to-back walks drawn by Brenton Doyle and Rumfield to load the bases with no outs against starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Tovar, finally showing signs of emerging from his slump, plated two runs with a double of his own deep to left field. McCarthy re-loaded the bases with a swinging bunt single, but the Rockies were unable to further capitalize on the opportunity.

With slick conditions in the rain, the Rockies were able to plate another two runs in the third inning thanks to two errors by the Rangers’ infield defense. Hunter Goodman reached via error and Tovar drew a walk on an ABS challenge. A fielding error by third baseman Josh Jung allowed both Goodman and Tovar to score, though Karros—who hit the ball—was thrown out between first and second to end the inning.

The Rockies scored another two runs in the fourth with some small ball. Sterlin Thompson recorded his first big league hit, though was out after Braxton Fulford grounded into a forceout. However, Fulford then stole second and scored on a Doyle single. Doyle then stole second himself and scored on a Rumfield single.

Fulford, who was called up today to replace an injured Jordan Beck on the roster, drew a walk in the sixth inning and once again stole second base. He was driven home on Castro’s second double of the evening.

Up Next

There’s more rain in the forecast as the Rockies are slated for their second game against the rangers tomorrow night. Right-handed former top prospect Kumar Rocker is the scheduled starter for the Rangers, while the Rockies have yet to announce their own. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM MDT.

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Who would have thought that when Miguel Andujar scored a run in the first on a solo homer, he’d be scoring the only one in this game as the Padres won it 1-0? Seldom throughout the course of the 2026 season did Yoshinobu Yamamoto find an opponent capable and effective in going toe-to-toe with him through a start—Michael King had something to say about that, as the Padres’ ace outdueled him, shutting down an offense that was just coming off scoring a whopping 31 runs in three games against the Angels, sweeping their way through the first of three straight series away from home. With seven scoreless innings, King was able to maintain the smallest of leads, and the Padres’ bullpen closed the door despite some late scares.

For those of you who weren’t following the Padres all that closely as of yet, considering this is the first meeting between these clubs in 2026, King is at the core of these successful first few months that have the Padres battling the Dodgers for the NL West lead. The Padres’ starter, who came into this game having allowed no more than two earned runs in seven of his nine starts, faced the minimum through his first five innings, seeing the two base runners he allowed thrown out trying to steal second. Interestingly, a similar pattern took place in the sixth, this time with a lead-off base runner erased following a double play. At least the Dodgers managed to work up King’s pitch count, which was surprisingly in check for a starter who recorded nine strikeouts in his first five innings, even if they failed to do damage by stranding two base runners in the sixth.

Unfazed by seeing Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani thrown out on the basepaths earlier in the game—also somewhat pressed to create action with how well King was pitching—Kyle Tucker stole second with two outs in the seventh. Unfortunately, Max Muncy couldn’t drive him in with a dangerous fly ball caught in right-center. That at-bat wrapped up seven scoreless for King on an even 100 pitches. It should be noted that Tucker only had that opportunity due to a Freddie Freeman walk on a 3-2 overturned strike call, winning his challenge by the thinnest of margins. Tucker replaced Freeman on the basepaths following a forceout.

With both starters completing seven magnificent innings, it was up to the Dodgers to make something happen late to avoid a frustrating 1-0 defeat, having last been shut out nearly a month ago. For a game with dominant pitching, though, the Dodgers sure did their part in wasting opportunities. Once again in the eighth, they put a couple of players on base, this time in front of Betts with two outs, and the shortstop couldn’t drive them in, instead grounding out.

Even against the imposing figure of Mason Miller as the closer, it’d be in line with this game for the Dodgers to threaten and not score, and that’s exactly what they did. Miller walked the first two hitters with spotty command, to say the least, but settled in after that, retiring the following three in order.

This represented the first 1-0 loss for the Dodgers at San Diego since 2008, and while Andujar’s home run will take a lot of the attention, Rodolfo Durán’s work behind the plate shouldn’t go overlooked. The Padres catcher threw out two of three base runners and won all three of his challenges.

Game particulars

• Home run— Miguel Andujar (4)
• WP— Michael King (4-2): 7 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
• LP— Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-4): 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
• SV – Mason Miller (15): 1 IP, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Up next

A couple of days removed from facing the Angels, the Dodgers will meet a starting pitcher who spent the bulk of his career in Anaheim in Griffin Canning. He’ll have to contend with Emmet Sheehan’s effort on the other side of this duel that starts at 6:40 p.m. (PT).

