Pete Alonso hit bookend homers in the first and ninth innings, powering the Mets to a 9-4 win over the Marlins Tuesday night in Miami.
Alonso belted a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, his 100th lifetime homer. He added a solo shot in the ninth, giving him 32 HR for the season, tied for second in the National League.
Carlos Carrasco picked up his first win as a Met, despite some shoddy defense behind him. Three of the four runs he allowed were unearned, with two more runs coming in the first inning. He needed 92 pitches to get through five innings but would have thrown fewer if his fielders weren’t botching plays to extend his innings.
Francisco Lindor got on base twice, and both scored and drove in two runs. Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis each hit doubles, with Davis’ coming as a pinch hitter, which drove in a run in the eighth inning.
Once again, the Mets’ bullpen came up big, with four shutout innings behind Carrasco, including a scoreless frame from Brad Hand. Once he reached free agency before the season started, Hand didn’t want to come to the Mets because he wanted to be a closer. Wouldn’t it be ironic if he ended the year as the Mets’ closer after they picked him up on waivers?
Nice win. It will be tough to keep up with Atlanta. But anything is possible.
I have said before, if Pete can hit 35 home runs and drive in 95 every year, it would be good. And he has delivered.
McNeill is another story. He is slapping at the ball. We botched it with the hitting coaches. Poor grade for this year.
Gut Reaction: This was a sloppy game. The only intensity was that the score was close in the beginning. Don’t let the score fool you. The Mets batted 1-9 with RISP. The player’s didn’t enough intensity and play to the level of their competition which was pretty piss poor bad. They need to tighten up and focus.
Agreed. Yes, they are “mostly” beating the lowly Nats and Marlins, and the bottom line is all that matters, but their play has been extremely sloppy for a team chasing a playoff position. That does not bode well for the remaining games unless they raise the level of focus. I sure hope the manager is stressing this point.
The manager should stress. He will probably be fired once the season ends. The Alderson era should end too. How about Theo. He may be itching to get back in.