SAN DIEGO — For his next trick, Antonio Bastardo will skydive without a parachute.
The veteran reliever probably felt as if he could pull off that stunt Sunday after walking the proverbial tightrope without netting to catch his fall. All the lefty did was enter a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning with nobody out and escape without a run scoring to preserve the Mets’ 4-3 victory over the Padres at Petco Park.
Matt Harvey (3-4) had his best outing of the season, but the hero was Bastardo, who made his most important pitches since arriving to the Mets last offseason on a two-year deal worth $12 million.