Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said he thought Padres rookie starting pitcher Chris Paddack "could have been a little jealous" over winning the National League Rookie of the Month for April.

"If he was upset about it, I'm assuming he could have been a little jealous," Alonso said after going 0-for-3 against Paddack in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Padres. "He had a helluva first month. ... I'm happy to win it. If he was mad about that, there's five other months."

Paddack called out Alonso prior to Monday's game, saying, "I'm coming for him. We'll see Monday who the top dog is."

And the 23-year-old Padres pitcher won the battle, striking out Alonso in two of three matchups and shutting down the Mets' offense.

"He said he wanted me and he pitched really well today," Alonso said. "I know what he said. To me, it doesn't sit well. For us as a team, it definitely sucks after this one, definitely a sour taste for sure."

Alonso, who finished April with a .292/.382/.642 batting line with nine home runs and 23 RBIs, struck out in the first and third innings before grounding out with a runner on second in the sixth.

"He's allowed to say what he wants," Alonso said. "He wanted me and he got me tonight, simple as that. It kind of fired me up. I wanted it. It was going to be a good matchup and I didn't answer the bell. I had a couple guys on base when I was up and I didn't do the job tonight. It's not a good feeling."

Alonso downplayed an individual rivalry brewing with Paddack, though.

"This isn't about me and Chris Paddack. This is about the New York Mets vs. the San Diego Padres," Alonso said. "There's more to it than just a 1-v-1 battle. This is a team effort."

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