NEW YORK -- It took almost eight innings for the San Diego Padres to squeeze out their first hit Sunday, and only when Alexei Ramirezs sharp grounder barely stayed fair.If not for that, who knows?Steven Matz carried a no-hit bid into the eighth and the New York Mets beat the Padres 5-1 to win consecutive games for the first time in more than five weeks.I could tell he had a feel for just about everything today, San Diego manager Andy Green said. Hes down 3-1 in a few counts, hes flipping in curveballs. Fastball up, life through the zone. He was down when he wanted to be; he located well. We didnt do much of anything against him and I dont think until Alexei hit that ball we really squared anything up at all. So I think it was just one of those days where he was substantially better than us.Ramirez slapped a one-out single just inside first base on Matzs 105th and final pitch in 96-degree heat at Citi Field. The ball appeared to skip right over the bag, and first base umpire Carlos Torres quickly called it fair.Guess it was a coin flip, Mets second baseman Neil Walker said. He absolutely had no-hit stuff today. You could tell that early in the game. ... Hell have another shot at it.Walker and Wilmer Flores each hit a solo homer off lefty Clayton Richard (0-2) as San Diego began its shift to a six-man rotation during a stretch of 16 games between off days.As the game went on, I got a little bit better, said Richard, a former backup quarterback at Michigan who was a regular starter for the Padres from 2009-13. I felt good pretty much all the way through.Richard allowed two runs over five innings in his first major league start since Aug. 2, 2015, for the Chicago Cubs.I couldnt ask for anything more, Green said. He was outstanding.Facing the Padres for the first time, Matz (9-8) earned just his second victory in nine decisions over his past 14 starts.The 25-year-old lefty, a hometown favorite who grew up about 50 miles from Citi Field, struck out eight and walked two. Mixing his 94-95 mph fastball with a sharp curve, he fanned All-Star slugger Wil Myers all three times.I think he just had everything working for him today, Ramirez said through an interpreter. Everything was moving.The lone Mets pitcher to throw a no-hitter was Johan Santana in June 2012 against St. Louis.San Diego is the only major league team without one.Struggling to stay close in the wild-card race, the Mets (59-58) took two of three in the series. The defending NL champions hadnt strung together two wins since July 6-7 against Miami and Washington.The Mets added three insurance runs in the eighth, when Jose Reyes scored on a wild pitch and rookie T.J. Rivera -- another New York product playing for his hometown team -- hit a two-run double for his first career RBI.Addison Reed and Gabriel Ynoa finished the four-hitter. Ynoa yielded Yangervis Solartes run-scoring single in the ninth, but the Padres fell to 10-28 in day games.Before Ramirezs single, the closest the Padres came to a hit was Solartes line drive right back to Matz with two outs in the fourth. Matz put up his glove and almost casually caught the ball before Solarte slammed down his bat in frustration.The only thing on my mind was getting outs, Matz said.MAYBE THIS MIGHT WORKPadres leadoff man Travis Jankowski, who struggles against left-handed pitching, tried to bunt for a hit with a runner on first and two outs in the sixth. Jankowski missed his attempt for strike one and grounded out to end the inning.TRAINERS ROOMPadres: Rookie 2B Ryan Schimpf was rested but wont sit out against every lefty, Green said. Schimpf had a pinch-hit single off Reed in the eighth and stayed in the game. ... CF Jon Jay (broken right forearm) is scheduled to have another CT scan Monday in California, and the team hopes he will be cleared to begin swinging a bat. ... ... RHP Colin Rea (right elbow) does not have a date for surgery yet. He will see noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday, Green said.UP NEXTPadres: RHP Luis Perdomo (5-6, 6.80 ERA) starts Monday night at Tampa Bay as San Diego begins the final leg of its nine-game road trip. LHP Drew Smyly (4-11, 5.04) goes for the Rays. Alex Reyes Cardinals Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Tyler Webb Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/1204t-michael-wacha-jersey-cardinals.html . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Cardinals Jerseys 2019 . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Daniel Ponce de Leon Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said.England lock Courtney Lawes is looking forward to pulling on an England jersey once again when Eddie Jones side take on South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Lawes was an injury doubt for Englands opening autumn international after withdrawing from Northampton Saints matches against Montpellier and Gloucester last month due to bruising on the knee joint. England vs South Africa November 12, 2016, 2:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass However, after proving his fitness Lawes is ready to resume his second-row partnership alongside Joe Launchbury. Ive not been very lucky with my injuries, especially last season, he told Sky Sports News HQ. I had three six-week injuries so I just wanted to stay fit for a significant amount of time; enough time to get my form back. Lawes has been sidelined by a series of injuries That was my main goal and Im certainly on my way. Im not there yet, but Im on my way to getting back to the sort of form that Im used to. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract. Lawes also revealed that head coach Jones has been working with him to improve his ball carrying ahead of the Old Mutual Wealth series.I dropped off with my carrying. When I was younger I used to carry way more than I had the previous season, so Eddie was hot on me for my carrying and getting around the park and making a big impact, he said. Courtney Lawes has been urged to take his opportunity if selected to play against South Africa after recovering from a knee injury.dddddddddddd. Its a confidence thing. You get used to carrying and if you stop carrying, you get used to not carrying, so its about retraining your brain, getting used to patterns around the park and how you can get your hands on the ball. Wood stays as England cut nine Tom Wood is in line to make his England return after being retained in a 25-man squad Lawes Northampton team-mate Tom Wood is back in the England fold for the first time under Jones, having been told by the Australian in January that he was distinctly average. Tom Wood is back in the England fold for the first time in a year Its really good to see him back in the squad, added Lawes. Hes worked unbelievably hard in all facets of his game and Im really proud of him.Is Eddie testing him when he says things like that? Woody is not a distinctly average player, hes a very good player, and I think Eddie just wanted to see his character. Woody has shown him that and that is why hes back here now. Also See: Wood retains England place Farrell form no shock to Ford Boks out to emulate Ireland England red hot favourites ' ' '