NEW YORK -- No team was happier to flip the calendar Saturday than the New York Mets.
Justin Verlander pitched seven steady innings for his first victory in nearly six weeks and slumping rookie Francisco Álvarez hit the first of three quick homers that powered the struggling Mets to a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
"It's July. We've got July off to a good start. We're hoping to build on it," manager Buck Showalter said. "There's a real accountability to trying to get where we want to get. The potential's still there for us.