Pete Alonso. John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to July 20, Pete Alonso was just 5-for-44 at the plate, batting .113 for the month of July. That was coming off of a 10-for 66 stretch in June, hitting a meager .152. He totaled just two doubles, four home runs, and nine RBI’s in June and in July, so far, he has just three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs.
Not only has he struggled offensively, but on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox he committed a costly fielding error that led to three unearned runs. As the saying goes, “when it rains it pours.”
Mets’ manager Buck Showalter believes a lot of it could be mental for the struggling Alonso. When speaking with the media earlier this week, Showalter said, “Everything, especially in sports, but probably in all walks of life, is mental. We all know how much Pete wants things. He has put so much emphasis on trying to play perfect defense when he’s not hitting. What happens is you just get out of sync.”
Luckily, it appears whatever has been ailing the slugger, mentally or physically, is starting to come around. Over the last three games, he is 5-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, and two runs scored.
Specifically, across the doubleheader games on Saturday, Alonso had three extra-base hits. Two of which missed being home runs be mere feet. Alonso has looked the strongest he has in a long time during the two games yesterday in Boston.
Hopefully, Alonso’s signs of life on Saturday marks the turning point of his season. Both he, and the Mets, desperately need Pete to regain his form down the stretch.
