Diamondbacks end trip with 4th loss in row

NEW YORK – Needing a strong start to break out of an ugly slump and head home on a winning note, the Arizona Diamondbacks got just what they didn't want.

David Wright homered twice for New York and the Mets beat Arizona 8-4 Sunday. New York took a 6-0 lead early behind Wright's first shot and the first big league homer of Jason Pridie's career.

Armando Galarraga (3-1) was gone after three innings for Arizona, as were, essentially, the Diamondbacks' chances.

"It's never good," manager Kirk Gibson said. "We've been struggling scoring runs, so it made it very tough on us. And Armando didn't throw the ball like he wanted to. He hung a couple of sliders. They jumped on those and we made a big error that really cost us."

Arizona has dropped four in a row and seven of 10.

Third baseman Ryan Roberts' throw pulled first baseman Xavier Nady off the bag toward home on Wright's leadoff grounder in the third. He came home on a sacrifice fly by Josh Thole before Pridie's three-run shot to right field.

In the fourth, Wright piled on against reliever Josh Collmenter with a high, arcing shot down the left-field line — "I thought it was foul," he said — that barely got over the fence and to the right of the pole.

Wright's first homer looked good right off the bat.

The victory gave the Mets a four-game winning streak, their first since Sept. 13-16. Jonathon Niese (1-3) pitched seven innings for his first win of the year.

Stephen Drew drove in two runs with a single and a double, but Chris Young went 0 for 4 for Arizona.

"Stephen's the only guy," hitting, Gibson said. "He's been solid for us. I like C.Y. I don't think that he's that far off for us, to be honest with you, but hasn't had good results this whole trip."

Young went 2 for 25 in Arizona's last six, in Cincinnati and New York.

"I'm seeing the ball great. I'm just missing. Just getting under the ball a little bit," Young said. "But Citi Field, by no means, is forgiving at all."

When this series began, the Mets had just avoided a sweep by the miserable Houston Astros. Now they'll go to Washington and Philadelphia with their first real taste of success this season.

"We came in here, the Mets were struggling," Gibson said. "They were having trouble with men in scoring position. We were 2 for 14 today, so we had our opportunities, but we've just got to keep fighting through it, keep getting guys on base and trying to put good swings in those situations."

Galarraga only was charged with two of the six runs that happened on his watch. He struck out five, walked four and added a balk in the second inning — Arizona's second balk in two days.

"It was a bad game, no more to say," Galarraga said. "Ready for next start. I know I had a bad game. Location was not good. That was it."

Niese was sharp enough that he didn't need all the offense. In seven innings, the left-hander gave up six hits and three runs, two earned.

Two of the Diamondbacks' runs came on groundouts, including one by Young.

"After a tough road trip, getting home and getting back to your comfort zone is always nice," Young said. "You know it's a new series and a new week."

Notes: Arizona RHP Ian Kennedy's first child was born early Sunday morning, daughter Nora Rose. ... A day after Roberts made a nifty grab of a foul pop while hanging over the dugout railing in the first inning, he had a chance to do it again. This time, the ball popped out of his glove. ... Wright stole second in the eighth, apparently catching the Diamondbacks by surprise while they were down four runs. ... The Mets last sweep of Arizona in New York was in 2000. ... Mets RF Carlos Beltran turned 34. ... Roberts also grounded out to bring home a run.