Brett Baty and Clay Holmes each continued their torrid springs in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday afternoon.
Baty hit a two-run homer, his third of the spring, and added a double. It was his third consecutive game with an extra base hit, and he now leads the Grapefruit League in OPS at 1.123.
Pete Alonso got the Mets on the board with a run-scoring double in the sixth inning, which broke a scoreless tie, and Tyrone Taylor added a single.
On the mound, Holmes was nearly unhittable yet again. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts while walking three and allowing two hits. He’ll next pitch on Opening Day against the Houston Astros.
“I’m pumped, we’ve got a bright future,” Holmes said during an in-game interview on SNY. “Starting Opening Day is like a holiday, first day of school feeling.”
Three Mets relievers who could be in the Opening Day bullpen finished the game with mixed results. Huascar Brazobán went 1 2/3 innings with no hits, three strikeouts and three walks. Dedniel Núñez gave up a two-run homer in his inning of work. Danny Young had the cleanest frame of the three, giving up just one hit to go with a strikeout.
Player of the Game
Baty continued to make a strong push not only for a roster spot, but for the starting second base job while Jeff McNeil is out with an oblique injury. He’s now hitting .354 on the spring and has flashed signs of his power while playing solid defense.
Yesterday, manager Carlos Mendoza said the following regarding Baty’s defense: “The range that he’s shown. Ideally, it was in there, but to show it at second base, up the middle, going to his right, the way he’s going to his left. Just having the awareness of where to go on cuts and relays. The communication in-between pitches with not only Lindor but the other infielders. He’s been really, really good.”
On Deck
Tylor Megill will continue his audition for the starting rotation against the Washington Nationals on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. The game will air on SNY.
