Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso each collected three hits and an RBI on Thursday night while Luis Severino navigated through five innings as the New York Mets started a key road trip with an 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Coming off his second career shutout Saturday, Severino (9-6) gave up five hits and one run, walking four and striking out five in an 87-pitch effort. Four relievers took it from there, not allowing a hit until Mason McCoy and Jurickson Profar slapped RBI singles in the bottom of the ninth off Huascar Brazoban.

Dylan Cease (12-10) logged a quality start but still absorbed the loss. He allowed nine hits and three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings with a walk and seven strikeouts. But it wasn’t enough to prevent San Diego from losing consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break.

New York, which has won five of its last seven games, stayed within 1 1/2 games of Atlanta for the National League’s final wild-card spot. Meanwhile, the Padres dropped a half-game behind idle Arizona for the NL’s top wild-card position.

The Mets needed only two batters to take the lead for good. Francisco Lindor led off with a double and Mark Vientos (two hits, three RBIs) ripped a double into the left field corner for a 1-0 lead.

New York made it 3-0 in the fourth via a passed ball by Luis Campusano that scored Jesse Winker and McNeil’s two-out infield single that plated Jose Iglesias.

San Diego scored its first run in the fifth but could have produced a big inning. Hitting with the bases loaded and no outs, Jake Cronenworth rapped into a double play that scored McCoy.

The Mets blew it open in the ninth against Logan Gillaspie with five runs. Vientos bounced a two-run single up the middle, followed by a two-out RBI single by Alonso. Winker added a run-scoring double and Iglesias capped the rally with an RBI infield hit.

New York finished with 17 hits. Every starter except Francisco Alvarez got at least one hit.

–Field Level Media