Mets 10 Nationals 1 (Citi Field, Flushing, N.Y.)
Mets Record: 83-68
Mets Streak: W2
Mets Last 10: 6-4
WP: Tylor Megill (4-5) LP: Mitchell Parker (7-10)
Seat On The Korner: Luisangel Acuna
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Today's "Seat on the Korner" goes to Luisangel Acuna. Making his second start at shortstop in place of Francisco Lindor, the heralded rookie -- the key part of last year's Max Scherzer-to-Texas trade -- made waves on both sides of the ball. His inability to field a Mark Vientos throw on a potential double play ball in the third paved the way for what proved to be the Nationals' only run. But he atoned for that error in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI double (his first major league RBI), and he bookended the scoring with his first major league home run in the eighth. Since being recalled from Syracuse, he is hitting .455 (okay, it's a limited sample). Of course, let's see if he can keep it up next week when he plays his brother's team in Atlanta, assuming he is still in the lineup.
Need To Know.
The win improved the Mets' record to 83-68, but more important, they gained another game on the Braves, who lost to the Reds, and were in position to move ahead of the Diamondbacks for the second wild card spot. At this writing the Rockies were leading, 6-2, with the Rockies hitting in the bottom of the eighth.
Jose Iglesias went 3-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Over that span, he is hitting .425 (17 for 40),
Since Sept. 1, Mets starting pitchers have gone 6-1 with a 1.90 ERA (20 earned runs in 94.2 innings).
The Mets continue to get good infield defense from Mark Vientos and even Eddy Alvarez, who came in as a late-inning replacement to give Jose Iglesias a rest.
The Mets looks for a sweep against the Nationals Wednesday night. Jose Quinana is matched against DJ Herz
Turning Point
The turning point of the game came in the third inning. After Harrison Bader walked and Luisangel Acuna doubled him in, Jose Islesias reached on an infield single, Starling Marte walked and then Pete Alonso hit a bloop single past first base, scoring Acuna and Iglesias. It was all Mets from there.
Three Keys
Polar Bear Warming
Pete Alonso had a big night: a home run, five RBI, three hits all told. Alonso shows signs that he has broken out of his prolonged slump and is ready to carry the team, especially important right now with Francisco Lindor sidelined. Alonso seems less inclined to swing at breaking balls low and outside is continues to make solid contact, and the numbers bear that out. Over the last five games, Alonso is 9 for 20, a .450 clip, with two home runs and 6 RBI.
The A's Have It.
In addition to Pete Alonso and Luisangel Acuna, Francisco Alvarez had a big night, with a booming home run Ieading off the fourth. Alvarez has three home runs in his last six games, and while he still chases too many pitches, he has been making more solid contact and perhaps he, too, is breaking out of his extended slump.
Megill Magic
We can't ignore Tylor Megill's performance. Pitching for the first time in a week, Megill went six innings, stuck out four gave up two hits and only allowed an unearned run. This came on top of his six-inning, one hit scorless outling in Toronto, so he is trending in the right direction. Megill has a history of strong Septembers -- he allowed three runs or fewer in his last eight 2023 starts and had a September 2023 ERA of 2.76. Wwith no indication of when, or if, Paul Blackburn might return (leaking spinal fluid is never encouraging), Megill's contributions are much needed.
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