Livescore
Francisco Alvarez is having a tough sophomore season with the Mets. Entering Wednesday’s series finale with the Blue Jays, the young backstop was hitting .233 with only six home runs and 31 RBI.
He’s had plenty of opportunities to help his team push across runs but simply hasn’t been able to sustain an offensive groove this season. So it was great to see the 22-year-old take a first-pitch fastball over the wall for a three-run shot and blow the game wide open.
“He’s been trying, he’s been working extremely hard,” Franciso Lindor said of Alvarez’s home run. “Catching behind the plate he’s done an outstanding job. It meant a lot.”
Alvarez’s blast capped off a six-run ninth inning after the Mets entered being no-hit by Bowden Francis. Lindor led off with a solo shot to not only break the no-no but tied the game.
“The vibe was very positive,” Alvarez said of the mood in the Mets dugout entering the ninth. “We knew we were going to get [Francis].”
And got him they did. The Mets had 11 batters come to the plate and Alvarez’s homer gave the Mets a comfortable five-run cushion in the team’s eventual 6-2 win. Alvarez’s seventh longball of the year extended his personal hitting streak to three games and he is starting to look a bit more comfortable at the plate.
“I feel like I’m getting closer. Getting better every day,” Alvarez said. “Have to keep working. Don’t open my hips too much, stay close, that’s most important.”
Alvarez explained that his hips are getting stronger and as a result, they are opening up faster so he needs to do a better job of controlling it. He said the last two months he hasn’t been able to control his hips but he’s learning to do so.
Last season, Alvarez hit 25 homers and drove in 63 RBI in 123 games. While injuries have hampered the catcher, his numbers are way down from a year ago.
If the Mets can get Alvarez going, they will have a better shot of capturing a Wild Card spot. Wednesday’s win temporarily put the Mets 0.5 games ahead of the Braves — pending Atlanta’s result — so each win down the stretch matters.
Even if Alvarez continues to struggle at the plate, he believes his work behind it and with the pitchers helps his team.
“If we keep winning I feel happy,” Alvarez said. “The bigger thing for me is try to help my pitchers. I give a better chance to the team to win. I really think that one’s the bigger thing I have to do.”
The Mets have an off day Thursday before starting a crucial three-game against the Phillies in Philadelphia.
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