Francisco Lindor Makes Mets History in 10-2 Win

The Mets looked to extend their win streak to six games on Wednesday and finish off a series sweep against the Cincinnati Reds. Taijuan Walker took the mound hoping to bounce back after his disastrous last start, while T.J. Zeuch made his 2022 debut for the Reds. The Mets’ red-hot offense stayed red-hot, and Francisco Lindor tied two Mets records as the team cruised to a 10-2 win.

The Mets’ offense has been one of the league’s best since the All-Star break, scoring more runs than everyone except the Dodgers. They wasted no time putting up runs on Wednesday. Brandon Nimmo was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Lindor followed with a walk to bring Pete Alonso up. Alonso roped a single up the middle to drive in Nimmo and put the Mets ahead 1-0.

Two batters, Jeff McNeil hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Lindor and put the Mets ahead 2-0. With the run scored, Lindor extended his run scoring streak to 13 games, tying David Wright for the longest streak in Mets history.

Just one inning later, Lindor tied another Mets record. Mark Canha walked to start the second inning, and James McCann followed with a single before stealing second base (Yes, McCann stole a base.) Lindor came up with two outs and hit an opposite field single to put the Mets up 4-0. The RBIs were Lindor’s 80th and 81st of the season, tying Jose Reyes for most RBIs in a season by a Mets shortstop.

Lindor came around to score another run on a base hit by Daniel Vogelbach to increase the Met lead to 5-0. It was the ninth consecutive game that the Mets scored at least five runs, the longest streak in the majors this season, and it only took them two innings to do it.

The Mets tacked on another run in the third inning, this time off the bat of Tyler Naquin. The former Red hit his 10th home run of the season over the right field fence to extend the Mets lead to 6-0. Naquin had a big series against his former team, going 3-7 with a homer, a triple, a double and a walk while driving in three runs.

While the Mets’ offense was putting up another crooked number, Walker was throwing a solid game on the mound. The right-hander went six innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and and three walks while striking out five batters. He improved his ERA in day games to 1.56 over 10 starts.

The Reds scored both of their runs in the fourth inning, but the Mets were able to tack onto their lead in the fifth and make it a 7-2 game. With two runners on base, Luis Guillorme hit a ground ball to the whole between third and short. Jose Barrero, the Reds’ rookie shortstop, made the play on his backhand and threw to first despite not having any chance of getting Guillorme out. The throw was not a good one, and Joey Votto was unable to keep it from getting away which allowed Naquin to score from second base.

The Mets blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth. A walk by Nimmo and singles by Lindor and Alonso loaded the bases with nobody out for Vogelbach. The left-handed slugger pulled a double down the right field line to drive in two more runs. Alonso was thrown out at home after the ball got away on the infield. McNeil followed with another RBI double, and the Mets lead grew to 10-2.

With an eight run lead, the Mets turned to a couple of their lower leverage relievers to seal the deal. Trevor Williams pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Adonis Medina pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the win. With the win, the Mets moved to 73-39 and guaranteed they will remain at least seven games in front of the Braves in the National League East at the end of the day.

Player of the Game: Francisco Lindor

While plenty of Mets had games deserving of Player of the Game honors, Lindor’s record-setting day was enough to give him the nod. The Puerto Rican shortstop went 2-3, reached base four times, drove in two runs and scored three runs while tying club records that were held by two Mets all-time greats. Lindor has been sensational in the second half, and is showing why the Mets were willing to pay him $341 million to keep him in New York.

On Deck

After an off day on Thursday, the Mets will continue their home stand with a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Max Scherzer (8-2, 1.98 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the opener. Scherzer has lived up to his massive contract since day one, but he has found another gear since returning from his oblique strain. In seven starts, Scherzer has pitched 46 innings allowing just seven earned runs on 33 hits and six walks while striking out 61 batters. His 1.37 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over the stretch are nothing short of dominant. Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.68 ERA) is on a hot streak of his own, pitching to a 2.63 ERA over his last seven starts.

The Mets and Phillies are two of the hottest teams in baseball right now, as both teams are currently on six-game winning streaks.

The game will be broadcast on AppleTV+, and the radio call will be on WCBS 880.