The New York Mets were no match for Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles this week.
In a series dominated and overshadowed by Alonso’s homecoming, the Mets were swept by the O’s. As a result, they have now lost four straight.
It was a weird week with fans making their love for Alonso and their unhappiness at the front office both perfectly known. However, the bottom line is that the season is drawing to a close. Mets fans will no doubt be glad to wave goodbye to 2026.
Before we get there, though, let’s unpack everything from the Orioles series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…
Pete Alonso by Roberto Carlo
3 UP
HAPPY HOMECOMING
Personally, it was heartwarming to see the reception Pete Alonso got in his eagerly anticipated return to Queens. And it was nice that fans got to let Alonso know just how much he meant to the franchise. Personally, I don’t think the cheers or the curtain call should be seen as an indictment on the current team. Rather, this week gave the Mets fans an opportunity to properly say goodbye to Alonso and celebrate all that he meant to them. Alonso should have been a forever Met. His exploits this week, including hitting his career 300th home run, show just how much he’s missed, too.
FLASHING HIS TALENT
Jonah Tong hasn’t really put a step wrong since getting called back up. He was stellar in his latest start on Monday, striking out six while not allowing an earned run over six hugely encouraging innings. Furthermore, Tong threw 57 of his 83 pitches for strikes (68.6 percent), and he looked incredibly confident on the mound. If Tong can continue to finish this season with a flourish, then he will be in a really good spot to compete come spring training.
EARNING A SPOT
Nate Lavender is certainly doing all he can to be a part of this bullpen in 2027. The lefty has really emerged this year, and he had a great outing in this series. That came on Tuesday when Lavender struck out four over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. As a result, Lavender now owns a 1.59 ERA on the year. With filthy stuff and the results to match, Lavender looks set to give the Mets a really dangerous lefty option out of the bullpen next year.
Xzavion Curry
3 DOWN
MISDIRECTED BOOS
Caught in the crossfire of the Alonso homecoming was Jonah Tong. The young pitcher walked the former Met in the third inning of Monday’s game, drawing boos from the home crowd. Now, it is important to remember that fans were booing the outcome, with Alonso chasing his 300th career home run. They likely weren’t booing Tong himself. However, it was probably hard to tell in that moment. Given that Tong has suffered from low confidence before, it was the one moment of the week that wasn’t a good look.
DOOMED FROM THE START
It turned out to be quite the day for Xzavion Curry. Called back up to the bigs, Curry ended up starting the game due to Robert Stock going on the IL. Well, things didn’t go great. Curry ended up allowing four home runs and six earned runs over just three innings. Curry’s early implosion ultimately doomed the Mets, while casting doubt over his future with the team.
SHUT DOWN
While the Orioles benefitted from a power surge, the Mets suffered in this series because of a lack of offense. The lineup managed just seven runs across the three games, including scoring just one run in two of the three losses. There was no clutch hitting, the big hit was missing all series, and an army of base runners were left stranded on base. Over the current four-game losing streak, the Mets have scored just eight runs. As a result, we were reminded that this offense still needs a lot of work during the offseason.
