Walker’s 9th-inning homer lifts Mets over Tigers 3-1

DETROIT  — Neil Walker hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the top of the ninth, and the New York Mets avoided a sweep with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

The Mets were victimized by some bad luck when the Tigers tied it with back-to-back infield singles in the seventh, but after escaping the eighth thanks to a Detroit baserunning blunder, New York retook the lead when Walker went deep off Francisco Rodriguez (1-2).

Anibal Sanchez pitched eight impressive innings for the Tigers, and Jacob deGrom was strong for the Mets in the finale of this three-game series. Addison Reed (3-2) got the win in relief, and Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 39th save in 41 chances.

Michael Conforto homered for the Mets in the seventh.

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