Darvish shuts down Mets as Padres win 5th straight, edge closer to Dodgers

Yu Darvish pitched seven impressive innings as the Padres completed a sweep of the National League East-leading Mets with a 5-0 win Wednesday.

Darvish logged his first win of the season, Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer and Manny Machado added a two-run, bases-loaded single for the Padres, who won their fifth straight as they gained a game on the defending World Series champion Dodgers, who have not seemed quite so invincible of late.

L.A. lost in Cincinnati Wednesday, leaving the Friars three games out of the NL West lead.

“Just really good baseball being played,” Sheets said in the Padres’ post-game interview.

Darvish (1-3), who turns 39 on Aug. 16, held the Mets – sans one-time Padre Juan Soto, out of the lineup a day after fouling a ball off his foot – to two hits. He struck out seven and walked none in his fifth start. After allowing Mark Vientos’ single with one out in the first, he retired the next 13 batters.

He had been sidelined by right elbow inflammation from mid-March until making his season debut on July 7.

Darvish got a nice ovation as he headed to the dugout after pitching a perfect seventh in what became the Padres’ big league-leading 15th shutout. It was the 10th time in Darvish’s 14-year career that he pitched seven-plus innings while allowing no runs and two or fewer hits.

He also notched his place in the history of Japanese players who have logged time in professional baseball in both Japan and the U.S. It was Darvish’s 111th big league win, which, combined with his 93 in Japan, allowed him to break out of a tie with Hiroki Kuroda and take sole possession of first place on the combined all-time list.

“What a milestone, right?” manager Mike Shildt said. “I mean, 204 combined wins, between the Japanese big leagues and Major League Baseball? Thats impressive, you know, it’s been quite the journey for him. Lot of respect and admiration for Yu.”

Sheets’ homer off Clay Holmes (9-6) came after Jose Iglesias reached on shortstop Francisco Lindor’s throwing error with two outs in the third. Sheets then drove an 0-2 pitch an estimated 427 feet to right-center, his 15th on the year.

Holmes retired the first two batters in the second before allowing a single by Martin Maldonado, hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. on the top of the left hand and walking Luis Arraez. Machado then singled to left for a 2-0 lead.

Machado hit a three-run homer in a 7-1 win on Tuesday night. The Padres won 7-6 Monday, after coming back from a 5-1 deficit.

Holmes lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs — two earned — and eight hits. The Padres swept the Mets, in a series of three or more games in San Diego, for the first time since 2008.

The Padres haven’t named a starter for Friday’s 6:40 p.m. game, when they welcome St. Louis to start a three-game series.