Rookie A.J. Ewing sparks offense in impressive debut as Mets crush Tigers

A.J. Ewing was summoned from Triple-A to provide a much-needed spark to a moribund Mets team in Queens. 

If his debut in a 10-2 win over the Tigers at Citi Field was any indication, the speedy outfielder may be up to the task. 

The 21-year-old did a little bit of everything, as he reached base four times, drew three walks, scored twice, drove in a pair of runs, picked up his first hit — a triple — and stole a base. 

His lone out of the night came on a 102 mph laser to the warning track in center. 

“I think that’s part of my identity as a hitter: I’m patient and make pitchers work hard,’’ Ewing said of his ability to work counts consistently. 

The Mets will take all of it. 

“There’s gonna be playing time for him,’’ Carlos Mendoza said before the game of Ewing, who spent just 12 games with Triple-A Syracuse before his promotion. 

By the end of the night, the small crowd remaining was chanting his name. 

“I’m confident in my ability to play,’’ Ewing said beforehand. “I’ll play the same game I’ve been playing.” 

His arrival was a boost for a team running out of time to show it’s capable of turning around the season. 

As Mendoza noted, “It’s not early anymore. We’ve got to go out there and do it.” 

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After dropping three of the last four games on their recent road trip, the Mets got some life from what’s been a dead lineup, as well as a fourth straight solid start from Freddy Peralta. 

The right-hander allowed just a pair of runs in six innings against Detroit, which has lost six of seven. 

It was just the second time in the past 12 games they scored more than five runs. 

After Peralta and the Mets fell behind in the second, they came back and went ahead in the fourth and took advantage of plenty of mistakes by the Tigers to improve to 16-25. 

Even in victory, though, the Mets found trouble, as Francisco Alvarez left the game with a right knee injury. 

It was Alvarez who started the go-ahead rally with a one-out double to left-center in the fourth. He came in when Benge followed with a hit to left to make it 3-2. 

The Mets had fallen behind in the top of the second, as Dillon Dingler took Peralta deep to open the inning. Wenceel Pérez followed with a single and moved to third on a double by Gage Workman before Spencer Torkelson’s sacrifice fly. 

But Jack Flaherty, who’d allowed 16 earned runs in just 14 innings over his previous four starts, couldn’t hold the lead for Detroit. 

In the bottom of the inning, after Ewing walked to load the bases in his first plate appearance in the majors, Alvarez just beat out a throw to first to avoid an inning-ending double play, which allowed Melendez to score. 

They tied the score in the bottom of the third with three straight singles by Bo Bichette, Juan Soto and Mark Vientos. 

The Mets stayed ahead in bizarre fashion in the fifth. 

After Colt Keith singled with two outs, Riley Greene followed with a base hit to right. 

Benge’s throw got by Brett Baty at third and ricocheted off the railing in front of the Tigers dugout, where Peralta picked it up and fired home. 

Keith, after sliding safely into third, got up and immediately ran into third base umpire Rob Drake. 

He continued home and was tagged out by Alvarez. 

The Mets got some insurance in the sixth, courtesy of more shoddy play by the Tigers around third base, as Workman’s throwing error led to a pair of runs, and the Mets put the game away late. 

With the Mets looking to put the first 40 games of the season behind them, perhaps Ewing can help revive the season. 

“He was pretty much perfect at the plate,’’ Mendoza said. 

And the manager added: “We’re gonna need him and everyone in that room.”