The Texas Rangers scored six runs but the Colorado Rockies scored seven runs.

Let’s see here…

The Rangers fielded one of the least impressive lineups I’ve maybe ever seen.

Their starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore left injured after only an inning of work in which he was lucky to have allowed just two runs.

The defense committed a couple of errors among several more miscues, one of which allowed two runs to score despite Colorado not having a hit in the inning.

The Rangers out-hit the Rockies 10-7. Five of Colorado’s hits were with RISP to just one for Texas.

The Rangers had four pinch hitters. They went 0-for-6 on the night.

The team trailed 2-0, 4-1, 6-1, and 7-3 before still very nearly Coors Field-ing their way back to a win late only to fall 7-6 anyway despite several chances to at least tie the game.

Maybe it’ll be warmer tomorrow.

Player of the Game: Justin Foscue is probably wishing he’d been drafted by the Rockies so he could play every day at Coors Field. Tonight Foscue entered the game with six career extra base hits and left with nine as he homered, doubled twice, and drove in each of Texas’ first three runs.

Foscue’s career night concluded with a walk during a three-run eighth inning rally, as the former first-rounder reached in each of his plate appearances.

Up Next: The Rangers will be asking for innings from RHP Kumar Rocker tomorrow after another quasi-bullpen game tonight. The Rockies, meanwhile, don’t have a starting pitcher listed yet.

The Wednesday evening first pitch from Coors Field is scheduled for 7:40 pm CDT and will be aired once more on the Rangers Sports Network.

In the first of 13 meetings between the Brewers and Cubs this season, the Brewers set the tone for these matchups. Though the Cubs were riding a 15-game home winning streak and had their ace on the mound, it didn’t faze the Brewers at all. They scored eight runs off of Shota Imanaga as they rolled to a 9-3 victory in the season opener.

Early on, Imanaga looked strong for the Cubs. He got through the first with just eight pitches. Jackson Chourio flew out on the first pitch of the game, Brice Turang struck out on four pitches, and William Contreras grounded out. Meanwhile, Brandon Sproat had an opposite start. Eight of his first 11 pitches were balls as he walked the first two batters. He recovered, but not without a little tension. Two fly balls were deep on a windy day but remained in the ballpark and were easy fly outs. They were sandwiched with a strikeout of Alex Bregman, and the game remained scoreless.

Christian Yelich put the Brewers ahead with the first pitch of the second inning. With the wind blowing out, Yelich hit a no-doubt home run. It had an exit velocity of 109.3 mph and hit off the right field scoreboard. The Brewers took the early 1-0 lead.

The bottom of the second inning began with an odd sequence. On the first pitch of the at-bat to Michael Conforto, Contreras challenged the ball call. The ABS replay on the TV broadcast showed that it was barely a strike —it just clipped the tip of the corner of the strike zone — but it was never shown in the ballpark. The umpire said that the call was upheld, but the Brewers retained their challenge. This led to some confusion on if the Brewers had 1 or 2 ABS challenges. Sproat finished the at-bat by striking out Conforto, and it was confirmed later by MLB that the Brewers retained both challenges. It was a nice recovery for Sproat, who retired the side in order in the second, and struck out two.

After both starters traded mostly clean third innings, the Brewers unleashed their offense in the fourth. Contreras led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a Yelich ground ball that Nico Hoerner made a great play on. That didn’t deter the offense as Andrew Vaughn hit an infield single to put runners at the corners. Bauers cashed in the first run of the inning with a single up the inning, increasing the lead to 2-0.

Imanaga still had a chance to limit the damage after striking out Luis Rengifo. Sal Frelick didn’t let that happen, hitting a double into the left field corner to score both Vaughn and Bauers, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Joey Ortiz kept the inning going by drawing a walk, and Jackson Chourio brought in another run with another single up the middle, and the lead was up to 5-0.

Imanaga remained in the game to start the fifth inning, but the Brewers kept piling on. Yelich drew a one-out walk, and Vaughn hit a double into the left-field corner that put runners at second and third. Bauers then ended Imanaga’s day with another no-doubt home run off the right-field scoreboard, and the rout was on at 8-0. It had a slightly slower exit velocity of 106.2 mph, but a longer distance at 419 feet. Imanaga finished the day at 4 1/3 innings pitched with eight runs, nine hits, and three walks allowed. He only struck out two in the game.

