Pete Alonso went hitless in a dozen at-bats in Toronto, but his final plate appearance of the series may have provided some encouragement.
Down 0-2 to right-hander Chad Green in a tie game, the first baseman took a pair of sliders off the plate to even the count before delivering the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Mets’ dramatic win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
It came in a game in which Alonso was bumped down to fifth in the lineup for the 10th time this season.
He’s spent the bulk of the year in the cleanup spot.
For someone with just two extra-base hits in September, it served as a win for Alonso, who is having the worst season of his career as he heads toward free agency.
Though the Mets’ remaining schedule is daunting — the toughest in the majors, according to Tankathon.com — Alonso could be set up for some success.
Mets’ loss to the Blue Jays on Sept. 10, 2024. Getty Images
Despite his somewhat pedestrian overall numbers, Alonso, who broke a string of 12 straight games with a strikeout Wednesday, has hit well against the stiffest competition.
He went 4-for-11 with a homer against Milwaukee, and his 1.053 OPS versus Atlanta is his best against any team he’s faced 10 times this year.
As for Friday’s opponent, the Phillies, he has four extra-base hits in six games.
“He’s been on and off, but he’s a threat,” Carlos Mendoza said on Wednesday. “Every time he’s at home plate you feel really good, because if it’s a mistake, he can hit it a long way and he can change the outcome of the game.”
Edwin Diaz picked a good time for his most dominant stretch of the season. The closer is in the midst of an eight-game scoreless stretch, his longest since he returned from his ban for using a sticky substance.
In that span of 7 ¹/₃ innings, Diaz has allowed just two hits and a walk and struck out 14. Only four relievers in the majors have fanned batters at a higher rate.
Diaz is the key part of a pen that has pitched well for much of the second half of the season and had several standout performances of late.
In addition to Diaz, who has bounced back from consecutive shaky outings last month, Reed Garrett has also been effective.
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Over his last nine appearances, the right-hander hasn’t been scored upon in nine straight outings with just three hits and a walk and 10 strikeouts after two shaky performances after he came off the IL in mid-August.
The Mets announced David Peterson will start Sunday on normal rest in Philadelphia.
That means Tylor Megill will go against the Nationals at Citi Field during the week.
Megill is filling in for Paul Blackburn, who was expected to have returned from the IL, but then suffered a setback due to lower back discomfort.
