NEW YORK (AP) — Jonah Tong threw five encouraging innings and earned the win Thursday afternoon for the New York Mets, who lengthened their lead in the race for the final National League playoff spot with a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Pete Alonso homered for the fourth straight game, Brandon Nimmo also went deep and Juan Soto collected his 100th RBI for the Mets, who won a series for the first time since taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers from Sept. 1-3.

The Mets lead the idle Arizona Diamondbacks by two games for the third wild card and moved within four games of the Padres, the second wild card.

Tong (2-2), who allowed six runs while recording only two outs last Friday, gave up an unearned run on four hits Thursday while racking up eight strikeouts. Beginning with Luis Arráez’s third-inning sacrifice fly, the 22-year-old Tong retired the final eight batters he faced, five by strikeout.

Soto reached 100 RBIs for the third straight season with a tie-breaking groundout in the third against Randy Vásquez (5-7). Alonso, who homered in the first, then walked before Nimmo greeted Wandy Peralta with a 389-foot homer to right.

Alonso added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Vásquez surrendered four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Key moment

Nimmo’s homer was his 24th, tying his career-high set in 2023.

Key stat

Tong is the first Mets pitcher 22 years or younger to strike out at least eight batters in a game since 22-year-old Noah Syndergaard whiffed nine on Aug. 25, 2015.

Up next

RHP Dylan Cease (8-11, 4.59 ERA) takes on his former team Friday when the Padres visit RHP Davis Martin (6-10, 4.01 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox. The Mets begin their final home series when RHP Brandon Sproat (0-1, 2.25 ERA) opposes Washington Nationals LHP Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 1.15 ERA).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb