Mets rout Padres behind Niese, Cowgill

Ted Berg, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

NEW YORK – The Mets opened their season with an 11-2 win over the Padres on Monday.

The game: Lefty Jon Niese held the Padres' offense in check, allowing two runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old Niese, who enjoyed the best season of his career in 2012, earned the win in his first-ever opening day start. He helped his own cause with the bat, going 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Yonder Alonso homered for the Padres.

The Mets' offense capitalized early on a shaky outing by Padres starter Edinson Volquez with a series of singles, walks and aggressive baserunning that led to crooked numbers in their halves of the game's second, third and fourth innings. Shortstop Ruben Tejada, who batted .096 in spring training, had the team's first hit, first extra-base hit and first RBI of the season with a double to left in the second. New center fielder Collin Cowgill broke the game open in the seventh with a line-drive grand slam down the left field line.

What it means: As one game in the course of a 162-game season, not much. But the Mets' much-maligned outfield took a small step toward quieting its doubters. Starters Cowgill, Marlon Byrd and Lucas Duda combined to go 4-12 with two walks, a double, a home run and six RBI.

The scene: April winds coming off Flushing Bay blew plastic bags and hot-dog wrappers around the playing surface. At one point, both Niese and Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin assisted in the clean-up process, clearing debris from the area between the pitcher's mound and home plate. The Mets announced a sellout crowd of 41,053, but the crowd thinned significantly in the late innings after the Mets pulled away.

Fun fact: Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko got his first career hit in the game, a single past a diving David Wright at third base. Gyorko hit 30 home runs with a .311 batting average across Double- and Triple-A in 2012.

What's next: The Mets and Padres play again on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field. Clayton Richard will start for the Padres, with Matt Harvey on the mound for the Mets.