3 Up, 3 Down: Álvarez, Lindor Lead Mets to Sweep of D-Backs

The New York Mets have undoubtedly had a disappointing first half of 2023. Underachievement in every phase of the game left them in a deep hole. However, a glimmer of hope carries them closer to the All-Star break, as a three-game sweep of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks has their winning streak sitting at five games.

While the Mets remain five games under .500 and 17.5 behind in the division, they trail the final wild card spot by 6.5 games. That is certainly not an easy gap to close, with three other teams either tied or ahead of them in the trail position and another two 0.5 games behind. Still, if the Mets can play like they did in this series, maybe they’re not quite dead yet.

Or maybe it’s a mirage, and the Mets are who they’ve been for most of this season. Still, hope springs eternal, and this series gave some more of that to fans.

3 Up

Clutch Catcher

Francisco Álvarez has been in a deep hole lately but broke out of it in a big way against the Diamondbacks. After homering in the series against San Francisco, Álvarez came up in the top of the seventh with a runner on first and one out in the first game of the D-Backs series. He fouled off a few pitches in the at-bat before launching a 1-2 sinker 467 feet to center. The blast gave the Mets a 6-4 lead and was ultimately the winning hit in the game.

The next night, the Mets seemed dead in the water, as Álvarez was the final hope with a 1-0 deficit. On a 3-2 sinker, the rookie blasted the ball into the seats for a game-tying homer. Álvarez’s jubilation was understandable in what has been a frustrating stretch for both him and the team. He flipped his bat and jumped up and down with his characteristic youthful exuberance.

In the finale, Álvarez took a 5-0 Mets lead and put it out of reach with another two-run shot. The rookie homered in all three games and now has 16 homers in 214 plate appearances, or one every 13.4 PAs. For reference, Pete Alonso hit a homer every 13.1 plate appearances in his record-setting 53-homer rookie year. That was in a season where the ball was flying out of the ballpark league-wide.

Álvarez finished the series 5-for-11 with three homers, six RBI, and two multi-hit efforts. He’s now clawed his way back to a .318/.375/.864 mark in his last seven games after a June swoon.

Senga and Carrasco Strong

Kodai Senga (presumably) finished the first half of his rookie season strong, firing eight innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks. He allowed just four hits and one walk, his lone true mistake on a solo homer yielded to Christian Walker in the seventh inning. He also scuffled a bit in the first, giving up two singles before getting Walker to ground into a double play. No other Arizona player got past first base against Senga.

After coming over from Japan, Senga has endured his share of bumps. Still, a 3.31 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 11.34 K/9, and .216 xBA is a strong start. Control remains an issue, as Senga’s 4.72 BB/9 is in the ninth percentile. Still, he’s worked around it and put forth several excellent starts.

Building consistency will be key for Senga. For a pitcher who’s supposed to be the Mets’ third starter, though, he’s done almost everything they could have asked of him.

Not to be outdone, Carlos Carrasco exceeded even Senga’s brilliance with eight innings of no-run, three-hit ball, needing 96 pitches to finish his night. He walked only one and got 11 groundouts, which is what he does when he’s at his best. He also picked off a runner. Just one Arizona baserunner reached scoring position against Carrasco. This start lowered his ERA from 5.94 to 5.16 and was easily his finest outing of the season.

It’s been a rough year for the right-hander, whose rotation spot seemed to be in jeopardy. However, he likely earned himself at least another start in orange and blue with this performance.

Amapola Era Continues

After a quiet first two games of the series, Francisco Lindor had a field day in the finale. He posted his first career five-hit game and came a double short of the cycle. Overall, he went 6-for-12 in the series with two homers, two RBI, and two stolen bases.

Since June 17, when Lindor welcomed his second daughter into the world, he’s 20-for-61 with six homers, 13 RBI, and a .328/.427/.738 slash line. Obviously, his five-hit game has a lot to do with it, as it raised his slugging percentage by 30 points in one day; it’s now up to .472 from a low of .404 on June 4. He also has 18 homers on the season, inching closer to the 26 he posted a year ago.

Although it certainly hasn’t been the year Lindor hoped for thus far, he’s picked it up a lot after a rough month-plus.

Starling Marte also deserves a mention in this spot. He went 5-for-11 in the series, including a big three-run homer to get the Mets going in the opener.

3 Down

Scherzer Can’t Hunker Down

Max Scherzer still hasn’t been able to find consistency this season. After two strong starts, he faltered against Arizona. Staked to multiple leads, Scherzer surrendered them each time. He was charged with four earned runs in six innings.

The 38-year-old’s kryptonite was once again the home run ball. He allowed three more shots to bring his total to 16 on the season, or a whopping 1.74 HR/9. That is by far the worst mark of his career and double the 0.81 HR/9 he posted in 2022. It wasn’t his worst start this season, but it was certainly not what he was hoping for.

Overall, it’s been a disappointing first part of the season for Scherzer. His 4.03 ERA (3.44 xERA), 4.37 FIP (3.88 xFIP), and 98 ERA- are pedestrian numbers on an ace’s salary.

The Road Didn’t Help

Brandon Nimmo is normally a road warrior, hitting much better away from Citi Field. This series in Arizona didn’t prove that, though. Nimmo hit a homer in the opener but finished the three-game set just 1-for-12 at the plate with three walks and two strikeouts. He had an opportunity to extend the Mets’ 2-1 lead in the ninth inning of the middle game but could not deliver. Nimmo is hitting just .154 over his last seven games and .224 over his last 15, although his on-base and slugging percentages remain solid.

Pham Cools Off

It had to end sometime. Tommy Pham was almost too hot to continue that streak. He cooled off in the series, going just 2-for-15 with two strikeouts. There’s still not much negative to say about him right now, but his hitting was the worst in the series, resulting in a 3 Down appearance. (Alonso went 2-for-13, but his homer and three RBI in the finale saved him that fate. Jeff McNeil also went 2-for-10 but posted an RBI double in the last game.)

The Mets’ last series before the All-Star break begins on Friday night against another underachieving National League team in San Diego (9:40 p.m. ET).

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