SAN DIEGO, May 17 (UPI) -- Al Leiter continued a string of impressive outings on the mound by New York starters Thursday night and Roger Cedeno had three hits, lifting the New York Mets to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
In their last two games, the Mets received consecutive two-hit shutouts from Pedro Astacio and Jeff D'Amico in victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Leiter (5-2), the ace of the staff, allowed only an unearned run while scattering seven hits over six innings. The veteran lefthander walked two and struck out six and lowered his ERA to 1.74.
David Weathers followed with two scoreless innings and Mark Guthrie worked the ninth for his first save.
New York entered the contest second in the National League with an ERA of 3.14, trailing only Los Angeles.
Cedeno, who has struggled this season at the plate, went 3-for-5, including an RBI double in the ninth that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. He also stole a pair of bases.
San Diego starter Brian Lawrence (4-3) surrendered two runs and eight hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out five.
Already without slugging first baseman Phil Nevin, who was placed on the disabled list before the game with a left elbow strain, the Padres also were missing outfielder Ryan Klesko, who sat out with a tight hamstring.
