Mets Slug Three Homers In 8-5 Win Over D’backs
June is officially in the rearview mirror, and the Mets aren’t looking back.
After securing their first series win in over a month against the Giants on July 2, the New York Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-5 on Tuesday. Both teams exchanged fireworks on the Fourth of July, clobbering three home runs in a back-and-forth matchup.
Corbin Carroll started the firework show in the bottom of the first inning. The left-hander took a change-up to the opposite field off Max Scherzer for his 18th home run of the season, giving the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. Carroll has been electric for Arizona this season, and recently won the NL Rookie of the Month award after he recorded a .979 OPS and hit eight home runs in June.
The Mets joined the power party in the top of the fourth inning when Starling Marte gave New York their first lead of the game. Francisco Lindor walked with one out and advanced to third base after Jeff McNeil singled. Marte, who hadn’t had an extra-base hit since June 24, stepped up to the plate and slugged a home run to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Arizona answered right back in the bottom half of the fourth and tagged Scherzer for two more long balls. After retiring Jake McCarthy and Carroll for the first two outs, Scherzer gave up back-to-back home runs to Christian Walker and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to tie the game at 3-3. The right-hander has now allowed 16 home runs in 2023—1.8 per every nine innings.
The ball continued to fly in the top of the fifth, and the Mets retook the lead behind another home run. With two outs in the inning, Brandon Nimmo slugged his 13th home run of the season to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. Nimmo, who surprisingly did not make the NL All-Star team, has been scorching hot for New York, and has hit five home runs in his last seven games.
While both sides were exchanging home runs, Scherzer was dealing for the Mets in the desert. The right-hander struck out five snakes and didn’t allow a walk in his first four innings. However, he ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. After recording the first two outs, Scherzer allowed a walk and two singles to load the bases. He walked Carroll, which tied the game at four, but escaped the inning by striking out Christian Walker.
After retiring the side in order in the sixth inning, Scherzer’s night was finished. While he wasn’t perfect, Scherzer got the job done against his former team, striking out nine batters across six innings of work. He allowed four earned runs, but three of them were from solo home runs.
“I thought he did a good job,” Álvarez said about Scherzer after the game. “It probably wasn’t as efficient as he wanted to be, but he was able to get a clean inning (in the sixth) and he did the best that he could do.”
Meanwhile, the Mets retook the lead for a third time in the top of the seventh inning. Facing former Met Miguel Castro, Francisco Álvarez hit a two-run home run to give the Mets a 6-4 lead. It traveled 467 feet. It was his 14th home run of the season for Álvarez, which broke the Mets’ franchise single-season record for home runs hit by a rookie catcher. It was previously held by Travis d’Arnaud, who hit 13 in 2014.
Alvarez continues with the fireworks display on the Fourth! 🎆 pic.twitter.com/VL1pY6aV46 — New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2023
“I was ready to hit the fastball there,” Álvarez said to Michelle Margeaux after the game. “I just wanted to make a good swing and try to advance the runner.”
The offense added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Newly recalled DJ Stewart increased New York’s lead to 7-4 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and Lindor added one more run in the ninth with an RBI double to bring the score to 8-4.
Those runs ended up being crucial for the Mets, who ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth. With a four-run lead, Buck Showalter turned to Drew Smith to get the last three outs. The right-hander got two outs, but allowed a single and a walk which prompted Showalter to pull him for David Robertson. The Mets’ closer worsened the situation, allowing a single to Carroll to load the bases, and then walking Walker to cut New York’s lead to 8-5.
Facing Gurriel Jr., who had hit a home run earlier in the game, Robertson settled in, and induced a ground ball to end the game. The Mets have now won three games in a row for the first time since May, and have improved to 39-46. It wasn’t pretty, but the offense overcame a mediocre start from their ace, which is something that had eluded them for the entire month of June.
Player of the Game
Francisco Álvarez was the Player of the Game. The rookie catcher hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning that traveled 467 feet and broke d’Arnaud’s old single-season franchise record for most home runs hit by a rookie catcher.
On Deck
Kodai Senga gets the start for the Mets on Wednesday after his start was pushed back one day. The 30-year-old was overpowering against the Brewers in his last start, and struck out eight batters in five innings.
The Diamondbacks will counter with Tommy Henry. The left-hander has been solid in his second year in MLB, and has a 4.08 ERA and 107 ERA+ in 13 starts for Arizona.
First pitch on Wednesday is set for 9:40 p.m. EST. The game is available to watch on SNY and can be listened to on WCBS 880.
Source: metsmerizedonline.com
