Mark Vientos hit two homers and drove in four runs and right-hander Clay Holmes allowed one run in 6⅔ innings as the New York Mets beat the Angels 5-1 on Sunday.
Holmes (4-2) allowed four hits with three walks and six strikeouts as the Mets took two of three games from the Angels and won a series for just the second time since April 7. New York also won two of three against Minnesota (April 21-23).
The Mets used Bo Bichette at shortstop Sunday, one day after Ronny Mauricio fractured his left thumb and was placed on the injured list. Shortstop Francisco Lindor also is on the injured list with a calf strain.
Jorge Soler had an RBI single for the Angels and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-1) gave up two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. Los Angeles had ended a season-high seven-game losing streak Saturday. The Angels are 2-12 since April 18.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Zach Neto and Mike Trout worked walks to open the game against Holmes and Soler hit a one-out run-scoring single to center.
As Holmes settled in, the Mets grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Vientos hit a towering two-run homer 427 feet, halfway up the rock pile beyond the center field fence.
The Angels were in the game until the eighth inning when Tayler Saucedo hit Brett Baty with his first pitch of the inning and was replaced by Nick Sandlin. Carson Benge had an RBI double to right for a 3-1 lead and Vientos followed with another two-run home run, this time to left.
The Mets’ outfield made a pair of spectacular plays, with left fielder MJ Melendez making a diving catch in the sixth inning and Benge making a diving catch in right for the second out of the ninth.
Up next for the Angels: RHP Jose Soriano (5-1, 0.84 ERA) will pitch in Monday’s series opener against White Sox RHP Davis Martin (4-1, 1.95 ERA).
Kikuchi on the injured list
The Angels placed left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on the 15-day injured list Sunday with shoulder inflammation and purchased the contract of lefty Tayler Saucedo from triple-A Salt Lake.
Kikuchi, 34, was removed from his road start against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday after throwing one warmup pitch before the third inning. He was initially diagnosed with shoulder tightness.
An MRI scan was done on Kikuchi’s left shoulder Friday, with general manager Perry Minasian suggesting that further results are pending.
“He’s got some shoulder stuff, some soreness, so we’re just waiting to see how it progresses,” Minasian said. “He’s getting looked at, he will get looked at again and we will go from there.”
An All-Star for the second time last season, his first with the Angels, Kikuchi had been adjusting the arm slot on his delivery this season as he went 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA in seven starts. He was 7-11 last season with a 3.99 ERA over 33 starts.
