Mets survive Pete Alonso injury scare, defeat Reds in series finale
Pete Alonso of the Mets bats during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The positive feelings surrounding David Wright’s number retirement stretched into Sunday with his bobblehead giveaway.
But the on-field product for the Mets, who had lost three straight and were looking to avoid being swept by the Reds, produced emotions from the opposite end of the spectrum on a weekend in which their bats turned mostly silent.
Sunday did not exactly bring an offensive explosion, but the Mets mustered an eighth-inning rally to secure a much-needed 3-2 win over Cincinnati in front of 42,981 at Citi Field.
In the top of the eighth, Edwin Diaz suffered his second blown save as he hit the Reds’ Spencer Steer with the bases loaded, forcing in the tying run.
In the bottom half, Juan Soto worked a leadoff walk and Jeff McNeil hit a one-out double to put runners on second and third. Luis Torrens ripped a full-count fastball to second baseman Matt McLain, whose throw home did not beat the headfirst-sliding Soto.
“The contact [play] was on, but you got to be able to execute it, and [Soto] did,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The primary lead and then just the timing of the secondary that allows him to just get a great jump on contact and score easy with a bullet right at the second baseman. But the way he executed it, that’s how you teach it.”
In the ninth, Ryne Stanek worked around a one-out single by Jake Fraley to secure his second save.
The Mets (56-44) seemingly survived an injury scare after Pete Alonso did not start Sunday’s game with a right hand contusion. The first baseman, who entered Sunday with a franchise-record streak of 353 consecutive games played, came in as a defensive replacement for Mark Vientos in the seventh to keep that streak alive.
Mendoza said Alonso’s injury is “on the base of the thumb area.” X-rays were negative.
Alonso said he felt normal during his lone at-bat — a strikeout looking in the eighth after fouling off two pitches — and said he should be good for Monday’s series opener against the Angels.
“I took a normal swing, but I got jammed off the machine [before Saturday’s game],” Alonso said. “ . . . So I’m like, all right, that’s my last swing. You get jammed all the time off the machine, so I didn’t really think anything of it. And then caught one close to the label, or in off the handle, and I really felt it again. Second at-bat [on Saturday], it felt horrible.
“So [Saturday night] it was just kind of like managing it and managing the swelling and everything. And [Sunday], obviously didn’t start the game, so it was precautionary. And yeah, I think the hand’s in a really good spot, especially with swelling and pain management.
“I got to a point where I feel like I could go and help the team, and I was happy to be able to get out there.”
The Mets led 2-1 when Diaz (5-0, 1.64 ERA) entered with two outs in the eighth after Reed Garrett walked McLain. Diaz walked Elly De La Cruz and Austin Hays singled to load the bases for Cincinnati (52-48).
After hitting Steer to force in McLain, Diaz struck out Tyler Stephenson to end the inning.
David Peterson, in his first start since making his first All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday, allowed four hits and one unearned run. Leadoff hitter TJ Friedl reached in the first on Luisangel Acuna’s throwing error and scored on De La Cruz’s single.
Peterson walked one, hit a batter and struck out four. He escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the second and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. The lefthander lowered his ERA from 3.06 to 2.90 and owns a 1.91 ERA at Citi Field.
“Got out there and felt a little out of sync at the beginning, and was able to kind of correct it,” Peterson said.
Between Saturday and Sunday, the Mets had nine consecutive scoreless innings. Brandon Nimmo changed that in the third with a one-out RBI single that made it 1-1.
Acuna gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the sixth with a one-out double over leftfielder Connor Joe’s head that drove in Brett Baty.
Reds lefthander Andrew Abbott, also an All-Star, allowed six hits, two earned runs and a walk in six innings, striking out five.
“When you got guys that you know are going through it, you just got to find a way to get the job done,” Mendoza said. “And I’m glad that we were able to do that today.”
Notes & quotes: Francisco Lindor, who went 0-for-4 on Sunday, is hitless in his last 21 at-bats . . . Righthander Tylor Megill (right elbow sprain) is throwing from 120 feet and Mendoza said, “Hopefully he starts getting on the mound here shortly.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
