MLB

Walker’s HRs, deGrom’s gem give Mets much-needed win

PITTSBURGH — Neil Walker was back where everybody knew his name Friday night, eliciting plenty of cheers — from his own dugout.

Born and bred in this city before playing the first seven seasons of his major league career with the Pirates, the 31-year-old Walker resembled Daniel Murphy returning to Citi Field, blasting two home runs that led an 8-1 Mets victory at PNC Park.

After losing two straight games to the putrid Padres, the Mets needed the energy burst. Walker, with four RBIs, led the offensive surge and Jacob deGrom never let the Pirates even sniff the lead over 8 ¹/₃ brilliant innings in which he threw 118 pitches.

Walker’s awful April, in which he batted only .195, is a distant memory for the Mets, who have seen their lineup flourish in recent weeks.

Walker is batting .345 in May with 18 RBIs, part of a veteran resurgence that has included Jose Reyes and Curtis Granderson.

“I kind of got better at the end of April and early May and just started swinging it better, but I’ve always enjoyed hitting in this ballpark,” Walker said. “Especially as a left-handed hitter, if you can lift the ball you can hit that wall or find a way over it.”

The Mets (20-26) turned the game into a runaway with three runs in the sixth. Walker delivered a bloop RBI single for his third hit of the game to give the Mets a 6-1 lead before Lucas Duda’s two-run double provided additional elbow room.

Walker underwent surgery last September for a herniated disk in his back and may have needed the first month of the season to get readjusted, according to manager Terry Collins.

Jacob deGromGetty Images

“I know the cold weather bothered [Walker], and it’s starting to get a little bit nicer,” Collins said. “And this trip to Pittsburgh he wasn’t deluged with stuff to do, he was getting ready to play.”

In his first return home last year, Walker said he was somewhat overwhelmed by the attention he received, whether it was interview requests from the local media or dealing with friends and family members asking for tickets.

“More than anything I knew what to look for [this time] to get ahead of it,” Walker said. “It was nice to be able to come today and not worry about who needs tickets.”

Walker’s second blast of the game, a solo homer in the fifth, gave the Mets a 5-1 lead, plenty of support for deGrom on a night the right-hander was dealing near peak performance.

DeGrom, who was skipped Thursday in the rotation because of concerns about the weather at Citi Field — Collins feared the game might be stopped early and his ace would be shut down from continuing — allowed one run on five hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk for his second straight victory.

It marked the first time this season a Mets starting pitcher completed eight innings. Noah Syndergaard was the last Mets starter to go that length, when he beat the Giants last Aug. 21 in San Francisco.

Reyes’ leadoff triple in the fifth allowed the Mets to take a 4-1 lead on Jay Bruce’s ensuing sacrifice fly. Reyes entered the game among the Mets’ hot hitters after going 6-for-20 (.300) on the team’s last homestand.

Walker’s two-run homer in the third gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in an inning that was extended when Reyes, with two outs, swung and missed for strike three against Chad Kuhl but reached first after the ball bounced past Francisco Cervelli.

“We’re going to get hot,” deGrom said. “We’ve got too good of players not to win ballgames.”