The New York Mets defeated the San Diego Padres 6-1 on Tuesday after a career-best performance from rookie Jonah Tong as he shut down the Padres' offense.Tong had a rough outing against the Texas Rangers when he faced two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. The rookie was taken off the mound after conceding six runs in just 0.2 innings.Despite his disastrous outing, veteran Mets ace Sean Manaea backed the rookie pitcher, assuring him by pointing to deGrom in the opposition dugout and saying,"He’s gone through that as well. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”Manaea's words boosted the 22-year-old's confidence as he fanned eight batters in five innings, without conceding an earned run over four hits in the series finale against the Padres.“I’m really grateful for the support I’ve had in the clubhouse,” Tong said.With his latest start, the rookie pitcher has thrown his name into contention for a spot on the postseason roster.Mets teammate Brandon Nimmo praised Jonah Tong's rebound against PadresVeteran slugger Brandon Nimmo, who backed Jonah Tong on the mound with a three-run home run in the third inning to give the Mets a 5-1 lead, praised the rookie starter's "bulldog" mentality after the win.“Coming back from that last outing that didn’t go the way that he would have hoped, I think it shows a lot of maturity from him at such a young age to be able to bounce back and double down on what he does well and go and execute it,” Nimmo said. “He did a great job today against a really tough lineup. I think it proves that he has a really bright future ahead of him.”Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also noticed the rookie's development in his latest start as he relied on his signature fastballs against the Padres."Obviously, today we were watching," Mendoza said. “And I’m glad that he stepped up and gave us a chance to win a baseball game.”With the win, the Mets stretched their lead to two games over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot with nine games to go.