Johan Santana pitched a four-hitter for his first shutout since 2010 and the New York Mets backed him with three home runs in a 9-0 win over the San Diego Padres 9-0 Saturday.
Mike Nickeas hit New York's first grand slam of the season, and Scott Hairston and Vinny Rottino also homered for the Mets, who got it done without David Wright once again.
The Mets won for the fifth time in seven games and have homered in three straight games and their last four at Citi Field. Their modest output -- five homers in the last three games -- looked downright bountiful compared with the rest of the season.
New York began the day 29th in the big leagues with 27 homers.
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Santana's last shutout was Aug. 12, 2010, a 4-0 win over the Colorado Rockies that came less than a month before shoulder surgery cost him the rest of the year and all of 2011.
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