Mets blank Athletics 8-0 in rubber game of series

Kodai Senga tossed seven scoreless innings and earned the win Sunday afternoon as the visiting New York Mets beat the Athletics 8-0 in the rubber game of a three-game interleague series in Sacramento, Calif.

Senga (2-1) gave up four hits and walked two while striking out four in the longest outing this season by a Mets pitcher and the longest start by Senga since Sept. 1, 2023. The right-hander was limited to one regular-season start last year due to shoulder and calf injuries.

A.J. Minter and Max Kranick finished the Mets’ third shutout of the season.

Luis Torrens had three hits and two RBIs for the Mets, who have won eight of 10. Torrens’ run-scoring single in the sixth snapped a scoreless tie before New York turned the game into a rout the next three innings.

Former Mets pitcher Luis Severino took the defeat for the Athletics, who have lost five of seven overall and are 2-7 at their new Sacramento home.

The Mets began adding insurance in the seventh, when Francisco Lindor had an RBI double and scored on Mark Vientos’ sacrifice fly. Tyrone Taylor tripled and scored on a balk in the eighth.

New York scored four runs in the ninth. Vientos (double), Torrens (double) and Brett Baty (triple) delivered run-scoring extra-base hits in a four-pitch span before Baty scored when Jacob Wilson misplayed Taylor’s grounder to short.

Severino (0-3) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings in his fourth start for the Athletics, who signed him to a three-year, $67 million deal in December after he went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts for the Mets last year.

Lawrence Butler had three hits, including a double, to lead the Athletics. Seth Brown and Max Muncy were the only others to notch a hit for the home team.