Padres 11, Mets 5
NEW YORK -- The San Diego Padres pounded away at a New York Mets rookie making his first major league start, welcoming him back from a lengthy rain delay with a big inning.
Then the Padres went on to have their biggest offensive performance of the season.
San Diego picked up an 11-5 win on Thursday, while knocking out 18 hits against rookie Jeremy Hefner and three relievers.
The Padres set season highs with the 11 runs and 18 hits while tying a team record with four doubles in the third inning.
Everth Cabrera, who entered the game hitting .095, had a career-high four hits, with two runs scored, while Will Venable had a pair of RBI doubles and Cameron Maybin added three hits for the Padres, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Nick Hundley homered in the ninth, giving every starting position player for the Padres at least one hit.
David Wright hit a two-run homer against Matt Palmer in the sixth to make it 6-3, and had three hits to increase his major-league-leading average to .405. Ike Davis, given a vote of confidence before the game by manager Terry Collins, later added a two-run, pinch-hit single in the eighth.
But the Padres had made it 9-3 with three runs against reliever Manny Acosta in the seventh, with shortstop Andy Parrino knocking in two with an RBI single. San Diego added another run in the eighth to make it 10-5.
Eric Stults (1-0) allowed one unearned run on four hits in five innings against the Mets, who had won two in a row.
Hefner (0-2) was pounded in his first start after allowing two runs in eight innings out of the bullpen. He got roughed up coming out of a rain delay that lasted one hour and eight minutes, pitching two scoreless innings before the downpour.
But his night ended with him allowing six runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
After the long delay, the Padres jumped on Hefner quickly, scoring four runs in the third on five hits. Venable and Yonder Alonso hit RBI doubles, and Alonso scored on a great slide around the tag on a two-run double by Jesus Guzman to make it 4-1.
San Diego added two more runs in the fourth on three hits, including another RBI double by Venable and an RBI single by Maybin.
The Mets scored in the second on a double steal and a throwing error by catcher Hundley that sent Vinny Rottino home.
NOTES: Mets first baseman Ike Davis will not be demoted, manager Terry Collins announced, saying he had confidence in his slumping player. Collins said he will find favorable matchups for Davis, who sat out Thursday night, but would be in the lineup Friday, according to the manager. ... Center fielder Andres Torres, who entered Thursday with one hit in his last 34 at-bats, was dropped to seventh in the lineup from the leadoff spot. Collins said the move was also about giving Ronny Cedeno a shot at the top spot thanks to Cedeno swinging a hot bat and having a .391 on-base percentage. ... Shortstop Ruben Tejada (strained right quad) is expected to run the bases Friday, Collins said, and play in a rehab game by Monday. ... Outfielder Jason Bay (fractured left rib) took batting practice at the Mets' Port St. Lucie, Fla., spring training complex Thursday and could play in rehab games as a DH next week, Collins said. ... Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin (right knee surgery) will play in a rehab game for Class A Lake Elsinore (Calif.) on Friday, manager Bud Black said. ... Left-hander Cory Luebke made the right call to have elbow ligament surgery, surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum told the Padres, according to Black. Yocum said the ligament was damaged enough that it wouldn't have healed well on its own.
