Johan Santana won for the first time in four starts and the New York Mets rallied to beat the Cleveland Indians 7-6 Tuesday night.
Santana (5-3) gave up four runs and seven hits over seven innings as the Mets won their fifth straight and ninth of 10, helped out by a nifty bit of baserunning by Jose Reyes.
The left-hander fell behind early, and struck out only one, but earned his first win since beating the New York Yankees in another interleague game on May 23.
During that stretch, he had two no-decisions despite not yielding a run over 15 innings in consecutive starts.
Santana dominated Cleveland early in his career with the Minnesota Twins, but went 0-5 against them in his final season in the AL in 2007 before being dealt to New York. The two-time AL Cy Young winner is 8-7 against the Indians and beat them for the first time since Aug. 15, 2006.
Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 14th save in 17 chances despite yielding a two-out, two-run pinch homer to Shelley Duncan.
New York overcame a 4-1 deficit with a five-run fifth off Justin Masterson (2-6), capped by Ike Davis’ two-run homer.
The Mets kept bunting and the Indians handled the ball like a hot potato before Davis delivered.
Jeff Francoeur singled and Alex Cora got a bunt single when nobody covered first as catcher Carlos Santana fielded the ball. Reyes then bunted for a single. Masterson fielded the ball and threw wildly to first, scoring Francoeur and sending runners to second and third.
One out later, David Wright beat out a single to shortstop Jason Donald. Cora scored on the throw to first and Reyes surprised everybody in the ballpark – particularly third-base coach Chip Hale – by scampering home, too. Reyes ran around Hale and slid in just ahead of the low throw from first baseman Russell Branyan that temporarily popped away, too.
Davis even attempted a bunt – against a shift that had only one infielder on the third-base side, but the ball rolled just foul. The rookie then hammered his eighth homer over the centerfield fence to make it 6-4.
Travis Hafner started the Indians’ three-run second with his fourth homer in six games, eighth this year, and fifth of his career off Santana. Trevor Crowe’s two-out, two-run single made it 3-1.
Reyes opened the game with a walk, stole second and moved up on a groundout. He scored on an infield single by Wright.
Jhonny Peralta drew an 11-pitch walk in the Indians fourth. The slow-footed Indians third baseman, with nine steals in 891 career games, took off before the next pitch and Santana threw to first for an apparent easy pickoff. Second-base umpire Doug Eddings ruled it a balk, putting Peralta on second. Peralta took third on a groundout and scored on a single by Jason Donald to make it 4-1.
Masterson gave up 10 hits and six earned runs over seven innings. The right-hander threw a two-hit shutout against Boston in his previous start for his second straight win after going 0-11 in 17 starts since August.
NOTES: New York has won 16 of 21. … Mets RHP John Maine (shoulder) will start at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, his second rebab appearance. … Mets 2B Luis Castillo (bruised right heel) and OF Carlos Beltran (right knee surgery) are rehabbing at the team’s spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. There is no timetable for a return by Beltran, who has been out all season. … Peralta went 1 for 2 with a walk off Santana. He is 4 of 28 (.143) with 22 strikeouts against him.