The Mets return to Citi Field on Tuesday night with a pair of home-run milestones hanging in the air.
Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are each one homer away from No. 300 for their careers as New York continues its three-game set against the Orioles at 7:10 p.m. Alonso said Monday the possibility of both players reaching the mark in the same game would be pretty special.
"That could be really cool," Alonso said Monday of potentially hitting No. 300 in his old home. "Also, I know (Francisco's) chasing down that same milestone, so it’d be really cool if both of us could do it the same game.
If that happens, I think that’d be the first time ever and hopefully we win the game. If we were to do it the same game, that’d be really sick."
Alonso had a chance to get there in Monday’s opener, but the moment slipped past him. In his second at-bat, he turned on a pitch from Jonah Tong and sent it just wide of the left-field foul pole. He finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout as the Mets fell 2-1.
Gunnar Henderson broke the game open with an eighth-inning go-ahead home run, and the Orioles used the win to move within three games of the final AL Wild Card spot. For the Mets, the loss carried a much harsher result: New York was mathematically eliminated from the postseason at 69-81.
The pitching matchup Tuesday sends Sean Manaea to the mound for New York as he tries to stop a skid that has gone the wrong way fast. The left-hander has given up four earned runs or more in each of his last five starts, including his latest outing against the Marlins, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in five innings and struck out four.
Manaea enters at 5-7 with a 4.79 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in 133⅓ innings over 30 appearances.
Baltimore counters with Shane Baz, who is set for his 30th start of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander is 6-15 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.33 WHIP after giving up five earned runs in 5⅔ innings against the Guardians in his last start.
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The awkward part for New York is what comes next if Bichette rebounds and raises his value again. The Mets would love to see him stay tied to the $42 million option in 2027, but his struggles this season, the backdrop of labor talks, and the possibility of a fresh run at free agency all leave the long-term picture unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Top Prospect Is Suddenly Forcing His Way Into The Infield Picture
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What makes him especially intriguing for the Mets is that the bat is not the only part of the profile developing. Rojas has defensive versatility, and that gives the team options as it keeps mapping out the infield beyond the present tense. A prospect who is starting to force the issue at Triple-A tends to change conversations quickly, and for the Mets, Rojas is suddenly becoming part of a future infield picture that could arrive sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]