The Mets hit three home runs in the third inning, including back-to-back jacks by Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindorwhile Justin Verlander pitched seven brilliant innings en route to a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants to even the three-game set.
Here are the takeaways…
– Francisco Alvarez got the offense going with a solo shot to the opposite field in the third inning off Anthony DeSclafani that broke a 0-0 tie. It was Alvarez’s 13th home run of the season, but the first one he’s hit since June 10 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since his last home run, the rookie catcher was in a 5-for-45 skid before getting off the schneid on Saturday, finishing 1-for-3.
After Luis Guillorme struck out, Nimmo, now in the middle of a power surge, sent one to the second deck to right field for his 12th home run of the season and the fourth homer he’s hit in his last five games. Lindor quickly followed that up with a solo jack of his own, his 17th of the season to lead all shortstops, as New York went back-to-back for the second time in three games.
– Despite a slow start in the power production, the Mets are now fourth in the NL and ninth in MLB in dingers with 103 on the season.
– New York’s fourth run came off the scalding hot bat of Tommy Pham. After Pete Alonso walked to lead off the fourth inning, Pham scorched a ball down the left field line that scored Alonso all the way from first base after left fielder Austin Slater struggled to play the ball in the corner.
Pham finished 1-for-3 and has brought his batting average up to .285 and leads the entire team with his .865 OPS in 179 at-bats.
– Verlander was on the mound for the Amazins’ and was looking to play the role of stopper and end his team’s three-game losing streak. The 40-year-old was in vintage form, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced before Thairo Estrada led off the fifth inning with a single. Estrada was promptly erased after not re-touching second base on his way back to first base on a popout that worked as a double play.
Verlander got through minor trouble in the sixth inning and then survived the seventh inning after Alonso made what could’ve been his second costly error in as many games. Former Met JD Davis led off the inning with a single, but Verlander immediately got Patrick Bailey to ground one to first base in what looked to be an easy double play. However, Alonso threw wide of second base which allowed Davis to advance to third base and put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Verlander and the rest of the infield picked up Alonso on the very next pitch after Estrada hit into an easy 6-4-3 double play that brought in an unearned run. Verlander wasn’t out of the inning just yet, though, as Blake Sabol hit a double before Slater walked to bring up the tying run to the plate. On his 102nd pitch, Verlander struck out Brandon Crawford on a foul tip to end the inning and preserve the team’s lead.
The future Hall of Famer went seven innings and allowed an unearned run on five hits, one walk and struck out six to bring his ERA down to 3.66.
– Drew Smith and Adam Ottavino each pitched a scoreless inning of relief as Ottavino notched his sixth save of the season.
– The Mets only had four hits on the day, but made sure to make them count as all of them drove in a run.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets and Giants play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday Night Baseball at 7:10 pm
LHP David Peterson (2-6, 7.00 ERA) goes for the Mets while San Francisco has yet to announce their starter.