Mets 9 A's 1 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets Record: 62-58
Mets Streak: W1
Mets Last 10: 4-6
WP: David Peterson (7-1)
LP: Joey Estes (5-5)
Seat On The Korner: Pete Alonso
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 Pete Alonso, who after an 0-13 drought, showed some signs of breaking out of his slump Tuesday, when he hit a two-run single. But tonight's game was the real breakout: four hits, including a double, a homer and three RBI. Alonso's home run was his 54th in Interleague Play, a franchise record, and the most among any player since he entered the league in 2019. What did he do to snap out of the slump? Sit down, Pete, and tell Ralph.
Need To Know:
The win snapped a four-game losing streak, one short of the Mets' season record for futility. They had hit .198 over that span while pitching to an 8.18 ERA. They were outscored 31-5 over that stretch.
The A's have a very young team, and sometimes the immaturity shows. At the end of the second inning -- the inning in which Mark Vientos hit a scorching, run-scoring double -- A's starting pitcher Joey Estes appeared to be excoriating third baseman Darrell Hernaiz for not fielding the ball. Not a way to engender good will among your teammates, Joey.
The A's lone run was unearned, the result of a Francisco Lindo throwing error in the top of the sixth. Miguel Andujar, on with a leadoff double, tried to advance to third on a ball hit to Lindor. Andujar's path to third made it difficult for Lindor to get the ball to third baseman Mark Vientos. The throw sailed wild and Andujar might have scored then had the ball not hit third base umpire Derek Thomas. Andujar then scored on a sacrifice fly by Daz Cameron.
Good news, bad news for students from P.S. 7 on Elmhurst. Good news: Thanks to Pete and Haley Alonso, the Alonso Foundation and Nike, they got free backpacks and school supplies. Bad news: it's a reminder that the new school year is just around the corner..
The series concludes with a 1:10 camp matinee. Jose Quintana takes the mound for the Mets against Mitch Spence.
Turning Point
The turning point? A's manager Mark Kotsay's decision to bring Will Klein in to start the seventh. The score was 3-1 Mets, arguably still anybody's game. Klein, acquired as part of the deadline deal that sent A's closer Lucas Erceg to the Royals, walked the bases loaded, gave up a single to Francisco Lindor, threw a wild pitch to score Ben Gamel and, after a Brandon Nimmo sacrifice fly, surrendered a double to J.D. Martinez. Kotsay then mercifully pulled Klein, but the hit parade continued with demoted starter Ross Stripling on the mound. By the time the inning was over, the Mets had put up a six spot and the game was essentially over.
Three Keys:
Peterson remains impressive
David Peterson has perhaps been the Mets most consistent starter since coming off the IL in May. Peterson pitched into the seventh -- and seemed disappointed with manager Carlos Mendoza pulled him after giving up a one-out single. His pitching line? Three hits, one unearned run and four strikeouts. While walking four, he kept his pitch count relatively low. Peterson upped his record to 7-1, lowered his ERA to 3.04 and held in check an A's lineup that had the seventh best record against left-handed starters in the major leagues (The A's, even with this loss, are 14-12 against lefty starters versus 37-58 against righties). For all that Luis Severino was the Mets' ace over the first half of the season, an argument could be made that Peterson or Sean Manaea have that status now.
The bats break out
In addition to Alonso's four hits, Francisco Lindor had two, including his 100th home run as a Met. Mark Vientos, seemingly having recovered from the ankle injury suffered when he was hit by a pitch over the weekend, slammed an RBI double past third. Francisco Alvarez, relegated to the ninth spot in the order, notched one hit and hit some other balls hard. Maybe its a sign that the overall lineup's struggles are over.
It could have been worse for the A's
As bad as a 9-1 loss is, it could have been worse for the A's had it not been for some imporessive fielding plays by third baseman Darrell Hernaiz and left fielder Daz Cameron, who threw out Ben Gamel trying to score on a Francisco Alvarez single in the fourth. The score was 3-0 at the time and a fourth run with the Mets continuing to hit could have broken the game open then. Cameron evoked memories of his father, former Met Mike, who was in the stands watching his son play along with former Padres manager and third baseman Phil Nevin watching his son Tyler play first.
Comments