NEW YORK (Interstat) — Nolan McLean pitched six innings of one-run ball and the Mets used a two-run first inning to hold off the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Monday night at Citi Field.

McLean (9-7) allowed six hits and struck out three while walking three. Walker Buehler (7-6) took the loss, giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out four. Daniel Duarte earned his second save, pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.

The Mets struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. A.J. Ewing singled to left, and Francisco Lindor walked to put runners on first and second. Bo Bichette singled to right, scoring Ewing and sending Lindor to third. Carson Benge grounded out to third, allowing Bichette to move to second. Luis Robert Jr. then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Lindor and giving the Mets a 2-0 lead.

San Diego threatened in the top of the first before the Mets took the lead. Fernando Tatis Jr. lined out to McLean. Jake Cronenworth singled, and Manny Machado singled to put runners on first and second. Ty France singled to right, but Cronenworth was thrown out at home by right fielder Carson Benge. Machado advanced to second. Jackson Merrill followed with a sharp single to right, but Machado was also cut down at home on Benge’s throw, ending the inning with the game still scoreless.

The Padres did score in the second inning but left the bases loaded. Luis Campusano walked, Gavin Sheets was hit by a pitch, and Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases with no outs. Luis Rengifo grounded into a force out at home, leaving the bases loaded with one out. Tatis Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Sheets. Cronenworth singled to left, but Bogaerts was thrown out at home by left fielder A.J. Ewing to end the inning with the Padres down 2-1.

From there, McLean settled in. He retired the side in order in the third. In the fourth, he allowed a one-out single to Sheets but struck out Bogaerts and got Rengifo to ground out. After walking Machado and France in the fifth, Merrill flew out to center to end the threat. McLean worked around a leadoff single by Rengifo in the seventh before inducing a double play from Tatis Jr. and a flyout from Machado.

The Mets’ bullpen took over after McLean. Jonathan Pintaro allowed one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Nate Lavender retired the only two batters he faced in the eighth. Duarte closed it out with a strikeout-heavy ninth.

Buehler matched McLean through the middle frames despite the early deficit. After the first inning, he allowed only two more hits. In the third, he walked Lindor but got Bichette to line into an unassisted double play, as first baseman Ty France caught the line drive and stepped on first to double off Lindor. Buehler struck out Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco and Francisco Alvarez in a span during the middle innings before departing after six.

Kyle Hart relieved Buehler and pitched two scoreless innings for San Diego, allowing three hits and striking out three. He worked out of a jam in the eighth after Marcus Semien singled and Jorge Polanco singled to put runners on first and second with no outs. Hart struck out Alvarez and Ewing, then induced a force out from Lindor that left Semien out at third.

The Padres had their best remaining chance in the seventh when Rengifo singled to lead off. Tatis Jr. grounded into a double play, erasing Rengifo. Cronenworth then walked, but Machado flew out to center.

San Diego finished with seven hits, one more than the Mets, but went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. The Mets’ outfield assists at the plate were the difference.

Bichette finished 1 for 3 with an RBI. Semien went 1 for 3. Robert Jr. drove in a run on the sacrifice fly. Francisco Lindor walked twice but went 0 for 2. Ewing singled and scored a run. For the Padres, Cronenworth had two hits, and Machado, France, Merrill, Sheets and Rengifo each had one.

The Mets improved to 57-69 with the win. The Padres dropped to 67-59. Attendance was announced at 27,842, and the game lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes.

The series continues Tuesday with the same two teams at Citi Field. San Diego had won three of its previous four games before Monday, while New York had won three straight. The Mets also took two of three in San Diego in June, including a 7-3 win in the most recent head-to-head meeting.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego Padres 7, New York Mets 6. Interstat’s ELO system projected San Diego with a 53.40 percent probability to win. The Mets had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 8.