SAN FRANCISCO -- Welcome back.
Yoenis Cespedes bashed a pair of home runs in his second game since returning from the disabled list and the New York Mets snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 win against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday at AT&T Park.
Cespedes had returned Friday after a 15-day absence while allowing a strained right quadriceps to heal. Before landing on the DL, Cespedes tried to play through the injury for a month. He ended up hitting only .205 with one homer and seven RBIs in 14 games during that span.
"When I'm up at the plate to bat, I'm able to swing better now that I have that strength back in my leg," Cespedes said through an interpreter.
Said manager Terry Collins: "He is so dangerous in the middle of our lineup and makes such a big difference. It's nothing against anybody else, but he's tough to replace. It's nice to have him back."
Of course, Cespedes' arrival at the non-waiver trade deadline a year ago helped the Mets become the first team in MLB history to rank last in the majors in runs scored on July 31 and reach the World Series.
The Mets (61-62) have some heavy lifting to do merely to reach the postseason again this year. Even with Saturday's win, the Mets trailed the St. Louis Cardinals by five games for the National League's second wild-card spot. St. Louis, which has won five straight entering its game on Saturday night at Philadelphia, hosts a three-game series against the Mets this upcoming week.
Cespedes went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored on Saturday. His first-inning double plated Jose Reyes and opened the game's scoring. He then had solo homers against left-hander Matt Moore in the third and right-hander Jake Peavy in the seventh as the Mets built an 8-2 lead.
It was Cespedes' second multihomer game as a Met. He had a three-homer performance against the Colorado Rockies last Aug. 21.
The run support helped give Bartolo Colon win No. 229. That's now within 14 of matching former Giants great Juan Marichal for the most career wins by a Dominican-born pitcher. Colon (11-7) allowed two runs on nine hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings.
The returns of Cespedes and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera from the DL on Friday gave the Mets some semblance of a full lineup for the first time in a while.
Neil Walker finally returned Saturday after missing four straight games with lower-back stiffness, although he intends to go on paternity leave next week and miss the entire series at Busch Stadium.
Meanwhile, slumping Jay Bruce was held out of the starting lineup on Saturday, but should be in the same lineup as Cespedes on Sunday for the only the third time since Bruce was acquired on Aug. 1 from the Cincinnati Reds.
"Today was a good day, and we need to use this as a springboard," Collins said.