Meanwhile, Sproat had recovered from a long first inning with three quicker innings, and had not allowed a hit going into the fifth inning. He also had a healthy 55-pitch count. He couldn’t keep the Cubs down, though. After Carson Kelly singled to lead off the inning, Dansby Swanson hit one out to left field and the Cubs were on the board, 8-2. Hoerner followed that with a walk, and Busch hit a double to deep center to score him. Sproat recovered by getting Bregman to ground out, but that was the end of his day. Unfortunately, the fifth destroyed his final line for the day. He allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, with three hits and three walks while striking out five. Shane Drohan finished the fifth with a strikeout of Happ.

The Brewers got one back in the next inning. After Turang drew a walk and Contreras singled (both with two outs), Yelich hit a fly ball down the left field line that fell just fair in front of Happ. The bounce let Yelich reach second, pushing the lead back to 9-3.

From there, the Brewers brought in Blake Perkins to tighten up the defense — with Chourio moving to left and Bauers moving to first base. The bullpens took over, and while they did bend, they did not break. Drohan pitched the remaining 4 1/3 innings of the game, allowing four hits but no runs while striking out five. He earned the win instead of a save since he finished the fifth for Sproat. For the Cubs, Ethan Roberts allowed the run and three hits in the sixth inning, but that was all in 1 2/3 innings of work. Ty Blach limited the Brewers’ offense to one hit in the final three innings of the game, striking out two.

Overall, it was a balanced day for the Brewers’ offense. Eight of the nine starters recorded a hit, with only Turang going hitless — though he did draw a walk and score a run. Chourio, Contreras, Yelich, Vaughn, and Bauers all had two-hit days, and Yelich and Vaughn also drew walks to reach base three times. Bauers drove in four of the nine runs as he extended his on-base streak to 19 games. The Brewers went 6-for-9 with runners in scoring position, compared to an 0-for-9 day for the Cubs.

With the win, the Brewers move within a half-game of the Cubs for first place in the division, and hold a one-game lead in the loss column. They also head into tomorrow’s game with Jacob Misiorowski on the mound, who will face Ben Brown of the Cubs. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.

Jays 6 Yankees 7

The Jays turned in one inning. Going into the seventh, the Jays were up 5-3. Adam Macko is in and gets the first two outs of the inning, but, with Aaron Judge coming up, John Schneider goes with a right-hander, Yariel Rodriguez. Understandable, Judge is much better vs lefties. And I like getting Macko out while he can feel really good about himself. Faced three batters, got three outs. A great start to a career. Rodriguez had faced eight batters and allowed one hit since coming up.

But he had nothing tonight:

• Judge single.
• Bellinger home run. Tie game.
• Trent Grisham walks and steals. Now would have been a good moment to pull Yariel.
• Jazz Chisholm homers and we are down by two,
• Then he got the last out. Some about horse and barn doors.

I am understanding that we have a bullpen day tomorrow. Hopefully with Spencer Miles doing 3-4 innings, but still we are going to use 5 or more pitchers tomorrow. But, Yariel didn’t have it and, well, tomorrow is tomorrow’s problem.

We had a shot in the ninth. David Bednar in for the Yankees and he does the near impossible, he walks Ernie Clement. Jesús Sánchez, pinch-hitting for Myles Straw, doubles on the sixth pitch of the at bat, to score Clement and become the tying run at second.

Brandon Valenzuela struck out on four pitches.

Yohendrick Piñango walks on six pitches.

George Springer takes three straight balls and swings at a pitch low and inside. 3-0 count, he should have been taking. Next pitch, very low, swings. Next pitch, even lower, swings. George’s job is to be the calm veteran. It was just an awful at bat,

Vladimir Guerrero up. Takes two balls. Swings at a pitch on the outside edge. Gameday has it as a strike, but he should be waiting for a middle middle strike. Pitch five was well outside, he swung. I mean, it was likely smart to be looking for something off the plate, the way Bednar is throwing, but no need to chase that far out. Pitch six was at the top of the zone, a strike, Vlad grounds it to second.

Beyond that, Patrick Corbin wasn’t sharp, 4 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned, three walks, 3 strikeouts. We were pretty lucky that he only gave up the 3 runs.

Braydon Fisher got five outs, giving up one it. Macko three straight outs. Hoffman finished the game, giving up just a hit in the inning.

We did score some:

• Three in the fourth: Vlad and Kazuma Okamoto singled. Two outs later, Clement homered. He had a day.
• One in the fifth: Springer homered.
• One in the sixth: One out singles from Lenyn Sosa and Daulton Varsho puts runners on the corners (Sosa just beat out Judge’s throw). Clement ground out 6-4, to pick up his fourth RBI of the day,

And, of course, the one in the ninth.

