Pete Alonso had two doubles and a homer, finishing with five RBIs, as he powered the Mets to a 9-6 win over the Phillies Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Mets take the series and finish the road trip in first place with a 5-2 record.
It was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel with a matchup of Aaron Nola and Max Scherzer. But neither pitcher was sharp early and both were gone before the sixth inning. Scherzer picked up the win, going to 2-0 on the season. But he did not end up the story of the game. Instead, the theme of the day was power, as the Mets belted six extra-base hits and the Phillies added three more.
Alonso, appearing as the designated hitter in the game, had RBI doubles in the fourth and fifth innings and he added a three-run homer in the sixth to make it an 8-1 game. But the Mets had to sweat out their bullpen before the game was over.
Sean Reid-Foley looked like a guy who won’t be around come May 1. Joely Rodriguez would be a strong candidate to join him, if the brass wasn’t interested in justifying the trade for him. Those two combined for 1 IP and 4 ER.
Buck Showalter will have to take part of the blame for Rodriguez’ final line. He came in to get Kyle Schwarber to end the sixth inning but Showalter brought him back for the seventh, with the rationale that Bryce Harper was batting second in the inning. Rodriguez made sure not to serve up a homer to J.T. Realmuto this time around and ended up walking him. He walked Harper, too, and was mercifully removed from the game. Adam Ottavino allowed both inherited runners to score but escaped any additional damage.
The Mets want to believe that Rodriguez is a worthwhile MLB pitcher. But they can’t wish that into existence. Instead, they have to limit his exposure to RHB. They had the perfect opportunity to do this, yet got greedy sending him out to start the next inning when they didn’t have to. Hopefully Showalter learns to take his winnings with Rodriguez whenever he can. And if he can’t be happy with a 0.1 IP scoreless performance from Rodriguez, then he should advocate for a different reliever.
Brandon Nimmo homered for the second straight game. He also had two walks and two strikeouts in the game, a perfect three-true outcomes performance. Eduardo Escobar added three walks and a triple, while Starling Marte had two hits and two runs scored.
5-2 intra-divisional road trip that could have been 7-0. Stout starting pitching. And my prediction that the Mets will lead the league in Run Differential looks good after the first week.
Gut Reaction: winning the first two series on the road against divisional teams and coming home in 1st place with a 5-2 record is a very good sign.
Alonso is premier power hitter and he was the difference in this game.
Nimmo looks better and better with each game of his career. It looks like he will be a future All-Star.
Reid-Foley had an opportunity to show his stuff in 8-1 game. He failed.
Buck gave Rodriguez the opportunity to redeem himself in a 8-3 game and continue in the next inning. Rodriguez miserably failed again. He is only a LOOGY and the LOOGY is obsolete.
Not a crisp win but a good win.
Not pretty by the pen, but every win counts the same. The team exhibited good bounce back and resilience after the opening game debacle. Two road series win in division, a very good start.
Regarding the bigger picture, the pen is worrisome. It will be interesting when rosters are slimmed down.
Certainly a better team than past years. Fun to watch, if you don’t watch the bullpen. Alonso is looking to me to be hitting a new level… just more relaxed and more confident. His blast to extend the lead felt different to me… more personal team leadership.
Interesting questions will soon be answered about Cano, Smith, and JD. It’s a shame to have JD not taking ABs. Something’s gotta give.
Mets need a bullpen stud to join. That was a fail in the offseason.