Francisco Alvarez leads youth movement in Mets' win over Nationals
Francisco Alvarez after hitting a three-run homer in first inning. Brett Baty also had a two-run single in the third. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
WASHINGTON — In the Mets’ 11-5 win over the Nationals on Tuesday, the kids were all right.
In the major league lineup together for the first time, rookies Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos each had at least one hit. They combined for six RBIs, including Mauricio’s first, and five runs scored.
Alvarez led the way: 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and three runs. His three-run long ball in the first inning helped the Mets get off to a fast start against Patrick Corbin (four innings, eight runs). He also stole the first base of his career — a feet feat rivaled by Vientos’ first triple.
Baty ended the game with a backhanded stop and long throw from foul territory to retire Joey Meneses.
He referred to the quartet, batting consecutively fifth through eighth, as “baseball brothers."
“It was fun. You know it was a big night,” manager Buck Showalter said. “You can tell how close they are. They’ve been through a lot in the minor leagues together.”
Alvarez said through an interpreter: “It’s incredible that we’re all in the lineup together. And it makes me feel like whenever we’re all in the lineup, there’s something we can do, there’s something good that [can happen].”
Pete Alonso (No. 42), Francisco Lindor (No. 26) and Brandon Nimmo (Nos. 21 and 22) also homered.
Jose Quintana fought a high pitch count early but settled in to last seven innings (one run), his longest outing of the year. He retired 12 of his final 13 batters.
“They’re trying to make a statement, and that’s huge,” Nimmo said of the rookies. “Especially in September. It brings a lot of energy to the rest of us. We’re eager to play with them and see what we’re capable of.”
Showalter said: “You run them out there. It’s a sticky, hot, tough time. And they brought some energy to us.”
Extra bases
Edwin Diaz is with the Mets for this road trip, his first time traveling with the team since his March knee surgery. That is because he has at least two bullpen sessions on tap this week, according to Showalter, and the Mets wanted those to happen in front of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the major-league training staff . . . Outfielder DJ Stewart was out of the lineup because of lower-back stiffness.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