We had nine his and three walks. Springer had two (but two and a walk would have been better). Straw and Schneider had 0 fors (of the starters).

Jays of the Day: Clement (0.42 WPA), Sanchez (0.21), Fisher (0.11), and Macko (0.10, getting a JoD in his first game).

Other Award: Rodriguez (-0.72), Corbin (-0.17), and Valenzuela (-0.17). Springer, despite the homer, and Vlad get honorary ‘Other Awards’ for those terrible ninth inning at bats.

WASHINGTON — The opponents on this road trip aren’t particularly daunting, giving the Mets a wide opening to continue their recent surge.

Monday night they avoided a letdown following the euphoria of winning the Subway Series, attacking throughout against the Nationals.

‘The Mets won 16-7 in 12 innings for a sixth victory in seven games.

The Mets scored 10 runs in the final inning, piling on against Jorbit Vivas, a position player, after they had built a comfortable cushion.

“When you win games, you start to kind of feel what it feels like, and you just try to keep that going,” Bo Bichette said. “It’s fun to win. It’s fun to come to the park right now.”

Carson Benge’s RBI single in the 12th inning brought in the go-ahead run after Hayden Senger’s sacrifice bunt had advanced the automatic runner.

Vidal Bruján’s suicide squeeze brought in Benge for an insurance run.

Brett Baty delivered the dagger with a two-run single.

But the Mets kept going. Marcus Semien, A.J. Ewing, Benge and Bichette all had hits that brought in runs to complete the onslaught in the inning.

“It was back and forth, and we never got down,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We kept punching, and even when we didn’t score in a couple of extra innings there, the pitching staff gave us a chance and the guys came through.”

Huascar Brazobán survived the 10th and 11th innings.

After Joey Wiemer’s infield hit in the 11th brought in a run to tie it 6-6, Baty at first base executed a tight throw on a grounder to nail the lead runner Wiemer at second.

The ensuing batter, Vivas, doubled, but the Nationals never scored the winning run.

“I was just trying to turn a double play there and [the throw] snuck by Wiemer,” Baty said. “I was just trying to get two outs there.”

Home runs by Baty and Bichette were the hits that resonated the loudest, but Tyrone Taylor, Juan Soto, Benge and Luis Torrens all were instrumental offensively on a night the Mets rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the middle innings.

The Mets carried a 5-3 lead into the seventh, but couldn’t hold it.

After Brooks Raley surrendered a run in the seventh, Tobias Myers allowed an RBI double to Curtis Mead in the eighth that tied it.

Myers had recorded a big out an inning earlier, entering with the bases loaded to strike out José Tena.

The Mets (21-26) play another three games against the Nats before heading to Miami for three this weekend.

Christian Scott had a third straight start in which he failed to pitch at least five innings.

The right-hander was removed after allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over four innings.

He threw 81 pitches.

“In order to get deeper in games, I have to get ahead and stay ahead,” Scott said.

Torrens’ RBI double in the second gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.

The run was unearned after Taylor singled and advanced two bases on James Wood’s double error.

Wood misplayed the ball and then overthrew second attempting to nail Taylor.

Scott got two fast outs in the bottom of the frame before drilling Jacob Young in the ribs (Young departed the game).

Tena’s RBI double tied it, and Drew Millas’ single — following a walk to Vivas — put the Nats ahead 2-1.

Scott encountered additional heavy traffic in the third and allowed another run on Wiemer’s RBI double.

Brady House singled to begin the rally and Daylen Lile walked with two outs.

Lile stumbled rounding third base on Wiemer’s double and had to retreat, potentially costing the Nats a run as Scott retired the ensuing batter, Tena, for the third out.

Baty’s homer leading off the fourth pulled the Mets to within 3-2.

It was the third homer this season for Baty, who crushed Jake Irvin’s first-pitch sinker 451 feet to center field.

The Mets rallied in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

Torrens reached on an error by first baseman Luis García Jr. and Benge walked — both runners advanced on Bichette’s flyout — before Soto stroked a two-run single.

Bichette’s homer in the seventh widened the Mets lead to 5-3.

It was a needed contribution for Bichette, who began the day with a paltry .531 OPS.

“I’m pretty sure he’s going to get going here,” Mendoza said. “And he’s going to carry us for quite a bit.”