Francisco Lindor Collects Five Hits As Mets Sweep Diamondbacks
After an emotional come-from-behind win on Wednesday, the New York Mets (41-46) did not need any heroics on Thursday. The offense scored seven runs in the first three innings and their starter (Carlos Carrasco) went deep into the game for the second straight night as they finished off a step of the Arizona Diamondbacks (50-38) with a 9-0 win.
The Mets not only completed the sweep of Arizona and they recorded their fifth straight win, but they also were able to hand the D-backs their first shutout loss of the season.
As a unit, the offense was able to record 16 hits and five players recorded a multi-hit game, but the star of the night was Francisco Lindor. The shortstop recorded the first five-hit game of his career, which included two triples (first two of the season) and a solo home run in the top of the sixth for his 19th homer of the year.
Francisco Lindor his first 321 at-bats: 0 triples
Francisco Lindor his last two at-bats:
2 triples— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 7, 2023
The Mets got right to work with scoring in the opening inning against Ryne Nelson. After Lindor’s first triple, Pete Alonso lined a two-run home run to left field for his 26th home run of the year to give New York a 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, Alonso kept the offense going with an RBI single. After RBI doubles from Daniel Vogelbach and Jeff McNeil, Francisco Álvarez continued his great series in the desert with a two-run home run. His 16th of the year gave New York a 7-0 lead. The 21-year-old has now homered in three consecutive games.
Nelson (5-5, 5.19 ERA) was able to finish the inning, but his outing ended after that. He allowed seven runs on nine hits and struck out a batter on 66 pitches (46 strikes) in the loss.
FRANCISCO ÁLVAREZ THREE DAYS IN A ROW pic.twitter.com/9VUY7r5932
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 7, 2023
Álvarez tacked on another run with an RBI single in the fifth. Over the three games that were played in this series, the 21-year-old hit three home runs and drove in six runs (5-for-11 at the plate). There was some drama involving Álvarez in the seventh when José Ruiz hit him with a pitch. Although the dugouts emptied, no incident occurred. However, both benches ended up being warned.
This feels like an energy the Mets haven’t had all season pic.twitter.com/w6vKnKcVWu
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 7, 2023
Those were all the runs that Carrasco (3-3, 5.16) would need in his final start before the All-Star break. The right-hander was able to go eight innings for the first time this year. He allowed only three hits, walked a batter, and struck out four on 96 pitches (63 strikes) in the win. It was his first eight-inning outing since May 3, 2022 against the Braves.
Trevor Gott made his Mets debut in the ninth and was able to throw a scoreless frame (one hit allowed) to complete the shutout.
Player Of The Game
On a night where many players could have been considered for this honor, Lindor is the pick for his five-hit performance. Before Thursday’s game, the shortstop was 2-for-14 in the first five games of July, so this could be the game he needs to end his first half on a high note.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Stat Of The Game
With his home run in the third, Álvarez made his own history on Thursday. As our own Mike Mayer pointed out, the Mets catcher joined some exclusive company for a player his age.
Players in MLB history younger than 22 with at least 16 home runs in 1st 63 games of season
Francisco Álvarez
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Cody Bellinger
Giancarlo Stanton
Miguel Cabrera
Adam Dunn
Albert Pujols
José Canseco
Bob Horner
Frank Robinson
Eddie Mathews
Willie Mays
Mel Ott— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 7, 2023
On Deck
The Mets will start their final series of the first half on Friday night when they head to Petco Park to take on the San Diego Padres (41-46). You can catch the game on SNY at 9:40 p.m ET. Justin Verlander (3-4, 3.66 ERA) gets the start for the Mets against Yu Darvish (5-6, 4.84) for the Padres. Back in April, the Mets took two out of three from the Padres at Citi Field.
The post Francisco Lindor Collects Five Hits As Mets Sweep Diamondbacks first appeared on Metsmerized Online.