3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Win Series Behind Lindor, Alonso

Maybe home comforts were all the New York Mets needed. After losing six straight games on the road, the Amazins’ were able to take two out of three against the red-hot Chicago Cubs.

It was an impressive effort from a Mets team that looked all but down and out. It was also the perfect way to begin a 10-game homestand with the Braves next up in town. Small victories will be the name of the game the rest of the way in 2023, and the Mets were finally able to give those inside Citi Field something to get excited about.

3 Up

Alonso On A Tear

After being mired in an all-time slump throughout June and most of July, the real Pete Alonso has made a timely return in August. The slugger has been red-hot to begin this month, and he was at the very peak of his powers against the Cubs. Alonso hit a home run in all three games in this series, and he blasted four long balls in total in just a dominant performance at the plate. He hit two homers in an 11-2 win over the Cubs in the opening game of the series, as the Mets’ offense exploded before going deep with a 434 feet bomb that tied it up in the rubber game on Wednesday. In all, Alonso went 5-for-10 in this series, hitting four homers, driving in 10 RBIs and drawing two walks. He’s now hitting .227/.321/.533/.854 on the year and appears fully locked in after a tough couple of months.

Also, Alonso continues to absolutely own Chicago with a career slash line of .255/.374/.755/.1.129 against the Cubs. That’s what you call dominance. To cap it all off, Alonso became the first player in Mets history with four seasons of at least 35 home runs.

Signs Of Encouragement

This was a series where many things went right for the Mets. That included bounce-backs for both Carlos Carrasco and David Peterson. Both pitchers have struggled at a high level this year, particularly Carrasco, but there were some encouraging signs against the Cubs. Carrasco produced arguably his best outing of 2023 on Tuesday, having allowed 21 earned runs in his previous 15 1/3 innings. The veteran allowed two runs on three hits and struck out five batters in five innings of work. Carrasco retired nine of the 10 batters he faced through the first three innings and although he would give up a home run to Cody Bellinger in the fourth, it was by far the best Carrasco has looked on the mound for a considerable amount of time.

As for Peterson, he had to overcome an early and sizeable setback. The lefty gave up a 112 mph home run to Chicago’s Christopher Morel with his very first pitch of the game. It was a surefire sign of how Peterson’s season had gone up until that point. Thankfully, it proved to be just a minor blip on the radar as Peterson was able to compose himself before putting in a solid start the rest of the way. He finished his night with two runs allowed on four hits to go along with two walks and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Peterson now owns a 2.40 ERA across 30 innings since his stint in the minor leagues. The Mets will hope that both he and Carrasco have begun to turn a much-needed corner.

Lindor Stays Hot 

While Pete Alonso is grabbing all the headlines for the offense right now, it is important not to underplay the role Francisco Lindor played in this series. The shortstop now has at least one hit in each of his last seven games, including a total of five in the series against the Cubs. Lindor went 5-for-11 at the plate in this series, and he continues to be a reliable presence for this team. The 29-year-old is now hitting .246/.333/.469/.803 on the year.

3 Down

Baty Sent Down

It was coming for a while. Such were Brett Baty‘s struggles in the bigs, and it was no surprise when he was demoted to Triple-A shortly before the series against the Cubs. Baty could not get it going at the plate, slashing just .199/.271/.292/.563 with a 62 wRC+ and a 31.1% strikeout rate since June 1. The rookie had also shown some growing pains in the field, and the hope will be that he will regain some confidence back with Syracuse. However, with the 2023 season now lost, the Mets are still none the wiser as to whether or not Baty has what it takes to be a productive everyday player in the Major Leagues. And that’s a real concern.

On The Shelf (Again)

This has been a lost year for Starling Marte. The veteran outfielder was placed on the IL with a right groin strain on Monday, the culmination of an injury-ravaged season. Having undergone groin surgery this past offseason, this latest setback is a real concern for Marte, who hasn’t been able to stay healthy since the backend of the 2022 season. Having just come off the IL, thanks to a serious bout of migraines, it might be best for everyone just to shut down Marte for the rest of the year. It makes sense. Hitting just .248/.301/.324/.625 on the year, the righty bat has clearly been restricted for a while now, and this would give him a whole six months off in which to get fully healthy and ready for spring training.

Missing the Mark

With Baty getting sent to the minors, Mark Vientos is going to get plenty of playing time at third base and overall. In the series against the Cubs, Vientos got the start three times and managed only one hit. Vientos went 1-for-12 with four strikeouts, with one start as the DH and two at third base. The 23-year-old now has a 48 OPS+ this season across mostly sporadic 103 plate appearances.