NEW YORK _ For most of Tuesday night, Jeff McNeil was the Mets' offense, getting a hit each of the first three times he stepped to the plate as his teammates slinked back to the dugout after their turns.
By the time he got his fourth hit, well, the rest of the Mets decided to join him.
McNeil lined a two-out, go-ahead double to leftfield in the bottom of the eighth in the Mets' 6-3 win over the Giants. He finished 4-for-4, his second such game this month.
That saved the Mets (55-70) from what threatened to be another night of immense offensive futility. Jose Reyes led off the eighth with a triple, but Todd Frazier and Amed Rosario were unable to get him in. McNeil's line drive did the job.
In 27 major-league games, McNeil is hitting .326 with a .388 OBP and .472 slugging percentage.
"He's holding his own and gives you a good at-bat every single time out," assistant general manager John Ricco said this week. "We're really happy with what we've seen from him so far."
Michael Conforto blasted a three-run homer, also in the eighth, and finished with four RBIs. He had been in a 1-for-17 mini-slump over five games before connecting for the insurance runs.
Steven Matz helped to quell qualms about his second half with his best start in about a month. He held the Giants to two runs in five innings, retiring a dozen consecutive San Francisco batters between their two hits against him. Matz struck out five and walked one. At 87 pitches, Tuesday was Matz's longest start since July 26.
The Mets finally broke through against right-hander Chris Stratton (5.37 ERA) in the seventh, when Conforto's sacrifice fly drove in McNeil and Austin Jackson singled to score Wilmer Flores (double). Those runs were the Mets' first in 19 innings.
