It might not be sustainable forever, but the combination of Pete Alonso’s hot bat is getting it done for the New York Mets.
In frigid Citi Field conditions, the Polar Bear went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and four RBI, serving as the catalyst of the Mets’ 10-5 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday evening — New York’s sixth straight win to improve to 8-3 on the young season.
Alonso’s first double of the day, assisted by the blustering winds in Queens, came in the bottom of the third inning off Marlins starter Connor Gillispie to tie the game at two apiece. The first baseman sent a towering pop-up down the right field line that carried out of the reach of a sliding Otto Lopez, scoring Juan Soto — who was running on contact with two outs in the frame — from first base.
The Mets plated four in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead behind a two-RBI double by Brandon Nimmo and a two-run single from Starling Marte.
New York starter Clay Holmes, who went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks, gave up a two-run single in the first to Liam Hicks before running into trouble in the sixth. He walked Griffin Conine and gave up a double to Lopez, prompting the hook from manager Carlos Mendoza.
Reliever Huascar Brazoban induced a Hicks grounder that scored a run before Derek Hill homered to make it a 6-5 game — a rare bobble from what had been the best bullpen in baseball through the first 10 games of the season.
Alonso reopened a comfortable Mets lead in the bottom of the sixth, though, when he cleared the loaded bases with a double to put the hosts up 9-5.
Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly put the Mets up five and gave him his second RBI of the day. The star shortstop launched his first home run of the season in the bottom of the first to halve his side’s early deficit.
AJ Minter, Danny Young, and Reed Garrett combined to hold the Marlins hitless over the final 2.2 innings.
