Padres 2, Mets 1: Starter Eric Stults pitched five shutout innings and rookie Jedd Gyorko doubled in a run as visiting San Diego avoided a three-game sweep.

Stults (1-0), picked up on waivers from the Chicago White Sox last season, allowed three hits, two walks and struck out seven. Yonder Alonso registered two hits and Gyorko earned his first career RBI for the Padres.

John Buck hit a solo homer to lead off the ninth and Justin Turner recorded three of five hits for the Mets, who struck out 14 times after scoring 19 runs in the first two games. New York starter Dillon Gee (0-1) pitched the first 6 1/3 innings, giving up three hits and one run.

Mark Kotsay singled, moved to third on a base hit by Alonso and scored on Gyorko’s double down the left-field line as San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Stults retired the Mets 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth innings before being replaced after 95 pitches.

Chris Denorfia walked, took third on a single by Alonso and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Jeurys Familia to make it 2-0 in the eighth inning. Joe Thatcher and Luke Gregerson got the final out in the sixth and seventh, respectively, for San Diego with two Mets on base and Huston Street earned the save after giving up Buck’s homer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Turner, who suffered from a calf injury late in spring training and was making his season debut Thursday, only had one game in which he collected three or more hits in 2012. … Everth Cabrera, the National League leader in stolen bases with 44 last year, stole his first base in the fifth on San Diego’s initial attempt in 2013. … Mets starting pitchers went 20 innings in the series, allowing three runs, eight hits and striking out 18.